The other day I asked on Twitter for suggestions for a new animal to make. I got lots of good ones, including a dragon, a monkey, and a beluga whale (that one came from my sister-in-law whose daughter loves belugas). Whales came up a few times and I decided to give it a try. I…
Archives for April 2011
seahorse
I worked on a seahorse today. Playing around with making pleated fabric after reading and rereading The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff. That book never ceases to amaze me. The amount of work it took to put it together! It is so comprehensive and whenever I pick it up all kinds of applications…
Free Springtime Craft Tutorial: Felt Daffodils
I thought I would create an easy springtime craft tutorial and came up with these felt daffodils. I love the bright yellow daffodils that are blooming everywhere now in New England. They are a sure sign that spring really is here, even if it was 32 degrees out this morning! Make a few felt daffodils…
sample for upcoming Artful Bird workshop
Today I finished the sample bird and all the step-outs for my upcoming workshop at The Button Box in Wellesley. We will be spending the day sewing this wren together. Select some scrap fabric from your stash and make your own unique bird using the pattern from my book. The workshop will be on Saturday,…
welcoming spring
I am working away on this sunny, breezy day… learning more about my camera creating backdrops for the toys that I will photograph in the book making my house kosher for Passover cooking for the Seder tonight (we are going to our friend's house this year, but we are bringing tsimmes, hard boiled eggs, the…
Make Your Own Weather Feltboard
My kids love to play school. They sit all their stuffed animals in a row and teach them all kinds of things. Mostly they imitate their own teachers. In preschool and early elementary school the day seems to always begin with looking at the calendar as a class and then noticing the weather. A few…
felt butterflies
I finished the felt butterflies for National Nonwovens' booth at spring Quilt Market. I made a second large one (12" across) and two smaller ones (6" across). This was such a fun project. Butterflies are something I would never have thought to make without a special request. When I opened the box of felt on…
Learning Photography and Making Butterflies
This week I was in touch with National Nonwovens, wholesale purveryors of the lovely wool-blend felt I have been working with. You can buy their felt retail at Wool Felt Central. Melissa, felt-crafter extraordinaire, originally recommended their felt to me and I have loved working with it these past few months. The colors are so…
getting started
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm about my new book deal. I could not be more excited. And a bit overwhelmed. I have a lot of work to do, but it is the very best kind of work and I am ready. Or, I should say, I am getting ready. First, I have to…
Elements of Soft Toy Design will become a book!
Editor's Note: This series of posts became a book! Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction was published by Lark Crafts in 2013. +++++ Two and a half years ago I was at Barnes and Noble with Charlie looking in the craft book aisle. I was looking for a book on soft toy design. I looked…