Friday, September 27, 2013

This is the Season of the Witch


The wind is whistling eerily through the trees and the veil between the worlds of the dead and the living is so thin a spirit can practically reach through and pinch you black and blue!

Halloween isn't a very big holiday in Australia. Practically no one celebrates it and I don't think a single child came to the door last year for trick or treats. Oh no! Please don't make me eat this candy all by myself!

In honor of Halloween, I've made some spooky sweaterdolls. So far, I've got Frankenstein's Monster, Halloween Black Cat, and Candy Corn.




I miss candy corn. I usually buy one bag at Halloween, eat it until I'm sick, and then ignore it until the next Halloween when I buy another bag.

And then there is just the love of autumny colors.


Monday, September 16, 2013

Upcycling Tutorial: Owl Softie/Pillow from Knit Cap

Northern or southern hemisphere, beanies are on their way to storage and thrift store or being unpacked, knitted, or the object of a new op shop quest. Right now, beanies are plentiful. Oh, what to do with all those beanies!!

Introducing the Beanie Owl Softie! 




What you need: 
a knit beanie, any size
a square of fabric, square doily, or a granny square
a bit of felted sweater, yarn, or wool felt in yellow, orange, brown or other beak color
2 round fabric yoyos, very small round doilies, or other round materials for eyes 
2 largish buttons
cotton embroidery floss
sewing needle
wool fleece or other natural stuffing

What to do:

Stuff your beanie to a soft, pillow-like feel.

 
Pinch top edges together so you can center your square over the top so you have a full triangle on each side. Pin one triangle-side down to the owl front. Sew this on using 2 strands of matching embroidery floss with a running or tacking stitch.



Position and add eye backgrounds using matching embroidery floss.


Add a beak made of chunky wool yarn embroidered into beanie, a triangle of felted sweater or wool felt sewn on with a running stitch or blanket stitch. You can use any fabric bit that looks 'beaky' to you. Sew on button eyes hiding the thread knots under the buttons.





Pinch the tops together and sew a running stitch across the top or whipstitch closed. Fold the other half of the square flap down and stitch onto the back of the owl.


You can also sew the features on before stuffing.





Download a free PDF of this project.