Household

A sweet little koala from Down Under is busy reading A Year Down Yonder! Make your own koala bookmark as a reading pal!

Materials:
wool felt
embroidery floss
yarn
pattern

1] Make copy of pattern.

2] Cut out materials as follows:
1 back - gray
1 body - gray
1 arm - gray
1 head - gray
2 ears - gray
18 - 28 leaves - green
3 pieces different colored green yarn 30" long each
2 eyes - white
1 nose - black

3] Following pattern, position nose on head. Using 3 strand of floss, attach nose to face using a small running stitch. Position eyes. Attach by placing a French knot in the center of each eye. Using 6 strands of floss, add mouth using a stem stitch.

4] To make the vine, knot the 3 pieces of yarn together 1” from an end. Braid the 3 pieces until you are 6” from the end. Knot the tail close to the end of the braiding section. Cut the extra yarn leaving 1” beyond the knot. (You may wish to braid the vine to the end, and wait to cut the length until you've added the leaves to insure even leaf placement.) 

5] Using 2 leaf pieces for each leaf, begin by sewing a leaf around the end of the vine. You will be covering the knot. Add leaves ever 2". (If you want a leafy vine, just add more.) Stagger the leaves so they are on different sides. NOTE: To add the leaves begin by sewing up 1 side of the leaf. Then open the leaf and place the vine inside on an angle. Continue your running stitch catching the vine at the top of the leaf and then again along the other side of the leaf. (Refer to photos.) You may want to leave the leaf off the vine that is around the koala's head. So, after adding your 2nd set of leaves, place the next set 4" down the vine. Then continue with every 2". Place your last set of leaves around the other knot.

6] Lay the body on the pattern. Using the pattern as a guide, lay the vine on the Koala. Pin in place.

7] Using 3 strands of floss, sew ears, body, head and arm to the backing using small running stitches. Sew on in order listed.

8] Using 6 strands of floss, add the leg outline using a stem stitch.

9] If you haven't already, finish the vine.

10] Share your favorite book with your new buddy!

When you're creative, nothing in your life needs to be boring. Here is a totally fun glass case that would be equally comfortable hanging out with an adult or child. Crafted from soft felt and flannel, adorable through and through, if you don't wear glasses, you're going to wish you did!

Materials:
1 piece felt and 1 piece flannel 7" x 8"
felt scraps
embroidery thread
small flower buttons
pattern

1] Make copy of pattern.

2] Cut out the inside and outside of the glass case. Decide on the colors for your birds and cut out all pieces and leaves.

3] Using the pattern as a guide, mark the vine on the felt, and following the directions on the pattern, embroider the vine, Add the leaves. (There will be places where part of the birds will cover part of the leaves. This will give the piece a dimensional look.)

4] Following the pattern, applique on the birds, building the bird as you go along. (i.e. First applique on large body piece, then on 2 birds, the head piece. Next, add the wings, beak, then eyes.) Although not on the pattern, I embellished the birds using 6 strands of embroidery. I used french knots, cross stitches, and straight stitches. You can leave them plain, following my suggestions, or come up with any embellishment you'd like. Perhaps you'd like to add beads. Go crazy!

5] Finish the embroidery by adding the various flowers and buttons. If you don't have flower buttons, cut out felt ones or use another decorative embroidery stitch. NOTE: I did not sew on the top flower button until after I sewed the outside to the inside. It is so close to the edge it could have interfered with sewing the pieces together.

6] Pin the inside to the outside with right sides together. 

7] Sew them together leaving a 2" opening on the bottom back side. 

8] Trim the corners to reduce some of bulk, turn, and lightly press. Slip stitch the opening closed. Add your last button.

9] Fold the glass case lengthwise, matching bottom and sides. The embroidery side should be on the outside. Starting on the front at the top opening, blanket stitch down the side and bottom. Make sure your stitches are tight, but not so tight that the sides are puckering. Your work should lay flat.

Tah Dah! You're done. Slip your glasses inside and they'll rest comfortably until you are ready to wear them again!

