Household

My mom is still under the weather but she asked me to go through her rough draft post and see if I couldn't get the pattern up for everyone. I think I got all the links and such working (let me know if you notice something missing).

I must say, I think this little guy might be the cutest in the bunch so far. My girls were excited to see him. Pippin will make a great spring guest in your home. Enjoy!

Materials: (yardages are approximate and based on optimal placement)
Felt
Embroidery floss
2 3/4" buttons with 4 holes for eyes
2 12” pipe cleaners
Stuffing (wool or polyfil)
Beans, fish gravel or large grained sand for weighting the bottom
Pattern

Note: My felt was from Wool Felt Central. I used the following colors:
Haybale (TOY2617) for the front, back, ears and base
Driftwood (WCF2619) for the muzzle, chest and tail
Antique White (WCF1102) for the eyes
Blushing Bride (WCF0942) for the inner ears and nose

IMPORTANT: If you haven’t done so already, read our tutorial on cutting out felt found HERE.

Directions: (All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.)
Download pattern and make copies.

Cut out pattern pieces as follows:
1 front and back
4 ears
1 base
1 muzzle
1 chest
1 tail
2 eyes
2 inner ears
1 nose

Using the pattern as a guide, pin or staple pieces on the front and back of bunny. Note: the eyes will be tucked under the muzzle as shown on the pattern.

Applique in the following manner:
Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, sew on eyes.
Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew on muzzle, chest and tail.
Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew on nose.

Embroider the face in the following manner:
Transfer facial detail to muzzle.
Using a stem stitch and 6 strands of floss, embroider mouth.
Using French knots and 6 strands of floss, embroider whisker spots.

Sew on eyes using 6 strands of floss, crisscrossing through the 4 holes.

Optional: If you would like to, embroider the bunny’s name on the bottom using a stem stitch and 6 strands of floss.

To make the ears begin by laying an inner on top of 2 layers of ears. Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew the inner ear to the ear going through all 3 layers.

Take a pipe cleaner and lay it between the 2 layers of ears between the running stitch and the edge. Allow the pipe cleaner to overhang by about 1”.

Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, sew the 2 outer edges of the ears together, trapping the pipe cleaner as you sew around the ear. Gently bend the pipe cleaner around the top of the ear.

Clip off the extending pipe cleaner so it is even with the edge of the ear.

Do the same for the other ear making it in the mirror image of the first ear.

Mark the unfinished edge of the ears ½” from edge.

Position the ears on the front of the bunny, with right sides together, following the markings on the pattern, allowing the ears to overlap the ½”. Pin in place.

With right sides together, stitch front to back leaving a 2 1/2” opening as indicated on the pattern. (This opening will be used to turn bunny right side out after the bottom has been added.) Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end stitchling lines seams do not unravel during the turning process. (This step can be done be by hand or with a sewing machine. If sewing by hand make sure to use very small stitches.) Note: Be careful when sewing over the ears, since there are pipe cleaners in them. If you go very slowly, you shouldn’t break your needle.

To reinforce the ears and to help them stand up straight, sew a second stitching line between the seam and the edge where the ears are attached.

With right sides together, pin bottom in place matching side seams and notches. Sew in place.

Turn bunny right side out.

Using beans, gravel or sand, fill the bottom of the bunny to the opening.

Fill the remainder of the bunny with wool or polyfil. Pack firmly without stressing seams.

Using a blind stitch, sew up opening.

 

After due consideration, I decided to make a bunny doorstop for several reasons; it got the most votes, it is seasonal, it is both a barnyard and woodland creature, and finally, and probably most importantly, Pixie wanted a bunny :)

Due to widespread family illness, I actually had a Sunday with nothing planned. So I was able to get right to work designing the bunny, and actually had time to make him. What I didn't have time to do was crop photos and write up the tutorial. But since I am so enamored with the new little guy... btw... his name is Pippin... I thought I'd give you a sneak peek. He is rather shy, so I was very grateful that he allowed me to take so many photos of him!

