Pondlife – Scraphappy Day October 2023

I made a felt frog using one of Cool Crafting‘s designs.

It was supposed to be a lady frog but I couldn’t get the green glass eyes and the amber ones made him look more masculine in my opinion so I decided against the suggested flower coronet and left him naked as most frogs tend to be.  I know this because we had thousands of tadpoles in our pond and the froglets I’ve seen so far are as naked as the day they were spawned.  However, I have it on good authority that, sometimes, a frog prince is born and he, of course, would wear a crown.

In case you’re wondering what this has to do with Scraphappy Day, I made the crown out of some lining left over from a dressmaking project.  It has quite a lot of body in it so I just cut the crown shape out in two layers, sewed them right sides together and turned it out.  Then I made the ‘jewels’ by practising my newly discovered (and still far from expert) French knots.

Even though I’d decided to leave him ‘in the nip’ I felt something was missing from the scenario so I made him a lily pad to sit on.

I had a green cashmere jumper that had gone bobbly beyond saving so I had previously put it in the washing machine a few times and saved the resulting felted fabric.  Perfect to cut out a lily pad shape.

I backed it with some green ombré fabric from my scrap box and added a ‘something special’ label.

Finally, my friend owns a craft shop and was getting rid of some excess bits and pieces and gave me a couple of fabric flower shapes, one of  which made the perfect addition to the lily pad.

So the frog, aided by a little bit of Scraphappiness, is now ready for a kiss to turn him into a real boy.

Or was that Pinocchio?

 

 

Scraphappy Day is organised by Kate & Gun for anybody who wants to make new things from scraps of any kind – doesn’t have to be fabric or yarn.  Here’s a list of participants – both regular and occasional – if you want to have a look at the sort of things you can do with scraps.

Contact Kate or Gun (first names on the list) if you want to join in.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa, 
Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

 

A Literary (Sewing) Diversion

As you may remember from my last post where we were dressed in (vaguely) 1920s garb, we recently celebrated our daughter’s 30th birthday.

Thanks, I like to think, because of our endless buying of books, reading together when she was little and, later, our own reading habits and recommendations, she is an avid reader and, although she has a predilection for fantasy literature she is also a big Jane Austen fan.

So, when Cool Crafting came up with a special Jane Austen kit as part of their literary series, I pre-ordered it and, whilst waiting for it to be delivered, I made two mice for which I already had the pattern and hoped I’d get it all done in time for the big day.

The clothing designs Cool Crafting produce for their various animal patterns mean that you create rather good copies of full size garments and, even though I’m a fairly proficient dressmaker, I still found plenty to challenge me with the process and the fabrics provided.  Straw patterned pleather anyone?

The outfits were really designed for Cool Crafting’s famous Luna Lapin which is a rabbit so the bonnet has space for rabbit ears but my mice only have mouse sized ears so I should have closed the hole up really but didn’t want to chance messing with the pattern as there was only so much special pleather available.

Anyway, one of the biggest challenges for me (apart from the pleather bonnet) was doing the French knots used in place of buttons on the breeches and waistcoat for Mr. Mouse as I am no embroiderer and had to follow a video tutorial on YouTube in order to achieve anything vaguely like a French knot.

I feel the empire line dress also deserves a little photo of its own before being covered with the short jacket that completes the outfit.

(completed also by the era appropriate undies)

I’m not sure about the French knickers being era appropriate but I put them on her anyway – she is a modest mouse.

At the moment, our daughter is living in a house share but has plans to move into a much larger space soon so I put the pair on stands, in a pretty covered box and said I understood if she keeps them like that until she has the room to display them.

The Happy Couple

Back to human sized clothes soon – in fact I already have some trousers to show you, it’s just getting round to doing the post.

We’re going to a craft fair this weekend where I’m hoping to buy an example of my most recent obsession, craft-wise, from the lady who taught the workshop I went to last weekend.  News of which, hopefully, will be in a future post.  Have a good weekend whatever you’re doing.

Scraphappy Day November

A ‘real life’ friend of mine contacted me the other day as she had noticed I hadn’t been blogging recently and she was worried about me – thank you Mo 😘 – but I am here, safe and sound though seemingly missing my blogging mojo.  I’ve been reading and commenting on others’ blogs (for the most part) and, by the time I’ve done that, checked my Facebook groups, checked the BBC news headlines and my emails, I’ve sort of had enough of the screen and got bored of listening to Mr. Tialys and his meetings as his work station is right next to mine.

Anyway, I haven’t been idle in the workroom which is still a mess I’m afraid as the carpet fitter has gone sick and so there is still stuff stored in there which will eventually go back in the bedroom once he’s recovered enough to lay the carpet in there.  I have come very late to the Luna Lapin (felt rabbit) party and have been making her, her woodland friends and some of the miniature sized dresses, nighties, etc. that make up her wardrobe.  More of that another day – if I get round to a proper post but, for the moment, it’s Scraphappy Day and I was determined to get an entry in this time round.

So, after that little lot (and a fox partly completed), I had some spare felt.

So I made the peachy coloured rabbit a little baby.  Well you know what rabbits are like.

Those of you with kids, remember that weird way of standing with one hip stuck out with a baby or tot planted on the edge of it?

Wrong hip lady! That baby will slide right off.

Anyway, please note the scraps of Liberty fabric too.

So, in by the skin of my teeth again for November and, as it was Remembrance Sunday in the UK yesterday (today as I’m typing this), I’ll end with this which I made from scrap yarn and a vintage button.

Bad flash photo, sorry, but it gets dark here in the U.K. at some ridiculously early hour at the moment so needs must.

Scraphappy Day is organised by Kate & Gun for anybody who wants to make new things from scraps of any kind – doesn’t have to be fabric or yarn.  Here’s a list of participants – both regular and occasional – if you want to have a look at the sort of things you can do with scraps.

Contact Kate or Gun (first names on the list) if you want to join in.

 

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynn (me), Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Bekki, Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Bear, Carol,
Preeti, Edith, Debbierose and Esther