Summer

This isn't exactly the time of year I'd feel inspired to design a Firefly Applique Block, BUT we got a request from one of our readers. Seems her wee one LOVES fireflies and she wanted to craft something using a firefly applique pattern, and since we didn't have one... well, let's just say we do now :) So... although there isn't a single bug to be found now in our neck of the woods as the days are short and cold, there's at least one little firefly flitting about!

As with all applique blocks, this one was designed to fit a 6" x 6" block, but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. The directions for our Firefly Applique Block can be found HERE or with our FREE Applique Patterns. Enjoy! 

It's summer. Ever since I was a child summer equalled excessive reading! My tastes in reading ran the gamut of literary genres, BUT the one commonality amongst all my summer books I read was my ability to chose them for myself. These were not books selected by my teachers, although I often read books that would have pleased them, nor did they need to be books off anyone's reading list. The freedom was exhilarating! As an adult I can now chose any book I want to read at anytime, HOWEVER, there is something so sweet and self indulgent about a summer read. We take books to the beach, on vacation, and out to the hammock under the trees. I have many nooks and crannies where I can be found reading on a summer's afternoon. As a parent I enjoyed sharing summer reading with my children, and now, as a Gammy, with my grandbabies.

The picture above is a special area in our green belt at the back of our property. We refer to this area as our Serenity Garden, for obvious reasons. Although the bench is cement and does not have back support, it is still a wonderful spot to read for a while, especially if reading short stories or poetry.

And although summer reading is indulgent and fun, having a special bookmark accompany you on your literary journey just makes it that much more enjoyable! Today I'm sharing a pattern for a sweet little mouse bookmark, donning a very long and useful tail. This bookmark could easily be made by even young children if you glued it together instead of sewing it together and you could use paper instead of felt. Directions and patterns for the Mouse Bookmark can be found HERE or in our FREE Pattern Section. Enjoy!

BTW... Do you have a favorite animal you would like a bookmark pattern for? If so, leave a comment and we'll pick at least one other animal to turn into a bookmark! 

Here is a sweet little mouse bookmark with a long and useful tail! This one is made out of felt and sewn, but if you're doing the project with young children, you can glue the felt pieces together or use card stock or construction paper. Whichever way you make him, I'm sure you'll find he'll fast become an indispensable friend!

Materials:
felt
embroidery floss
yarn
black glass seed beads (optional)
pattern

1] Make copy of pattern.

2] Cut out materials as follows:
2 body pieces in gray or tan felt
2 ears in pink
3 pieces of yarn 24" long (I used 2 tan and 1 pink)

3] Transfer face markings and embroider face as follows:
Nose: satin stitch using 3 strands floss
Eyes: French knot using 3 strands of floss (optional: instead of French knot add 2 black seed beads)

4] Using pattern as a guide place the 2 ears on the mouse. Using 2 strands of floss, attach to mouse using a running stitch.

5] To make the tail, 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.


6] Position the tale on the back of the front body piece. Place it so 1/2" of the braid will be inside the mouse. Tack it in place being careful not to go all the way through the felt.( If you are using paper, glue it in place and let it dry before proceeding.)

7] Pin the mouse together with wrong sides touching. Using 2 strands of embroidery floss, attach the 2 pieces using a running stitch.

8] Knot the end of 6 strands of black floss leaving a 2" tail. Referring to the pattern for placement, slide the needle between the front and back section of the mouse. Make a small knot on the other side of the nose. Clip the whiskers so they are 1/2" long.


9] Find a book you want to read, and slip your little mouse's tail in the book to mark your place!

 

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. 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 

It's summertime. Time to head outside and find a shady patch of grass to stretch out on. It's also a great time to grab your crafting supplies and "while away the hours" drawing birds and butterflies, clouds and clover. Although I like the roll-up colored pencil holders, I personally am too impatient to take the pencils in and out of their snug little niches. If you look at my own crafting table, pencils and pens, rulers and scissors, are all sticking out of containers making easy access and storage. 

So, I wanted to create a very simple, but organized, take-along craft basket that was sturdy, easy to use, and earthy. I began by finding a cute basket at Joann's. I was looking for a small basket, that was sturdy and deep enough to stop crafting supplies from spilling out if being carried by a wee one. I only buy baskets when they are 50% off, and I got this beauty for $4.00. I was pleased!

To make the pencil holders, I hit my toilet paper roll stash, slathered them with crafting glue, and wrapped twine around them. For a more detailed and pictorial view of wrapping the pencil holders, check out our tutorial HERE. After the toilet paper rolls were dried, I threaded the twine into a yarn needle, and simply tied them to the side of the basket.

Now, load the craft basket up with your favorite supplies, and hit the great out-of-doors. Enjoy!  

Beginning tomorrow I will be "off" for the next 2 weeks. Tim is on vacation and we are excited about spending the next couple of weeks AT HOME. Now, this may not be exotic, but we are so looking forward to it. We are locking up the cell phones (mostly) and using the net for pleasure, not work (mostly). We plan to do some relaxing in the gardens, see a couple of movies, and track down a couple of new organic farms in the area. We will both be in the gardens, but Tim plans to devote most of his time to working on our kitchen renovating. We are about a year and a half into the project, and oh, I'd say about 1/3 of the way done. He assures me, given this time at home, he plans to get another 1/3 done. Very exciting stuff!

As for me... I have been gnawing at the bit to get my sewing room and adjacent attic closet under control. If all goes well I plan to share my work space with our readers after the break. Although I will not be blogging at Wee Folk Art, I will be active on Wee Folk Garden. Since that blog is primarily meant to be a record keeping device for our garden, I'm hoping I'll have lots to blog about. So, if you're into that kind of thing, and find yourself missing me, hehe, stop on by!

