Wee Folk and Critters

A few weeks ago I shared a tutorial for making Peg Owls using an "adult" size, 2 3/8" x 7/8", wooden peg. Today, I am sharing a pattern for making a Large Peg Owl, perfect for wee hands, using the large wooden pegs, 3 9/16" x 1 1/8", making them large enough not to be a choke hazard. Basically, they are made the same as the smaller gnomes. The directions and patterns for those can be found HERE. Since I've shared the tutorial before, I'm not including as many photos. If you are at all confused by a step, just check out the other tutorial, and there will be more photos.

Materials:
Large Wooden Peg - 3 9/16" x 1 1/8" purchase HERE
Wool felt
Embroidery floss in coordinating colors
Crafting glue
Stuffing material
Batting - I used thin cotton batting
Pattern

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PREVENT MISUSE OF MATERIALS.

IMPORTANT: There can be significant variations in the sizes of the wooden pegs even from the same manufacture and even in the same shipment! Before cutting the body wraps out of felt, cut the pieces out of paper, and "try them on" your wooden pegs. Make adjustments to the paper pattern before cutting out your felt.

The pattern for the Owl Peg can be found HERE.

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

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.

NOTE: BECAUSE THIS TUTORIAL IS IDENTICAL TO THE PREVIOUS OWL PEGS, I DID NOT TAKE AS MANY PHOTOS. MANY STEPS IN THIS TUTORIAL ARE MISSING PHOTOS. CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL TUTORIAL FOUND HERE WHERE ALL THE STEPS HAVE PHOTOS INCLUDED!

Directions:
Make a copy of the pattern.

Following the photo or your own imagination, cut out felt using the pattern.

Glue body wrap to the wooden peg. Match the bottom edge of the wrap with the bottom edge of the wooden peg.

Following the guidelines on the pattern, stitch appliques to owls body as follows:
-Stitch chest to body using a blanket stitch and 3 strands floss.
-Stitch beak to body using a running stitch and 2 strands floss.
-Stitch eyes to body using a blanket stitch and 3 strands floss.
-Add eye detail using a straight stitch and 6 strands of floss. If you would like, using the same piece of thread, you can tack down every other straight stitch in the center of the eye using a small stitch. This will help secure the stitches. (Please note: the pattern says "3 strands" of floss. I simply couldn't ask Michelle to make another PDF to fix it!)
-Add detail to the chest using a straight stitch and 6 strands of floss.

Now, with wrong sides together stitch the front of the owl's body to the back using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss.

Add the feather detail to the wing using a stem stitch and 3 strands of floss.

With wrong sides together, stitch a wing front to a wing back using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss. Only stitch the sides and bottom of the wing, DO NOT stitch the top of the wing above the "attach line". Refer to pattern. IMPORTANT: Do not cut thread!

Position a wing on the side of the owl. Use photos and patterns for positioning. Pin in place.

Using the same thread, continue blanket stitching the top of the wing, but now you will also be sewing it directly to the owl's body. Do the other wing in the same manner.

You are now done with the owl's body.

To attach the body to the peg, begin my cutting a strip of batting 1" wide. I used a thin cotton batting.

Depending on the thickness of your batting, wrap the batting strip around the peg to get the width you want. With my thin batting, I wrapped the peg twice. Cut off additional batting. Note: Use enough batting so when you slide the owl body over the peg, the owls chest is firmly stuffed. Before you glue the batting to the peg, "try the body on", by carefully sliding it over the batting, to make sure you are happy with the fit.

Place glue on the peg where the batting will go. Glue the batting to the peg. Note: If you are wrapping the peg twice, start wrapping the batting around the peg, then place more glue on the batting that is wrapped around the peg, and finish wrapping the peg. Press together and allow to dry completely before going on to the next step.

Using a small amount of stuffing, stuff the ears of the owl and place a little at the top of the head. When you place the body over the peg, you want the top of the owl's head to almost sit directly on the top of the peg. Do not over stuff!

