February 10-16, 2014 (Sawing, Sewing, Painting, Wet Felting and Valentines!)

This past year, my mom was gifted a scroll saw for Christmas. We have both been very excited to create something with it, and a swap came along that just begged for wood. 

The swap is the first in one of my newer groups that makes sets based on fairytales. This particular one is for The Three Little Pigs, and I signed up to make sets of pigs. To explain the process of the swap again, five different mamas make five sets of pigs each, five make five straw houses, five make five stick houses, five make five brick houses, and five make five wolves and scenery items. Before the deadline, all twenty-five mamas mail their items to the host mama. She then divides the items into sets and mails them all out to the hard working mamas. I will get back one set of pigs (that I did not make), one straw house, one stick house, one brick house, one wolf, and scenery items. 

My mom agreed to cut out the piggies, and I would round and sand them to a lovely toy finish. The kids had an awesome time watching her cut the wood. 

The next day, Rainbow Girl and I took out the free Valentine's craft set that I received from ordering bunches of crafty deliciousness from A Child's Dream last month. Although Rainbow Girl has had mind experience with a needle and thread, this was the first real project she has done sewing two pieces together and stuffing it. She did amazing.

We stuffed our little Valentine pillows with wool and lavender that was included in the kit

While we were finishing up, Sugar Bear woke up and desperately wanted to sew too. He has never sewn before, and I considered getting him a plastic needle, but with his needle felting expertise, I was sure he would be ok with a real needle. Sure enough, he had a fantastic time embroidering the two pieces of felt together that I gave him. He ran out of thread and asked for another color several times. When he was done, he announced that this was in fact a necklace pendant for me. :)

While he sewed, Rainbow Girl worked on decorating the February calendar. (snow flakes and heart balloons connected with garland)

I love it so much.

The next morning, his first request was for more fabric and thread. He is so calm and serene while sewing!! I might add felt, embroidery floss, and a needle to my bag for restaurant entertainment.

Sadly, with all the snow that we had, the schools were closed and therefore, Girl Scouts was canceled and then Spanish class the next day was canceled. Rainbow Girl was pretty upset that she wouldn't be able to exchange Valentines with her Spanish class friends that day, but her teacher promised that they would still be holding their Valentine's exchange the next week.

Instead of Spanish class, we played outside in the snow and made an awesome snowman together. Five months pregnant mama should not have picked up that heavy middle section of the snowman and I mildly pulled a muscle in my stomach, but it was worth it.

What can I say, we are huggers.

After we were done with the snow, we came inside to make Valentines for Grandma and Paka. 

We hand delivered them, and then went to the fabric store with Grandma where the kids each chose a wooden structure to paint. Sugar Bear chose a pirate ship, and Rainbow Girl a castle.

The next day during nap time, I decided to work on a project that I have been thinking about for some time. Wet felting seasonal trees to hang above our nature table. Today's project, a barren, snowy, winter night's tree.

I have never had much luck with wet felting, but I decided to give it another go and I am so very glad I did. My supplies were: two rectangles of bubble wrap larger than my wall hanging, an old bamboo placemat from the thrift store, a towel, warm soapy water, and roving.

The process begins by placing a layer of bubble wrap on top of the placemat and setting up the basic design with the roving. Next, I squirted the warm, soapy water all over the roving and very gently compressed it all with my hands, starting in the middle of the wall hanging.

After it was all compressed, I rolled under the uneven edges and continued pressing down on the wet soapy fibers with flat hands. I added branches and additional roving where it was needed and added soapy water whenever it began to dry out. 

After the design was mostly secure, I put the second sheet of bubble wrap on top of it and began pressing down again and rubbing circles. The bubbles add a lovely element of further friction on the fibers to make them stick together. 

Once I was satisfied with strength of the design, I rolled it all up in the placemat and rolled it forty times, wrists to elbows. I then unrolled it, turned the wall hanging from portrait to landscape orientation, rolled it up again, and roll, roll, rolled it forty times again. I repeated these steps three more times before I was satisfied with the tightness of the felt.

To finish, I rinsed it thoroughly in cool water and laid it flat to dry. 

Here is my finished result, and may I say, I am quite happy with it. 

To hang it, I sewed a loop of embroidery thread on the back of the top two corners and hung it on flat thumb tacks. 

Here is a our beautiful nature table with our new wall hanging and all of the items we received in our Valentine's Day swap. 

About a month ago, I made the cute little Valentine's Day Gnome Couples to send off to my Waldorf swap friends. These are the lovely, beautifully crafted items that I received in return! Our new items are: a lovely Valentine's pink silk, a felt heart bag, a felt heart heat pack/bean bag, a cute little peg lady with a heart token, and a gorgeous rainbow heart garland made from hand spun yarn! All the gnomes wearing hats were made by me. :)

I am so delighted to be part of such an amazing, talented group of crafting mamas. 

Inspired by all the loveliness, I began on my next big project- a seasonal "wheel" wall hanging. It will have a scene from each season and I will hang it on the wall and turn it with each season. This one will be needle felted and I plan to take a long time to finish it.