Michelle will be at the helm here. We have the Sew, Mama, Sew May Giveaway coming up on the 27th that she'll be running, and she tells me she is using this time to give Wee Folk Art a bit of a face lift. I also think she has a couple other things to share. And although I won't be blogging, we will both be checking emails and comments for questions. So, I hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend (for our State friends) and I look forward to returning refreshed and rejuvenated in a couple of weeks. Stay safe all, and I'll see everyone back here soon!

Being an obsessive person, I have a tendency to have a one track mind. And at this time of year, it is near impossible to keep me indoors. My gardens call to me, and it would be down right rude, not to answer. So, this means I tend not to craft as much during the nice weather months, and when I do, my crafts are usually used out-of-doors. Take this weekend for example. Tim and I have been knee deep in our gardens. Last week I saw some perfectly sweet plant markers at Purple Lemon Design and I knew I had to make some. (Thanks, Rachel, at One Pretty Thing for pointing me in that direction!) She has a great tutorial on how to make them, so I bow to her, and send you off to her website if you're interested! Below are a few of the markers I've made so far.

I'm big on naming things. (Check out What's in a Name and Annual Pumpkin Carving Party at my blog One Generation to Another.) We've been calling our veggie garden The Dragonfly Garden, in honor of the dragonflies that like to frolic in it and as a semi-tribute to an all time favorite "The Gilmore Girls". Over the weekend I finally got around to painting a sign to hang at the north entrance to the garden. I used the same outdoor paints I used on the pots. I love it! (See top pic.)

And, because why the heck not, I'm starting yet another blog... Wee Folk Garden. It was created at 1:00 a.m. this morning, and although Michelle hasn't gotten a chance to design it yet and I haven't gotten a chance to blog in it yet, I will be using that site to include many of our outside activities, including garden recipes, and a bit of the ,"oh, look at this" as I wander the web finding tidbits that I find helpful. (Hmmm, note to self... perhaps I should sleep more and drink less coffee!)

Anyway... I will continue to blog and craft for Wee Folk Art, but I will be spending the lion share of my time in the gardens. (It will take lots of effort of get this looking like a real garden!) 

So, stop by often. Coming soon are the directions for the flower tea cozy and my stepdaughter and I are crafting our own "Ugly Dolls", and we'll be sharing those patterns. Plus, there will be some wood projects for the gnome house and whatever else suits my whim! So, if you're into gardening, you may enjoy watching Wee Folk Garden develop and come into it's own, if not, I'll continue to see you around Wee Folk Art!

Materials:

Scraps of wool felt
Embroidery floss
Pattern

Cutting out felt:
1] Make copy of pattern.
2] For each flower cut out 1 flower, 1 center and 2 leaves. (Note: the pattern has many flowers, centers and leaves. For a real quick cut out, tape individual flower pattern to felt. This keeps the pattern flat instead of pinning. Each pattern can be reused a couple of times, then just grab a new pattern piece, taping and cutting.) Also, remember that all flowers in nature are different so you needn’t be overly precise when you are cutting out the pieces.

Refer to the pattern for assembly:
1] Overlap one leaf over the other.

2] Center a flower over the leaves.

3] Center the center on the flower.

4] Using 6 strands of floss sew the pieces together my making an “X” on the flower center. Be certain that you are going through all 4 layers of felt. (Center, flower and 2 leaves) Make as many flowers as you’d like.

5] To assemble the garland, overlap the leaf of one flower over the leaf of another flower. Using 2 stands of floss, tack the 2 leaves together. Continue adding flowers until you reached the desired length.

Now, go decorate the house of your favorite wee folk!

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave your scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. 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. All projects, patterns and directions are meant for your personal use and neither the patterns nor completed projects may be used for personal gain.

Although I made this very easy garland for the gnome house, Fairy picked it up, wrapped in around her neck and said, "Oh, Gammy, this is a beautiful necklace." Hmmm, yes, that was my plan... garland for the gnomes, necklace or bracelet for Fairy! Okay, that wasn't my plan, but I love it when designs can be used for more than one thing! If you decide to make it into a necklace, I would suggest making it a choker since the back isn't finished. To make the choker simply size the garland, then add a clasp on the back.

The pattern and instructions are included in the FREE Open Patterns section. If you'd like to do this project with younger children, you can glue it together with a fast drying crafters' glue. We ran the garland along the bridge, but it could be scalloped around a gnome or dollhouse. Enlarge the pattern to decorate a valance or to make a stencil. Enjoy!

There are 6 flower fairies frolicking among the flowers. Can you find them? Spring has hit the Thicket and the flower fairies have returned! Britta has been busy getting the house ready for the warmer months ahead.

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing various projects for the Gnome House. Although we are making them for our Gnome Home, many of them can be made for any doll house or simply free play. There will be directions for the flower carpet, flower fairies, a spring quilt, a flower banner, a felt flower garland, braided rugs, and much more. Check back often and watch as the Gnome House comes alive with the best of Spring!

Just a little sunny shot of Fairy enjoying her Treasure Pouch. She used it today on our Annual Family Girl Trip. She got to tuck some wonderful treasures in it including a jar full of purple shoe shaped beads (not sure why she filled a whole jar with shoe shaped beads when there were hundreds to choose from but obviously she liked them).

BTW, her shirt is made from the Simplicity Pattern 9786 (not sure if it is current - I didn't see it on their site but it did look like it was floating around eBay).