The adage “necessity is the mother of invention” is never as obvious as when a parent is trying to fashion a toy for a child when traditional toys are unavailable. A hankie becomes a “pew doll”, a piece of paper becomes an airplane or a “cooty catcher”, and a handful of vines or flowers can be braided …
Sewing
Variations Galore of Our Gnome Bookmark
You know how we are always saying that our patterns are just a starting point? We encourage our readers to use them as is, but also want you to use your imagination to personalize our designs. Well… I hardly know what to say here, but I got this email from Bonnie, an avid WFA reader. …
Newbie Knitting | Yarn Ball Applique Block
This fall I will be teaching a knitting class at my children’s co-op. After typing up my syllabus for the class, it of course occurred to me that this would make an awesome series for Wee Folk Art. And then not only can I share my class with all of you, it will also double …
Tuna Can Pincushions
The other day my sister-in-law, Jennifer, gave me this “swell” (my daughter-in-law Meghan and I have decided to bring “swell” back into everyday use… it really is a “swell” word, but I digress!) Where was I, oh yes, Jennifer gave me this swell bottle top pincushion. Isn’t it cute as a bug’s ear? I LOVE it. …
Waldorf Style Babydolls Revisited
Are you or your child new to sewing and want to make something simple? Do you have a friend expecting a baby? Do you just have a couple of free hours this afternoon and want to do something productive? These little sweethearts are fast and easy to make. They are wonderful projects for children that can now use a sewing …
A Sad Tale… With a Happy Ending
Yesterday Pixie was busy drawing a picture. When she was done, she proudly showed it to me. Gammy: Come sit on my lap and tell me about your picture. Pixie: This is the grass, this is the sky, and this is the kitty. Gammy: That looks like a very happy little kitty. (I made this …
Bandana Fit For Man or Beast
Here are the Pup Birthday Bandannas promised earlier in the week. BUT these aren’t just for pups. A bandanna is a bandanna whether wrapped around your doggie’s neck or for keeping the hair out your eyes! Truly, the hardest part of making this bandanna is deciding on the size. Here is the standard sizes when purchasing …
Fairy’s First Quilt
Fairy got the coolest sewing machine from Santa this year. I’m a tad jealous myself and have been borrowing it for all my little projects recently. 😉 Unlike the toy or children’s sewing machines we have tried in the past this Sewing Pretty with Hello Kitty by Janome is a REAL machine… just slightly smaller …
Paper Mache Puppets Part Two: Making the Body
Ok, this was actually pretty easy after I finally sat down and just did it. Print out the puppet body pattern. Cut out two matching pieces of fabric on a fold. Place the body pieces right sides together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Sew up the sides leaving the last 1/2" before the neck opening …
Paper Mache Puppets Part One: Making the Head
When we were at the Renaissance Festival way back in September the kids got to see a wonderful puppet show. When we got back home they wanted to make their own puppets to have a puppet show. I loved the idea and we got started right away. We made paper-mache heads and then they got …
Quilting Basics – Part Three – Embroidery
Quilting Basics – Part 1 Quilting Basics – Part 2 Quilting Basics – Part 3 Quilting Basics – Part 4 When I was done quilting the sample I made for our Quilting Basics series, I wanted to add a little embroidery to the piece. I thought back to those early days of coloring inside the doodles and instead …
Quilting Basics – Part 2 – Stitching
Quilting Basics – Part 1 Quilting Basics – Part 2 Quilting Basics – Part 3 Quilting Basics – Part 4 Let's face it, the more we do something, the better we get. Sometimes when we try to explain a technique to someone, we find the chore daunting. We know when the bread has been kneaded long enough or how …