Watch for the pattern and tutorial to be up sometime over the next couple of days :)

If you had to guess which of our projects were most linked to, what would you guess? Our Waldorf Style Gnomes? Our Knitted in the Round Doll Pattern? What about our Hair Pin Lace Tutorial? Although those are amoung the most popular patterns, the most frequently visited patterns are for our Doorstop Cat, Dog and Owl.

Meet Jasper, our Cat Doorstop:

Meet Horace, our Puppy Doorstop:

Meet Percy, our Doorstop Owl:

I may be a bit partial, but I think these guys are adorable... and our three are best friends. They hang out together all the time, and they are always going on adventures with the wee ones. But I must admit, they seldom hold doors open! So it makes me wonder, if these are the most popular patterns, are people making them to work as doorstops, as toys or as general room decor??? I suppose it doesn't matter... cute is as cute does! But whatever their purpose, they are a welcomed addition to any home... for any reason :)

I received this email from reader Jillian:

For my cataholic friends!! Second from left needs the vet not quite stuffed yet!!
Did a dof at Christmas, an owl is the next Project! May have a collection of them.....a parliament of owls, I think is the correct term and a clowder of cats!!!


EDIT: Just received this update from Jillian:

Impressive :) So, if you want to part of the "in" crowd, you might want to consider making your own gang of doorstops. BTW... I haven't made a doorstop in a while... which would you most like to see a

added to the group? Or is there another animal you would like to see? Leave a comment :) 

I am a functioning claustrophobic. Not only do I have trouble with tight places, I also have trouble with constrictive clothes, and God forbid if my ring gets stuck on my finger! But as I said, I am a FUNCTIONING claustrophobic, and I can usually avoid the situations that really set me off. When talking to a friend about it the other day, including possible origins, I shared this story with her that I had written for One Generation to Another March 4, 2008. The post was 1 part claustrophobia and 3 parts cleaning. Not only will it give you an insight into my phobias, it also shares my general philosophy on house cleaning. Hope it makes you smile :)  

When I was 7 years old I was “accidentally” locked in a closet. Actually, my older brother had a hand in it, but, hey, big brothers, right? Can’t live with them, can’t get out of the closet without them! Anyway, this event precipitated two unique outcomes…first, claustrophobia, and second, a life long aversion to housecleaning! The claustrophobia thing is a no brainer…trap a 7 year old in a 3 x 3 foot closet, crammed with snow gear for 4 children, assorted adult coats, extra grocery store bags, a vacuum cleaner, and, according to my brother, a vampire…then remove the knob so that your mom can’t even get you out, and the stage is set for a lifelong, debilitating disorder! The housecleaning thing is a little harder to understand. For those of you who know me, or have regularly read the blog, you know I have an acute sense of smell. While “calmly” waiting in the closet for the termination of my incarceration, yeah, right…the one smell that permeated the air was the musty odor of an engorged vacuum cleaner bag. You know the smell I’m talking about, right? It’s not exactly a bad smell, kinda like little kids socks at the end of the day, but not one you want forever associated with fear! Anyway, every time I smell a vacuum cleaner, my palms get sweaty, my heart races and I feel light headed. I can’t help associating it with the 3 days I spent in that closet…okay, so my mom said it was only half and hour…time enough to find someone in the neighbor with tools and the knowledge of how to pop hinge pins…but long enough to generate a repugnance for any activity associated with using a vacuum. Yeah, yeah, I know, there are other ways to “clean” besides using a vacuum, but that’s my story, uh, more like my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!

