Appliques

Yesterday we shared this month's Out of the Block project... a wooden kite made using today's Kite Applique Block. What is it about kites that excites us so? Is it the fact that a little paper, wood and string, can be transformed into a soaring vision? Or is it, that for just a little while, we feel like we can fly? No matter what draws us to kites, it is surely a sign of spring along with tulips, pussy willows and robins. YAY for spring :)

Out kite applique was made to fit on a 6" x 6" block, but it can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. When you are appliqueing your block, you can use the pattern to cut out the felt ties on the tail or you can use small pieces of woven fabric. The pattern for the kite can be found HERE. Enjoy :) 

I remember as a little girl getting nearly giddy when the spring winds began to blow. On the wind there were scents of thawing dirt, decaying vegetation and worms! But, there was also the smell of LIFE. All around there were signs of spring... trees budding, bulbs tentatively pushing up their new leaves and birds returning from places unknown, as gray clouds filled the sky, only to be swept away by the always present spring breezes.

But, by far, one of my favorite things about spring was the ubiquitous plethora of kites that seemed to sprout up anywhere there was a cash register! You could find kites at grocery and drug stores, but they were also available at hardware stores and gas stations. They were the cheap paper kites, but to me, they were all beautiful! I can remember thinking long and hard before I picked out a kite... did I want soft, pastel colors, or something bright and bold? Once we selected our kites, it was deemed a Daddy Thing, to get them put together, while Mom found old sheets to rip up for the tail.

You learned early on not to form too strong of an attachment to any one kite. There were houses, trees, and even electrical wires, that laid claim to a fair share of a season's crop of kites! But, you learned to take the bitter with the sweet, because, I ask you... can you think of anything more fulfilling or exhilarating than being firmly grounded as your kite danced amongst the clouds? I use to dream of flying kites... I still do. It is one of those childhood joys that can still be embraced by adults. And there you have it, my ode to the common variety kite :)

This month's Out of the Box offering is a Kite Applique Block, right out of my childhood, that we then turned into adorable wooden kites for the wall. These can either be used strictly as decoration or pegs can be added to the kites to make functional holders for jackets and bags. We will first share the applique block and then the wooden kite. I am so pleased with how they turned out :) And just in time for spring winds!

Click here for the Kite Applique Block

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

Who can turn flowers into fairies, a dog into a dragon, and a pesky sibling into a troll? Children, of course! With just a flick of their wrist and the help of a magic wand, ANYTHING is possible and probable :) And, if the wand is a beautiful flower, all the better!

To make your own want you will need:

Flower Fairy Wand Kits from Wee Folk Art's Shop [Available April 23]

Note: Kit includes 100% wool felt, cotton embroidery floss, sandpaper square and dowel rod. To finish the project you will need crafting glue, embroidery needles and stuffing.

~OR~

Materials:
wool felt (a light and dark matching color for the petals, green for the leaves, and yellow   for the center) 
embroidery floss (colors should match the large petals, the small petals and the leaves) 
1/4" grosgrain ribbon in 3 colors each 24" long (green, yellow and a color to match the outer petal.)
12"  of 1/4" dowel rod
embroidery needles
crafting glue
paint for dowel rod (optional)
beeswax finish (optional)
stuffing
copy of pattern found HERE

Note: All materials used should be non toxic and child safe.

MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN WEE FOLK ART'S MARKET PLACE:
Flower Fairy Wands Kit
embroidery needles
Crafting Glue
Wood Paint
Beeswax Finish

Directions: 
Make a copy of the pattern and cut out felt as follows: 
     2 large petals (light)
     2 small petals (dark)
     2 leaves (green)
     2 flower centers (yellow)

Note: For tips on cutting out felt click HERE. 

Note: For stitch glossary click HERE.

I recommend that you cut out the 2 large petals together. They will be stitched together later and cutting them out together will make for the best fit.

