Felt Toy Train

One of my nephews recently turned 2. He loves trains, so I knew I wanted a gift that was very much train themed. 

I had originally hoped to adapt this Sweetbriar Sisters pattern to make a train, as I've used it before to make cars (which I've just realised I haven't blogged!) but the proportions weren't working out, so that was put aside for this train!

Internally, the train is made from upholstery foam cut into the appropriate shapes and a cork for the funnel. I then cut rectangles from a variety of coloured felts, and stitched them up to contain the foam, adding details such as windows and wheels.

I stitched velcro dots to the back of the engine and the fronts and backs of the carriages so they can be attached, detached and rearranged.

The birthday boy was thrilled with it, and enjoyed pushing and pulling it around the picnic table we were sat at!

"Love" - Mixed Media Artwork

Without this turning into an essay, I began this canvas a couple of years ago when I was very ill. It allowed me to go into my art room for just a few minutes at a time, throw some paint around, and feel like I was creating.

Some days it was paint. Some days it was a scalpel. Some days a permanent marker, or silicone filler. Textured filler, or tissue paper. It has layers of hurt and layers of beauty. Paint added in so many different ways, words and colours that meant something to me over the months and years it took to make. 

I think it's finished now.

Puppy || Sew Cute to Cuddle

Hello! Yup, I'm still alive. Absence makes you grow fonder of me, right?! I have been working on lots of creating of things, but I'm not going to be able to share some of them for a while, so please bear with some patchy posting... Sneaky peeks on Facebook as always :)

I made this cute little puppy dog for my niece's 7th Birthday, and s/he was a real hit, being named Flopster!

The pattern is called Brody the Dog, and is from Sew Cute to Cuddle... The author, Mariska Vos-Bolman, has an Etsy store, but I found it more financially viable to buy a copy of her book from Amazon :) She has designed some beautiful patterns, and the book contains clear instructions and helpful diagrams, as well as sections on fabrics and techniques. The patterns are provided to scale in the book, so there is no need for pesky enlarging. I did find bits of this design fiddly, and you can see some of my curves aren't exactly smooth... But I would use more of her patterns :)

I used some fabric and felt I had left lying around, and also stitched on a cute little mouth. I had the idea that all dogs need a toy to play with, so stitched a small bone from felt. I have tied a piece of ribbon around both the bone and a paw, meaning it can be removed for play but stored safely!

Fircone Firelighters

When I saw Circle of Pinetrees share their Pinecone Firelighters a couple of years ago, they went straight on my to do list! Referencing both her tutorial and Walter and Me's tutorial, I eventually got round to making some in time for this year's Father's Day! My Dad has a chiminea in his garden, so I thought this would be a great unusual gift for him.

I dipped about a dozen fircones using mandarin and cassis scented tealights from eBay, which worked out really well as they were white in colour and I didn't need to add essential oils. I packaged them in a simple box, and made my own label featuring this drawing. Never forget the power of beautiful wrapping when presenting a homemade gift. They were delightfully received!