To make matters worse, my mom is some kind of household whiz. Next to her I feel like a genetic mutation! I can never, ever remember our house being messy. She had that Stepford Wife ability of maintaining a home that was a showplace, despite the fact that she was raising 4 children, while smiling! (I’ve always secretly hoped she was doing some illegal drugs that gave her super human strength and Pollyanna optimism! It would make my comparable ineptness much easier to endure!) Anyway, she insisted that we kept our things “picked up and put away”, and was in a constant state of “straightening up”. (I was always afraid when I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night that I’d return to a made bed!) When I was growing up, if you had snapped “before and after” cleaning pictures of our house, they would have looked remarkably alike. The only tell tale signs that the house was just cleaned was the new vacuum cleaner marks on the carpet and the renewed scent of Pine-Sol! I, on the other hand, especially when the kids were young, would start my cleaning by bringing in the snow shovel and forging a path down the middle of the room. When I cleaned, you would walk in and say, “Wow, I forgot there was wall to wall carpeting in this room!” It would not be greatly exaggerating my disposition to say I really dislike cleaning…even “loathing” may not be a hyperbole, however, I certainly appreciate and desire a clean house…a complex dichotomy that has been the bane of my existence!

After many years and numerous embarrassing situations with unexpected visitors, I finally stumbled upon a housekeeping system that seemed to work for me. I would “regularly” clean my house…my litmus test for knowing when to clean was when the kids began naming the fuzzy things that were growing in the shower…but allow the day-to-day mess to give our house, what I affectionately refer to as a “lived in” look. I was comfortable with the house if it remained just 30 minutes away from being “company ready”. If I got a phone call from someone saying they wanted to stop by, I could say, “Sure, just give me half an hour.” In half an hour I could FLUFF the house. Fluffing a house is totally different than cleaning a house. Fluffing involves no direct cleaning…it is picking up, throwing things in closets (actually, that’s not true…I usually kept my closets very organized…you never know when you might find yourself stuck in one…) putting pillows back on the couch, raking toys into a corner, and loading breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. (Okay, and sometimes last night’s dinner dishes, too!) It’s stacking the magazines and newspapers in a pile…my discussion of “piles” will be addressed another day…and it’s plugging in the “tart warmer”, if it wasn’t going already. Stick a pot of coffee on during this condensed housekeeping foray, and ta-dah…the house looked surprisingly presentable! The word “fluff” became a part of our family’s esoteric vernacular. I could say, “Hey, guys, we need to fluff,” and everyone took their stations. In a mad dash we ran around, fluffing and folding, stashing and storing…but in a short time the house felt organized and comfortable. I found it was much easier to get the kids involved in “fluffing” than cleaning. And, when the house was fluffed, it made it easier and faster when it was time to pull out, gulp, the vacuum, and actually clean.

In a perfect world I’d have a housekeeper who’d clean for me. Actually, there were brief moments in my life when I did, but I found you still needed to “fluff” between cleanings. I also found, with occasional “fluffings”, I could postpone full fledged cleaning, which, to my way of thinking, is highly desirable! And, although I find it mind boggling, I know that there are people out there who actually enjoy cleaning! I am envious and stand in awe of them given the fact that through early childhood trauma or some chromosome deficiency, cleaning has always been a challenge for me. Over the years “fluffing” has become a way of life. No, I’d never win an award for cleanest house, and if you look closely, even after a good “fluffing” you’ll still notice vagabond fur balls and a fugitive Lego here and there, but for the most part, a quality fluff is appropriate for most situations!

We all seem to have definite feelings about housecleaning, and these feelings are often emotionally charged. Perhaps, as a teenager of the “60s”, my avoidance of housecleaning is a latent rebellious commentary to my mother’s values. Perhaps it was the closet…or perhaps I’m just lazy! How would you classify your housekeeping dogma? Are you a fanatic, a slob, or content with mediocrity?

Several years ago Michelle encouraged me to start a blog. Actually, encouraged is a very nice way of saying she was hounding me to start writing. "Mom, I know you'll love it. It will get you writing on a regular basis, and besides, I want you to write stories about us growing up so they aren't forgotten, and we can share them with our children." That was how my original blog One Generation to Another was started. And BTW, thank you Michelle. As always, you were right. I have LOVED blogging :) ANYWAY... with all the household projects we are both busy with right now, it reminded me of this blog... MY VERY FIRST blog entry ever! First published October of 2007. Hope you enjoy and have a lovely weekend!  

