Christmas

It is that time of year when Michelle and I tuck away Wee Folk Art for a few weeks to spend time with the family and enjoy a little rest and relaxation. Before "heading out" (actually, we are staying put and everyone else is coming to us :), we wanted to share a little Christmas Mouse with you. Thank you, Fairy, for providing the inspiration. Although I'll still be kicking around Facebook, we will see everyone back here in 2013 :)

This year, Fairy tried out for and won a roll in a local production of the Nutcracker. We were all so proud of her, and not just for landing a roll, but for being brave enough to enter a totally unknown situation and giving it her all! 

Fairy was a gray mouse. Perhaps I'm biased, but I thought she was the most talented and adorable little mousey out there :) She scurried across the stage with all the grace and agility of a real mouse! She oozed talent :)

Michelle asked if I'd make a Little Gray Mouse Applique Block to commemorate her accomplishment. Of course, I did... including the little pink ears and belly. As always, I made the mouse to fit on a 6" x 6" block, but it can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. And although I "Christmased" it up for the holidays, this is a mouse for all seasons!

The pattern for the Little Mouse Applique Block can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Enlarge and Reduce can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Cut Out Felt can be found HERE.

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.
 

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Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

The other day I saw the most adorable wee stockings at Little Cotton Rabbits. If you've never been to Little Cotton Rabbits, you are in for a real treat. Julie Williams is a gifted designer and knitter. She makes the most a.dor.able little creatures that she sells. The demand for her work far exceeds her ability to keep up, so periodically, she announces that she has a new gaggle of lovelies to sell, and you can place a comment, hoping that her random drawings will give you the privilege to purchase one of her creations. When you look around here blog, you will understand why her work is so highly sought after!  To learn more about Little Cotton Rabbits, visit her SHOP and her BLOG.

Now, onto my Gnome Christmas Stockings. I saw no reason to reinvent the wheel, and decide to use the pattern for Mini Christmas Stockings Julie graciously shared. The pattern is available HERE. These are the only changes I made:

I used a single ply yarn instead of a worsted yarn. I had some beautiful Mini Mochi Rainbow yarn (it is Crystal Palace - Mini Mochi, #101 - Intense Rainbow) that I had left over from a pair of Rainbow Mittens I knit last year.

Then, I used size 1US (2.25mm) dpn needles, instead of the size 2US (2.75mm) called for in the pattern.  Finally, instead of adding a pattern to the stockings (Fairisle, zig-zag or trees are available), I simple continued the stockinette stitch through the patterned section, and let Mini Mochi's natural striping do the work for me!

And, there you have it!

Although Mini Mochi is a washable wool, using warm water, dish soap, agitation, and a tumble through the dryer, I was able to felt the stockings to make them even smaller. The only thing left to do was to add a loop for hanging the stockings.

I really wish to thank Julie Williams for sharing this adorable pattern. Because she knits the stockings flat instead of in the round, even beginners should be able to work this pattern, although using the small needles can be a little more awkward.

You have a little over 1 week to until the gnomes will need stockings. Collect up some scrap yarn, and get knitting :)

Photos - 12-5-12

The other day on Facebook I shared a link to a posting for handmade Christmas cards on Back to the Drawing Board. The designer made a landscape using tissue paper trees, had them reduced and photo coped, then used them to make some awesome Christmas cards. Do check out her project. I thought the inside of her trees was especially clever!

We loved the bright and cheerful trees so much that we used the idea to make pictures of our own to display throughout the winter. We began by taping our water color paper to the table. This stops the paper from moving around and creates a border around your picture when the tape is removed. We used this same technique when we made our Winter Birch Trees last year.

After the paper was taped down, we used water colors to paint the sky blue, fading it into white. 

Next, we chose our tissue paper colors and cut them into squares.

We then smeared glue stick on cardstock paper, and added the squares in random patterns.

When the pages were dried, we turned them over and drew very geometrical triangles on the back, and cut out our trees. This was a joint project. We only made 2 pictures, one for Michelle's and one for my house. Usually the wee ones make their own projects, but it was fun working cooperatively on this project :) Together we decided on the placement of the trees and glued them down.

Funny, as it turns out, their favorite part of this whole project was using the hole punch to "make snow". Even though their hands got tired, they were delighted they could make these perfect little circles. Pixie, btw, preferred to make crescent moon shapes by punching overlapping holes :) (BTW... As soon as we were done, Fairy went to a 5 hour final dress rehearsal for the production The Nutcracker that she will be dancing in, as a cute mouse, this weekend. She needed her hair braided and pinned close to her head so all of her hair would fit under her costumes hood! Doesn't she look like she fell out of the pages of Heidi :)

Finally, we added dots of glue to our trees, and glued down the snow. All done! (Note: the artist at Back to the Drawing Board added detail using a thin tipped marker. We opted not to add this detail.

