Book excerpt | Mushroom love brooch project

by contributor on February 3, 2012

in Books, Whip Up Tutorials

Lark Craft’s upcoming book Heart-Felt Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate the Seasons is the follow-up to Fa La La La Felt. The book comes out in April, but Lark Crafts are starting the fun early by offering this Mushroom love brooch project by Lisa Jordan.

Mushroom love brooch project by Lisa Jordan

What You Need

  • Templates – see image below
  • Basic sewing supplies (needle, thread, thimble etc)
  • Turquoise, white, yellow, and red felted garment wool or wool felt, Plus dark gray felt (optional, see Tip)
  • White, red, turquoise, and yellow embroidery floss
  • Pin/brooch back
  • Fabric glue (optional)

What you need to do:

  • ONE: Using the templates provided, cut one small heart from the turquoise felt, one medium heart from the white felt, and one large heart from the yellow felt. Cut an additional large heart from the dark gray felt, and set aside. Use the templates to cut the two small half-circles from the red felt for the mushroom caps and the V shape from the white felt for the mushroom stems.
  • Tip: To simplify, cut the second large heart shape, which will be the brooch back, from the yellow felt instead of dark gray.
  • TWO: Using the photo for reference, position the mushroom stems on the turquoise heart, and whipstitch them in place with a single strand of the white floss. Add a few small running stitches down the center of the V to help define the two stems. Use one strand of the red floss to whipstitch a red mushroom cap on top of each stem.
  • THREE: Thread your needle with two strands of white embroidery floss and add a few decorative French knots to the mushroom caps.
  • FOUR: Stack the turquoise heart on top of the white heart, and stitch them together using the whipstitch and three strands of the turquoise floss. Then stitch this stack of hearts onto the large yellow heart, using three strands of red floss and the running stitch. Set aside.
  • FIVE: Sew a pin back to the felt backing piece. (If you like, you can cover the base of the pin back with a small felt heart.) Then position the heart stack on the backing, tacking it in place with the fabric glue if desired. Begin sewing the stack to the backing using a blanket stitch and three strands of the yellow embroidery floss. Stitch around the entire piece, hiding the knot beneath the stitches.
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Guest post | Stuck on you Valentine

by contributor on February 2, 2012

in Guest Blogger, Holidays, Kids Crafts

Liz Noonan is an artist and crafter working north of Boston.  You can read about her and what she’s crafting up lately on her blog.

Valentine’s Day “Stuck On You” tutorial

Thank you for having me on Whip Up today!  My kindergartener’s class had run out of glue sticks, so I came up with this idea to combine a cute Valentine with a donation for the class.  You could also do this with pencils or crayons too.
  • Paper, glue sticks, glue dots
  • I used a cookie cutter for a template for the valentines, it ended up being the perfect size.
  • I also used a heart punch to layer and add the child’s name, but both of those things are optional.

 

  1. First, cut out your valentines and decorate them.  We used glitter pens and markers.
  2. Use your glue dots and put one on each side of your glue stick.
  3. Stick the Valentine to your glue stick.
  4. You’re done!  Easy, simple and a nice way to contribute something to the classroom.
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For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website

Discussion, dialogue and dinner

by kath_red on February 1, 2012

in Books, Newsletter

This week is the last week before my big baby starts high school (year 7). It is a huge milestone and we are all pretty happy about it. My daughter is pretty darn excited to be leaving primary school behind — she is keen to take up new challenges, make new friends and try new things. It is a new year and a fresh start and we have a few of our own challenges to face this year – as I am sure you do too.

In last weeks newsletter post I promised you the result to the survey which I asked whipup readers to fill in – thank you all – over 1300 folks filled in the survey and the results can be seen here.

Also last week I discussed using bi-carb and vinegar in place of shampoo for washing hair: I have been experimenting with using homemade hair powder in between washes to keep your hair looking fresh – I have been sprinkling bi-carb powder on my hair and then massaging and brushing it through (works wonders), but readymade has a recipe for a natural scented powder which looks kinda cool, also I hear you can use talcum powder too (just not too much unless you want grey hair).

