getting ready for the 21st

It’s not that horrible, at least that’s what I tell myself. I tell myself a lot of things when I’m sewing, things like “I’m never doing another craft show again.” (Lie.) Things like “This is so not worth the effort.” (Lie.) and “Next year I’m just going to buy gifts for everyone and not worry about any of this.” (Lie.) and a perennial favorite “Just one more.” (Lie.)

I’m starting to not believe anything I say when there’s a sewing needle and fabric involved.

I’m using a single thread in a fine needle to lay out the black lines, once those are finished then I’ll be able to go back in and flesh out the negative space using a background color (yet to be decided) and then start working on the small detail areas of the dragon. The rest can be filled in like coloring in a coloring book.

I haven’t done much that’s been yarn related, which is probably somewhat responsible for the non-blogging that has been going around here lately. Although I am starting to get my craft on again, I’m just not terribly yarny at the moment.

Or seasonably appropriate. I try to stay on top of the handmade gift making prior to the holidays, which means starting about yesterday in order to make sure that everyone that wants a handmade goody gets one.

Today my crafty goodness is centering around Christmas trees. My great-grandmother Cora used to make the most fantastic fabric centerpiece trees out of holiday calico prints. I think my mom might still have one packed away somewhere, I haven’t seen it since I was a kid. My version is scaled down (4 inches tall instead of 20 inches), all straight lines (Grandma Cora’s had zig zagging curls so that you could actually hang treats on the “branches”) and I added a little trunk.

I was only planning on making two more of these if this one turned out (I wasn’t sure it would but I think it’s kind of cute now that I’ve finished it.) I’m now sorely tempted to make a tiny saccharine sweet textile forest. I’m thinking the next one should have some strategic rickrack.

On the chance that this might turn out I took pictures of the construction process. So here are the instructions:

1) Cut six triangles of fabric. Make three pairs with fronts inside. Stitch around using only 1/8th inch allowance (if you’re going to sew with a machine give yourself 1/4 inch allowance) leave bottom open.

2)Trim corners and turn, finger pressing seams.

3)Line up triangles and stitch with a running stitch straight down the middle, turning in allowances over the bottom.

4)Stuff with filling (I used poly-fil) Stitch the bottoms closed (I used a hidden stitch, but a whip stitch will work.

5)Glue brown felt onto something round, I used the plastic lid from a spray bottle, but a little one inch pvc pipe or a wooden thread spool would also work.

6)Glue trunk to tree.