Then, wah lah! Our Winter Tissue Paper Trees were done! They will add a cheerful addition to our homes throughout the winter months. They remind me of Eric Carle illustrations. Fun!

PS... Thank you, Pam, for the inspiration your project gave us!

Photo 12-6-12
 

Pixie and Fairy wanted to sew some Christmas ornaments for gifts. They had been busy making German Stars, but they love hand sewing so I made this gingerbread man for them. I decided to make it one of our 6" x 6" applique blocks, and use the pattern to make ornaments. Although the pattern can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs, we will probably make ornaments this size. If you wish to make ornaments, just cut 2 of the bodies, applique the front piece using the directions below, then sew the front and back together, using a running stitch. Leave a opening and lightly stuff the ornament, then finish sewing up the side. Simply add a loop at the top, using 6 strands of floss, and it will be ready to hang on a tree!

BTW... use our "clothing" as a suggestion. You can easily change his outfit or add different embroidery stitches. Just think of this as a starting point :)

The pattern for the Gingerbread Man Applique Block can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Enlarge and Reduce can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Cut Out Felt can be found HERE.

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.

Directions:
Refer to pattern and photo for applique placements and cutting instructions.

Make a copy of the pattern.

Cut out felt using material list above and pattern. Transfer any embroidery markings.

Using a running stitch, sew cookie to block using 2 strands floss

Using a blanket stitch, sew icing to cookie using 3 strands floss.

Using a running stitch, sew vest to icing at shoulders, arms and sides using 2 strands floss.

Using a blanket stitch, sew vest neckline and bottom edge to icing using 6 strands floss.

Using a stem stitch, embroider a line up the middle of the vest using 6 strands floss.

Using straight stitches, add detail to vest using 6 strands floss.

Using a running stitch, sew bow tie to icing using 2 strands floss.

Using a straight stitch, add detail to bow tie using 6 strands floss.

Using a stem stitch, add detail to arms and legs using 6 strands floss.

Using a back stitch, add mouth using 3 strands floss.

Using a woven spider wheel, add eyes using 6 strands floss.
 

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Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights. Read our FAQs found HERE for specifics or contact us at weefolkart@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
 

PHOTO: 6-14-11

For Christmas, Tim and I got Little Lady and Little Guy a set of 184 maple blocks. Shhh... don't tell :) Anyway... because they are so heavy, and because Drew and his family will be flying here this holiday season, we had the blocks shipped to their house. They will open them before heading to Michigan. They will be staying with us for the week. Besides the regular gift, we buy all the grandbabies Fontanini Nativity figurines. (A family tradition.) By the time they leave home, they will have a beautiful Nativity to share with their families. Lovely idea, I know, BUT it isn't always exciting for wee ones to open on Christmas morning. So, I decided I wanted to make each of them a soft, squishy dolly to open and love.

As you may have noticed, we no longer have sponsors on Wee Folk Art. However, many of the shops that were featured were favorite shops of ours that we continue to frequent. Probably my favorite shop is A Child's Dream. Debbie, the shop's owner, has always had a wonderful selection, but in the past few months she has expanded her offerings, and I have to say, I think it is the best shop around for buying natural crafting supplies. When I wanted to make dolls for the grandbabies, it is the first place I went.

I decided on these 2 dolls from the Joy's Waldorf Doll Kits collection. For Little Guy, I am making the 6" Star Doll in ever so soft cotton velour. Just perfect for wee hands!

For Little Lady, I wanted a simple doll that would travel well. I picked the 12" Velour Bright Eyes Baby. I know she'll squeal with delight when she opens it.

The kits come with most of the supplies you need including wool roving for stuffing. I had to chuckle that they included chopsticks to help you stuff the roving in little spaces :) I plan to work on them this weekend (I hope!) I'll be blogging about the process, however, there will not be a pattern. If you would like to make your own, I highly suggest you order kits from A Child's Dream. If you price out individual items, I think you'll agree that they really are a good deal :)

When I told Debbie that I was going to share these online, she agreed to offer Wee Folk Art readers a discount. So... here it is:

10% off through Monday 12/3/12 with the code WEEFOLK (for domestic and international orders)

 ~OR~

Free Standard Shipping over $75 with code 2102ACD - expires 12/31/12

One code per order please.

Well, YAY! So, if you'd like to join me in making dollies or if you need anything else from A Child's Dream, make sure you order by Monday, December 3 to get 10% off your entire order. The free shipping on orders over $75.00 runs til the end of the year. Thanks, Debbie!

Watch for our doll making blogs next week!

Photos 28-12