Material:
6 pieces of different colored felt or other fabric
Embroidery floss
Pattern (3 pages)

1] Make copy of patterns.

2] Cut out fabric as follows (I used):
Color A: 1 babushka and 2 ties (light green)
Color B: 1 hair (medium brown)
Color C: 1 face (very light pink/beige)
Color D: 1 main body-this is the apron (medium green)
Color E: 2 sleeves (mirror imaged) 1 under blouse, 1 skirt and petal 2 (yellow)
Color F: 1 petal 1 and flower center (medium blue)

3] Transfer marks and embroider face.
Eyes: I used 3 strands black floss. I used a stem stitch to outline the eyes and eyelashes, and on each eye, 3 satin stitches to create the irises.
Nose: I used 3 strands black floss and a steam stitch.
Lips: I used 3 strands of red floss. I used a combination of outline, straight and satin stitches until I got the right affect.
Freckles: I used 3 strands of pink floss. I made French knots wrapping the needle only once.

NOTE: If you check out any babushka doll you will notice that the faces ARE NOT perfect… most of the time they aren’t very symmetrical! If your face doesn’t turn out “perfect” they are closer to real babushka dolls than “perfect” faces. Kinda takes the pressure off, right??!

4] Pin hair to face. Using 3 strands of matching floss, attach the hair to the face using a running stitch, along the 2 curved bang lines. You do not need to attach the top. That will be sewn later.

5] Center the face on the backside of the babushka with the face “looking out”. Pin in place. You face should be centered both up and down and sideways. Using a running stitch and 3 strands of floss, attach the face to the babushka. (I used a contrasting thread in medium green.)

6] Place the under blouse behind the main body piece. Attach using French knots and 6 strands of contrasting floss (I used yellow). NOTE: Lay out the doll so you can see where the ties will lie. You do not want to French knot under the ties, or they will not lay flat later. Only attach on the lower curve. (See picture or pattern.)

7] Using the pattern as a guide, pin arms in place over the main body. To check placement, position babushka and face on main body. The babushka should hide the top of the arms. Reposition the arms if necessary. Using 3 strands of contrasting floss (I used medium green) attach the arms to the body using a running stitch. NOTE: Do NOT sew the outside edge. This will eventually be blanket stitched to another piece of fabric.

8] Pin babushka and ties to main body. Using 3 strands of contrasting thread (I used medium green) and a running stitch, attach the babushka only along the lower edge. Then sew all around the ties. The whole top of babushka will not be sewn. This will eventually be blanket stitched to another piece of fabric.

9] Pin the skirt behind the main body. Using 6 strands of contrasting floss (I used yellow) and French knots, attach the skirt to the main body.

10] Position and attach the petal 1 to the doll using 3 strands of contrasting floss (I used yellow) and a running stitch.

11] Position petal 2 over petal 1. Do NOT attach. Place flower center over petal 2. Using 3 strands of contrasting floss, blanket stitch the flower center to the body, making sure to go through petal 2 and petal 1. (I found it easiest to go through the main body, too.)

OPTIONAL: Babushka dolls are usually quite ornate. If you’d like to embellish the doll, add embroidery now.

12] Blanket stitch the doll to fabric to finish the project. You can do this in 2 different ways depending on the look you want to achieve. You can use 3 strands of the same colored floss and blanket stitch around the entire doll or you can change floss to match the color of your fabric.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MULTIPLE SIZE DOLLS: Using your printer, reduce the size of your doll pattern until you create the desired effect. How much you reduce your pattern depends on tastes and how many dolls you’d like to make. (I’ve seen as few as 4 and as many as 10) Keep reducing the main pattern, not your reductions. (For example… place your pattern in your printer. Set your printer at 90%. After you run a copy, set your printer for 80%, and so on.) Also, looking at traditional babushka dolls, faces can be very different as sizes get smaller. Designs usually get simpler as the designs get smaller. Also, you may wish to change what the doll is holding. THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY to do this. Have fun, and be creative!