Place glue on the batting and the top of the wooden peg and carefully slide the peg into the owl being careful not to get glue on the outside of the owl's body. Note: Position the peg so the seam of the body wrap is at the back of the owl.

Before glue dries, fuss with the owl's positioning, making sure the body is centered. Hold the owl's body against the peg until the glue begins to set. This should only tack a couple of minutes.

Allow to dry completely. Now, make a friend or two for your new owls and introduce them to your gnomes, fairies, and other woodland animals :)

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2013. 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.

Whoooo wants a couple of adorable owls to come stay at their house? I think the real question is Whoooo wouldn't :) Using traditional wooden pegs and felt, these little guys can take their place with your gnomes, fairies and other woodland animals. And, using our basic pattern, you can personalize these wee owls to suit your fancy. Make one or make a "parliament" of owls. This duet will fit easily into my travel bag when I go visit the wee ones in Wisconsin next week. I hope they like snow :)

Materials:
Wooden pegs - 2 3/8" x 7/8" 
Wool felt
Embroidery floss in coordinating colors
Crafting glue
Stuffing material
Batting - I used thin cotton batting
Pattern

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PREVENT MISUSE OF MATERIALS.

IMPORTANT: There can be significant variations in the sizes of the wooden pegs even from the same manufacture and even in the same shipment! Before cutting the body wraps out of felt, cut the pieces out of paper, and "try them on" your wooden pegs. Make adjustments to the paper pattern before cutting out your felt.

The pattern for the Owl Peg can be found HERE.

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

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.

Directions:
Make a copy of the pattern.

Following the photo or your own imagination, cut out felt using the pattern.

Glue body wrap to the wooden peg. Match the bottom edge of the wrap with the bottom edge of the wooden peg.

Following the guidelines on the pattern, stitch appliques to owls body as follows:
-Stitch chest to body using a blanket stitch and 3 strands floss.
-Stitch beak to body using a running stitch and 2 strands floss.
-Stitch eyes to body using a blanket stitch and 3 strands floss.
-Add eye detail using a straight stitch and 6 strands of floss. If you would like, using the same piece of thread, you can tack down every other straight stitch in the center of the eye using a small stitch. This will help secure the stitches. (Please note: the pattern says "3 strands" of floss. I simply couldn't ask Michelle to make another PDF to fix it!)
-Add detail to the chest using a straight stitch and 6 strands of floss.

Now, with wrong sides together stitch the front of the owl's body to the back using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss. 

Add the feather detail to the wing using a stem stitch and 3 strands of floss.

With wrong sides together, stitch a wing front to a wing back using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss. Only stitch the sides and bottom of the wing, DO NOT stitch the top of the wing above the "attach line". Refer to pattern. IMPORTANT: Do not cut thread! 

Position a wing on the side of the owl. Use photos and patterns for positioning. Pin in place.

Using the same thread, continue blanket stitching the top of the wing, but now you will also be sewing it directly to the owl's body. Do the other wing in the same manner.

You are now done with the owl's body.

To attach the body to the peg, begin my cutting a strip of batting 3/4" wide. I used a thin cotton batting.
 

Depending on the thickness of your batting, wrap the batting strip around the peg to get the width you want. With my thin batting, I wrapped the peg twice. Cut off additional batting. Note: Use enough batting so when you slide the owl body over the peg, the owls chest is firmly stuffed. Before you glue the batting to the peg, "try the body on", by carefully sliding it over the batting, to make sure you are happy with the fit.

Place glue on the peg where the batting will go. Glue the batting to the peg. Note: If you are wrapping the peg twice, start wrapping the batting around the peg, then place more glue on the batting that is wrapped around the peg, and finish wrapping the peg. Press together and allow to dry completely before going on to the next step.

Using a small amount of stuffing, stuff the ears of the owl and place a little at the top of the head. When you place the body over the peg, you want the top of the owl's head to almost sit directly on the top of the peg. Do not over stuff!

Place glue on the batting and the top of the wooden peg and carefully slide the peg into the owl being careful not to get glue on the outside of the owl's body. Note: Position the peg so the seam of the body wrap is at the back of the owl.