When you opened the front door of our house, you stepped into the foyer. To the right was our living room, which I always TRIED to keep company ready, (okay, frequently the overflow from the rest of the house osmosed into it) a hallway that lead to the kitchen, and the stairs that lead to our bedrooms.

One morning I had a scathingly brilliant idea. (By the way, my life is littered with almost as many scathingly brilliant mistakes!) I decided to remove the wall-to-wall carpeting that ran up the stairs and into the hallway. There was a rational thought process involved here. Since cleaning is not high on my list of favorite pastimes, and vacuuming the stairs involved precariously balancing the vacuum cleaner while I tried to clean the 13 steps, it seldom was done. The corners of the steps became low rent housing for domestic spiders, carelessly dropped “O”s, and vintage dust. The plan: remove the carpeting allowing me to simply sweep the steps whenever necessary, and tah-dah, efficiency in housekeeping. (My parents didn’t waste money on MY home economics degree!)

Okay, I wasn’t imagining anything quite as grand as the stairway in Gone with the Wind, but I was more than a little surprised at what I did discover. After cutting the carpet away, and giving a mighty pull, I was staring down at what I realized was construction grade stairs. It was painfully apparent that these steps were never meant to be viewed and the obvious intent was to keep them well hidden under wall-to-wall carpeting. The stairs were made of bonfire worthy wood. You could see the footprints of construction workers that must have made a point of stepping in all sorts of gooey substances before walking up and down the steps, thus leaving their mark for posterity, which rivaled the opulence of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. And, surprisingly, at least to me, very little thought was given to precise measurements…obviously stair building is an “ish” thing. I could see my basement through gaping cracks, tack less installation strips were firmly attached to each step, and gobs of hardened, aforementioned, gooey substances poxed the surface. General housekeeping note: Once you cut and rip carpeting off your steps, you can never put it back and expect it to look like anything other than a haphazardly laid drop cloth…kinda the same premise as refolding a map. Since the cost of recarpeting the stairs wouldn’t be in our budget, for, say, hmmmm, months, if not years, I had to think fast.

Fortunately, I’ve always been a rather make-do-with decorator so I rolled up my sleeves, gave an exasperated sigh, but was sufficiently delusional to be optimistic. It did take the rest of the day to remove the tack less installation strips and scrap off the larger gobs of stuff that I thought might actually trip us. With demolition complete I began to think about what I wanted to do with the stairs. That evening when my husband came home from work, I was in the kitchen cooking. He always wore shoes with hard heels, and I realized as he ascended the stairs that they had become bongo drums, amplifying each step he took. Probably as a penance for my impulsiveness, for the next several years, I was awaken each and every morning to the sound of those shoes hitting those stairs, mocking me, as if to say, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. To his credit he said nothing about this new household development, which I think said more about the frequency of these types of decorating debacles than personal restraint on his part.

The next morning, with a vision firmly fashioned, I was good to go. I painted the risers of the stairs the same cream color I had throughout my house and then the steps my comfy colonial blue. I did need to install some moldings to close off the gaps to the basement, but all-in-all, it turned out to be a relatively simple project. I was quite pleased with the results, although when standing back and looking at the steps, I did feel that something was missing. Another idea! Thank God I have a million of them. I asked myself, what do I want my foyer to say to people? We’re talking first impressions here. I wanted my foyer to say, “Welcome, come on in, relax, stay awhile, and make yourself at home”. How to do that? I simply stenciled the word “Welcome” on the riser of every step. I tried stenciling every other step but you kinda got the feeling some of the steps were being antisocial, so I stenciled them all.

The effect was perfect. When someone came over, not only were they greeted by a friendly face, they were extended a personal welcome from the house. Frequently, when my children’s friends came over, I’d listen to them read the stairs out loud, using a rhythmic head bob, “Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome”, and they were!

Your foyer is your house’s first impression. What does yours say? Look around your entry. Does it say “welcome” to visitors? What can you do that will make people feel comfortable and welcome?