After cutting out the 2 large flowers, carefully open up the flowers so they are a mirror image of one another. Make a mark on the inside between 2  petals on corresponding spots. This is where you will later sew on the ribbons.

On the front of each (2) large petal(s), applique the remaining pieces to it in the following manner: (Use the pattern as a placement guide.)
     Using a running stitch and 2 strands of matching floss, sew leaves to large petal.
     Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew small petal over leaves.
     Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss that matches the small petals, sew center
     to the small petal.
 

Cut each piece of gross grain ribbon in half so you have 6 pieces 12" long. Take 3 different colored ribbons and tack them together at one end. Do the same to the remaining 3 ribbons.

Tack the ribbon clusters to the inside of the 2 flowers on the marks you made earlier. Make sure you do not go all the way through to the front side.

Matching the inner markings and ribbons, with wrong sides together, pin or staple your 2 large petals together.

Begin at an inner petal junction. Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew the 2 large petals together. Stop at the inner petal junction 1 petal away from the start. Securely tie off the thread, but do not cut. This space will be used for stuffing the flower and inserting the dowel rod.

Lightly sand one end of the dowel rod rounding the edges.

Paint the dowel rod green. NOTE: It is not necessary to paint the dowel, but by painting it green, it looks more like a stem :) If you do not paint the dowel, finish with a Beeswax finish to prevent the wood from drying out.

Stuff the flower. Do not overstuff. You want to make it look "puffy" without straining the outer blanket stitch. Note: You will not be able to stuff the unstitched petal until you stitch it together.

Put crafting glue on the end of the dowel rod that you did not finish. Place glue on 1" of the rod.

Insert the glued end into the flower, positioning it so the rod will be centered in the beginning inner petal junction.

Using a blanket stitch and the attached piece of floss, sew up the remaining petal, stuffing as you go.

You can leave the streamers long and simply trim the ribbon ends on angles or you can cut the ribbons to various lengths.

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: 12-4-11, 12-11-11, 3-27-12, 4-9-12

 

Materials:
You can purchase a tin kit here or you will need...
16" long, 1/2" wide food safe tin
Non-toxic metal bonding (3M tape)
and
Old kitchen shears or tin snips
Print out a pattern at actual size (Ice Cream Cone pattern can be found HERE)
Various objects for forming shapes (cans, pencils, spools, etc or the kit includes some shapes)
Yarn or Pipe cleaners
Ruler
Clip

First measure the outside edge of your object by wrapping yarn or even better... pipe cleaners around the edge of your shape. Straighten the pipe cleaners and measure to get the perimeter length.

Add one inch so the edges can overlap. (The ice cream cone requires about 16"). Cut your tin with the shears or tin snips. You can trim the corners on an angle to reduce scratches. Be careful, the tin edges can be sharp.

Start your cookie cutter on a straight edge if possible. I lined it up starting in the middle of a cone edge. Then bend the tin to follow the perimeter shape. You can use various household objects to help you follow the outline of the ice cream cone. If you bought the kit it should come with a few shapes to get you started. A Klean Kanteen bottle worked great for the rounded top of the ice cream. Remember, you should have about 1 inch of overlap on a straight edge side.

Once you have finished bending your cookie cutter into shape clean the tin with dish soap and water. When it has dried completely adhere a 1" piece of the 3M tape on one side of the open edge. Peel back the other side of the tape, carefully line up the overlapping edges, and stick them together.

Use a clip to hold the piece together while it sets up.

Once it has set up you can do minor adjustments to the shape.

February is a great time to share sweet treats with all the "sweeties" in our life. And what's sweeter than an ice cream cone with sprinkles on top? Our Ice Cream Cone Applique looks yummy enough to eat! 

We added sprinkles using a straight stitch and 6 strands of floss, but you could easily add glass beads for extra glitter. Or, cover in French knots. This applique was designed to fit a 6" block, but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. Tomorrow we will be sharing a tutorial on how to turn this or any applique into a cookie cutter. The pattern for this Ice Cream Cone Applique can be found HERE. Enjoy!