Before glue dries, fuss with the owl's positioning, making sure the body is centered. Hold the owl's body against the peg until the glue begins to set. This should only tack a couple of minutes.

Allow to dry completely. Now, make a friend or two for your new owls and introduce them to your gnomes, fairies, and other woodland animals :)

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2013. 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.

Photos 2-21-13, 2-21-13

I will be going to visit Little Lady and Little Guy in a few weeks. Of course, what proper Gammy would go calling empty handed? So, I've been already thinking about what I'd like to make for them. I want something small and light weight that will fit nicely in the small travel bag I use for train travel. Then, I thought of my owl.

I designed this little guy years ago before we started Wee Folk Art. It was an evening lark, and I don't even have a proper pattern. For years I've thought about sharing him/her here on Wee Folk Art, but just never got around to it. Well... since I want to make more, I'll be sharing the pattern soon. I plan to make 2 or 3 sizes. I want to make a couple (one for each hand) out of the large pegs for Little Guy. And I'll probably make a Mommy, Daddy, Little Lady and Little Guy owl family for LL.

Hopefully, I'll have the patterns done in the next week or two, so... if your gnomes need some feathered friends... watch for them : )

I've had many requests for photos of our winter gnome house. I still need to get our Starry Night silk draped behind it and add lots of snow... aka... cotton balls! Of course, I can almost guarantee you that somewhere between now and Christmas, I'll make something new for the gnome's holiday celebration... I always do!

The first thing I do whenever I change out the season is to clean and polish the wood. This is one of my favorite things to do!

Many of the gnomes and furnishings shown here are shared as tutorials. Check out our Gnome Home offerings in our Gallery. A few of the items are also shown in our toy section.

BTW... If you have a blog and have featured photos of your holiday gnome home, please feel free to share a link. I'll try to remember to post a photo when our gnome home is all done :)

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.
 

Photos 12-5-12

 
NOTE: Kits for this project will be available in our shop Monday, 4-23-12 :)

[We took one of our favorite patterns and made it lovelier by adding more embroidery. I love the end results!]

If Fairy Dust is sprinkled on a flower as the last dew of morning evaporates, something magical happens... a Flower Fairy is born! If you are lucky enough to have Flower Fairies in your garden, then you already know that all of your plants seem to grow a little lovelier and their blooms seem to last a little longer… as if by magic!
 
Now, you can bring that magic indoors by crafting your own Flower Fairies. Long known to be great friends with the gnomes and woodland creatures, your Flower Fairies will easily join in the merry making with the rest of your wee folk.
 
Our Mother Flower Fairy measures 2 ½” (6.5cm) and the Baby Bud is 1 ¾” (4.5) tall.

To make your own you will need:

Flower Fairy and Bud Kit from Wee Folk Art's Market Place [Available April 23]

Note: Kit includes 100% wool felt, cotton embroidery floss, an adult and child wooden peg and directions. To finish the project you will need crafting glue, embroidery needles and disappearing marker. Occasionally, you'll need fine sandpaper to smooth bottom of pegs so they stand straight.

~OR~

Materials:
1 adult and 1 child wooden peg
100% wool felt in a light and medium color (pictured: peach and orange) and green
100% cotton 6 ply cotton embroidery floss to coordinate with each felt and a dark floss in the same color family as the light and medium color felts (pictured: rust).
beeswax finish (optional)
sandpaper (optional)
disappearing marker
pattern

Note: All materials used should be non toxic and child safe.
 
MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN WEE FOLK ART'S MARKET PLACE: [available April 23]
Flower Fairy and Bud Kit
Crafting glue
Embroidery Needles
Beeswax finish (optional)
Sandpaper, fine grade (optional)

Note: The tutorial features the Orange Flower Fairy and Bud. Visit Wee Folk Art's Shop to discover all the different color options!

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING: The Baby Buds are small and considered a choke hazard. Although generally it is recommended that small parts should not be given to children under 3 years of age, we highly recommended you do not give small parts to any child that still puts toys in their mouth, no matter how old they are!

