Dress Up

 

Nothing in this world is as magical as the eyes of a child. These eyes can turn a cardboard box into a castle, a handkerchief into a doll, and a stick into a sword. Unfortunately, as we get older, we often lose the awe, and we need Hollywood to make that magic for us. It is my humble belief, however, that the more we nurture fantasy and make believe in our children, the longer they will be able to hold onto their own magic. This magic translates into a never ending awe of the world, the ability to be a creative and open problem solver and, well, a happy and joyous adult. Fantasy and creativity do not need to become a fleeting childhood stage; rather, it can be a way of viewing the world, even as an adult, that makes it possible to accomplish the improbable. In my mind, fantasy and magic are essential human elements that should be nurtured in our children. 
 

Having said that, I got the wee ones a new face painting kit. I took some pics as Michelle transformed the girls into fairies. (Only got pics of Fairy, but trust me, Pixie was equally cute!) Here is our little Fairy painted as a Fairy. Isn't she beautiful?
 

Just a note... Michelle and I were both very pleased with the kit. The paints were smooth and easy to apply, they stayed on all day despite rather sweaty running around, and later, washed off in a snap. I must admit, I paid full price for the kit at Barnes and Noble. $25.00, ouch. (Poor planning on my part!) Amazon carries the kit for $16.47, and judging by how very little paint was used yesterday, I'm sure they will have the kit around for a long time! 

 

Back when Michelle was in high school, her and a group of her friends decided to have a "formal" girls night out. Most of the girls had boyfriends, but they decided it would be fun to get all dressed up, go to a lovely restaurant, and party WITHOUT boys. And, just 'cause, they decided to MAKE each other corsages or wrist corsages. The creations ranged from gaudy and outrageous, to tasteful and lovely. But it didn't matter, they all had a wonderful time, enjoyed wearing their corsages, and had an evening of memories they would never forget.

As I was making this Felt Flower Bracelet, I couldn't help remembering that night, and thinking how lovely one of these bracelets would have looked on the girls. Wouldn't it be different, lovely, and a permanent keepsake, to make a Felt Flower Bracelet for a special event? Of course, they would look just lovely too with a sundress or a tee and flip flops!

Using The Basic Felt Bracelet, these can be made for adults or children. The one in this tutorial was made to fit my wrist. When Pixie came over, she immediately made it her own, having us tie it on her upper arm, and calling it her Fairy Armband. Yep... it worked out great! Below are the directions on how I made this Felt Flower Bracelet BUT this is just a suggestion, and hopefully a starting point for your own personal creations.

Materials:
wool felt
embroidery floss
Basic Felt Bracelet pattern
Flower Applique Block pattern - reduced 50%

Directions:
Follow the directions for The Basic Felt Bracelet. When the two pieces and holes have been stitched together, you are ready to apply flowers.

IMPORTANT: Remember to reduce the Flower Applique Block 50%.

Cut out 3 petals, 3 flower centers and 6 leaves.

Position the flower petals on the bracelet, slightly overlapping the petals, leaving room for a leaf on either end. Place a flower center on top of each petal, and pin in place. Blanket stitch to flower centers to the petals AND the bracelet using 3 strands of floss. Note: You do not need to go all the way through the bracelet with each stitch, but you need to 3 or 4 times to insure the flower is securely fastened to the bracelet.


Using 6 strands of floss, stitch a French knot in the center of each flower.

For the 4 center leaves, tuck them in behind the leaf petals and stitch to the bracelet along the base of the leaf.

For the 2 end leaves, tuck the base under a petal, then using a running stitch, sew to the bracelet using 2 strands of floss.

Following the instructions on The Basic Felt Bracelet, add the ties.

Have fun wearing your new Felt Flower Bracelet!

We all have a collection of "basic" things. The "basic" black dress, the "basic" muffin recipe, and the "basic" sock pattern. These "basics" have proven to be dependable, familiar, and most importantly, adaptable. "Basics" can be altered slightly, tweaked and accessorized to create a different look or taste. "Basics" are the "tried and trues" that we return to again and again.