Whats for dinner tonight? I am quite addicted to taste spotting and food gawker websites for leading me to some new and delicious blogs. This is comfort food week in our house: tonight we are having pea and ham soup, tomorrow night is curry night and I am making Butter chicken and Mung bean dal (also known as moong dal), then wednesday night is bolognese night (also known as ragù alla bolognese), thursday mmm it gets a little fuzzy on thursday so I searched for ‘comfort food‘ and had an array of choices in front of me … the rest of the week it will be braised brisket, garlic soup with egg and Mexican meatball soup. Unless of course the weather turns hot again and in which case its back to chicken schnitzel and salad. (Images above)

Now onto other things…

I am reading…

[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australian’s can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)

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Whipup tutorial: Button-up cup cosy

by kath_red on January 31, 2012

in Whip Up Tutorials

Button-up Cup Cosy

This cute and cheerful cup cosy would make a great gift, or else you might like to make a few to brighten up your tea set for when guests visit.

Materials

  • 2x Scrap of fabric approx 30 x 15 cm / 12 6 inches
  • Small piece of thin elastic (an elastic hair band will be perfect)
  • Button
  • Needle and thread
  • Pen and paper

Step 1. Make your pattern 

  • - Grab your favourite mug or cup and lay it down on your piece of paper, resting it against the handle. While rolling the cup from end to the other, trace the base and then the top of your mug. Draw a joining line at the ends. After you have cut out the pattern, check it is symmetrical. Do this for each of the cups you wish to make a cosy for.

 Step 2: Sew together

  • - Place your 2 pieces of fabric right sides together and then pin your pattern on top of your double layer of fabric, and cut it out exactly without adding any seam allowance. Then sew around three of the outside edges, leaving one short end open.

Step 3: Add the tie & button

  • - Turn the sewn piece right side out, and press flat. Press the seam allowances on the open end under. Then take your piece of elastic and fold it in half and pin it inside this open edge. Then sew this edge closed, enclosing the elastic, sew over the elastic a couple of times to strengthen it. Sew a top stitch around the perimeter.
  • - Sew a bright button on the opposite side of the cup cosy piece and you are done!

 

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Quilts for political and social commentary: A follow up…

by kath_red on January 30, 2012

in Art+Design, Quilting

The feature post last week by quilt artist Chawne sure did raise a few issues and I would like to discuss a few of them here. First up though I want to say that I admire Chawne and her work and her artistic integrity, she is a wonderful skilled crafter and she creates from the heart. I featured her work on whipup for precisely those reasons and will continue to feature artists and makers whose work is real and raw, as well as the nice and practical and the thoughtful and artistic, just as I have done since whipup first launched over 6 years ago.

We have featured a variety of art/craft over the years – everything from crochet coral reefs to knitted poo, penises and boobs (yarn body parts warning), from knitted tank cosies to radical cross-stitch (language warning), from crafting politics to human hair as yarn, from knitted graffiti to public embroidery - if you are interested in exploring more check out our art+design category.

A few issues that were raised in the comments included those discussing the ‘quilt’ and its place in politics and art, many people were offended by the use of certain words but many others found the work to be as thought provoking as I did. Many quilters and crafters may not realise that quilting has a long and strong tradition of political and social activism, when I posted a series of Obama crafts a few years ago there was a strong reaction to politics raising its head in the craft world, so I want to reiterate that women throughout history have used craft as a way to have a voice in a male dominated world and I am sure that women will continue to claim their craft to voice their opinion or protest or to just speak their creativity.

You might like to read this thoughtful essay at the Quilt Index by Marybeth Stalp and titled In the Shadow of the Quilt: Political Messaging in Quilts

…those quilts that do not incite “fuzzy” and “comforting” feelings, but instead those that highlight and address publicly the social reality of inequality, racism, sexism, oppression, and the like.  I also examine quilts that communicate subversive, ironic, and sardonic messages. [Excerpt from essay]

A few folks were worried that their children might happen upon a few crass words online and as a parent myself I didn’t think twice about sharing those images with my kids and in fact it was the catalyst for a really interesting discussion about American history as well as the way language is used in our society.

Many readers were down on whipup for posting this and some even suggested that I remove the post as they found it ‘offensive’ and ‘disgusting’, and there were a few more ugly words thrown in there that I personally found way more upsetting and distasteful than the words that appeared on the quilts. Of course I won’t be removing the post, and I will continue to defend and showcase a wide variety of crafts here at whipup, just as it is your right not to read this website if you choose. However one point did emerge: it seems that many of you wanted a more defined language warning — that I will rectify for next time.

Thanks for reading
xx

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