IMPORTANT: There can be significant variations in the sizes of the wooden pegs even from the same manufacture and even in the same shipment! Before cutting the body wraps out of felt, cut the pieces out of paper, and "try them on" your wooden pegs. Make adjustments to the paper pattern before cutting out your felt.

 
Directions:

Make copy of Pattern and cut out the felt as follows:

Light color - flower petals, small cap, small body wrap
Medium color - brimmed hat, large body wrap
Green - large and small leaves

Check out Tips for Cutting Out Felt.

 
FLOWER FAIRY:
Check the pegs to make sure the bottoms are even and stands securely. Occasionally, a little nub may remain on the bottom of a peg. If it does, simple sand off with a small piece of sandpaper or nail file.

Recently, I've started finishing the exposed parts of the wooden pegs with a beeswax polish. I love the rich look it gives the wood. I do not finish the area that will be glued. I do the head, shoulder and base. I use a small, hard bristle paint brush to get in the neck. This is an optional step. BTW... you will notice half my pictures have finished wood and the other half do not.

Wrapping the peg:
Glue body wrap to wooden peg. The seam will be the back of the fairy.

Flower Petal:

Embroider along the edge of the flower petals using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of dark orange floss (a).

Sew the two short sides of the petal together using a whip stitch and 2 strands of light orange floss (b). Sew a running stitch along the upper edge of the petal piece using 2 strands of light orange floss (b). Start and stop at the back seam. Gently gather the stitches until the petals fit snuggly around the fairy’s neck. Tie off the thread and from the inside tack the petal to the body tube near the neck. This will prevent the petals from turning.

Leaves:
Just like the flower petals, embroider along the edge of the large leaves using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of green floss (c). Sew the two short sides of the leaves together using a whip stitch and 2 strands of green floss (c). Sew a running stitch along the upper edge of the leaves using 2 strands of green floss (c).

Gently gather the stitches until the leaves fit snuggly around the fairy’s neck. Tie off the thread and from the inside tack the leaves to the petals near the neck. This will prevent the leaves from turning.

Brimmed Hat:
Transfer embroidery markings to hat.

Embroider hat as follows:
Outer edge: blanket stitching using 2 strands of light orange floss (b)
Vine: stem stitch using 3 strands of green floss (c)
Leaves: detached chain using 3 strands of green floss (c)
Flowers: French knots using 3 strands of dark orange floss (d)

Sew a running stitch alongside of the vine using 2 strands of medium orange floss (a).

Gently gather the stitches. Try the hat on and adjust gathers so the hat fits. Tie off the thread.

Run a thin line of crafting glue on the inside of the hat along the gathering line.

Place the hat so it tilts backwards with the low end centered on the Fairy’s back. Carefully squeeze the hat to make sure it is securely positioned.

BUD:
 
Wrapping the peg:
Glue body wrap to wooden peg. The seam will be the back of the bud.

Leaves:
To make leaves, follow directions for the Fairy leaves to blanket stitch edge, whip stitching together, sewing a running stitch along the top, gathering, and tacking the leaves to the body wrap.

Cap:
Transfer embroidery markings to cap.

Embroider cap as follows:
Leaves: detached chain using 3 strands of green floss (c)
Flower: French knot using 3 strands of dark orange floss (d)

Sew a running stitch along the edge of the cap using 2 strands of light orange floss (2). Gently gather the stitches. Try the cap on and adjust gathers so the cap fits. Tie off the thread.

Run a thin line of crafting glue on the inside of the cap along the gathering line. Place the cap so it tilts backwards with the low end centered on the Bud’s back. Carefully squeeze the cap to make sure it is securely positioned.

Your Mother and Child Flower Fairies are now ready to bring a little magic into a child's life!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

Patterns may be used for personal use only. If you are interested in obtaining a Cottage Industry License so you can sell items made from our patterns, information can be found HERE.

Photos 11-29-11, 4-2-12,4-2-12