Today we are sharing directions on how to make a "basic" felt bracelet. Once you know how to make one, the possibilities for embellishing are endless. Given in 2 widths, with instructions for getting the perfect fit, we hope it becomes a "basic" that you return to over and over, a starting point, so to speak, for the creation of many lovely and fun bracelets! And with the sizing variations, it works for everyone in the family.

Materials:
pattern
wool felt
embroidery floss

Directions:
Make a copy of the pattern.

Decide which width you prefer and cut out the template.

Wrap the template around your wrist to get an idea of size. You want the two ends to be about 1/2" to 3/4" apart on your wrist. To size, fold along one of the lines, fold it back on itself to shorten the length of the bracelet. Use a paper clip to hold it in place. Try the bracelet template on again. Continue refolding until you get it sized properly. When you are satisfied with the fit. 




NOTE: Another way to get a proper fit is to measure your wrist, subtract 1/2" - 3/4" and measuring the template, cutting or folding it to the proper size. (My tape measure was upstairs when I was doing this so I used the first method :)

Using the "How to Cut Felt" tutorial found HERE, use the template to cut out 2 pieces of felt.

On the template, cut out the 2 holes, then position the template over the felt pieces, mark the holes, and cut out the holes using sharp, small scissors.



Pin or staple the felt pieces together and sew the 2 pieces of the bracelet together. You can either blanket stitch the edge using 3 strands of floss or sew a running stitch around the edge using 2 strands of floss.

Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, finish the edges of the 2 circles.

NOTE: If you are embroidering a design or sewing on appliques that do not extend beyond the stitching line of the bracelet, you can do that before you sew the 2 pieces together, hiding all threads.

To make the ties, cut 3 pieces of floss for each side. The length of the floss depends on whether you simply want to tie the bracelet on using a square knot or if you'd prefer to tie it on with a bow. You will need to cut the floss 12" to 24". If in doubt, choose the longer length then cut it to the desired length later.

To attach the floss to the holes, insert a crochet hook through the hole from the back. Fold 3 pieces of floss in half creating a loop and hook the floss at the loop.

Pull the loop through the hole, then slide the ends of the floss through the loop. Pull gently on the floss until the loop is snug against the bracelet.
Divide the floss into thirds (I did mine by color but you do not have to) and braid. Tie it off at the end. Try the bracelet on and determine the desired length of the ties. You may need to retie the braid and cut off extra braiding.

Your bracelet is now ready to embellish. Next time I will share directions for a flowered bracelet.

It's Autumn! Leaving are falling, the air is scented with delicious, woodsy aromas, and the secrets of the forest beckon to us all... child and adult alike. The only thing better than running through the leaves, is running through the leaves with fall colored ribbons streaming in the breeze! Another one of our... "These are so easy, I can't believe I've never made them before" and "Yay, no sewing!" is our Fairy Ribbon Rings. The supplies are minimal, the time investment is small, but the play value is enormous. Make one or make one hundred! I used 8mm ribbon for mine, and 2 3/4" wooden rings from Casey's Wood Products but you can use a variety of sizes of ribbons and larger wood rings. (Don't get rings smaller than 2 3/4" or children will not be able to comfortably hold onto them.) You can even use wooden rings from small embroidery hoops, but they will require considerably more ribbons! So, be on the lookout for ribbon sales, and check Ebay and other online sources for factory seconds and "grab bag" ribbon collections. Variety is fun!

So, gather up the supplies, give yourself less than an hour, and you'll have a pile of Fairy Ribbon Rings ready to be played with. BTW... these would make super great Christmas gifts or party favors, and they are easy enough to do with your children. We will be doing this project with our kiddos on Wee Folk Activities later in the week. We will make a couple of suggestions on how to make the project even easier for little hands. If you'd like to get started making your own collection of Fairy Ribbon Ribbons the directions can be found HERE or with our FREE Patterns. Enjoy!