Crafting

Weekly Four: week 8

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I’m grateful for my parents, just because that should be said sometimes <3

I’m happy with all I’ve been doing last week, both creatively (puppets) as well as in my house (re-organizing the kitchen, sorting through my clothes)

I’m annoyed I’m falling of the blogging bandwagon again. Haven’t posted in almost two weeks, which on itself is okay, but a couple of the theme posts (like P365 and the Weekly Four) should still happen. Even if only because it’s too much work if I miss too many.  Managed to catch up with the P365, but will skip the WF for week 7.

I learned to cut things for the puppets slightly bigger than I was already doing. George’s boots are rather tight after sowing the parts together

Weekly Four: week 6

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I’m grateful for having multiple pairs of shoes 😀 Always nice to know there’s another pair when one turns out to be leaking. On both feet…

I’m happy I finally took some major strides in putting my first puppet together

I’m annoyed I managed to forget last week…

I learned sewing all afternoon and a large part of the evening will give you muscle ache in your arms when you’re not used to it.

Treasures from the Market

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First, because I forgot them in the previous post, the state of the puppets now. All the body parts for George are now almost complete. I lost the bit I cut for his second arm, so will have to go through the boxes to see where it is, or cut a new bit. Once I have that, I can attach all the limbs. The pattern normally calls for sturdy thread to be put through the thighs and lower body to make the legs movable. However, I think I’m gonna try doing that with a bit of wire first to see if that sticks. I thought of that because I didn’t have proper thread for it, but now I do. So I think I will end up going for the thread, but to experiment is always nice 😀

The loose leg on the left is Nienke’s second leg. I forgot to add her body for the photo. For that puppet I still need to make both arms.

Then! This morning I went for coffee and a bit of lunch with Gert in Grunn before work. After that I had a couple minutes left so I checked out the Market and found an awesome craft stand. Bought feathers and rabbit fur and ribbon and leather string. Behold Below!

I’m now thinking, after a conversation I had on Facebook, on how best to construct a dragon. I’m already having some good ideas, will have to sketch them out, but I think it will work quite nicely.

Feathers! I think they're rooster feathers. They're sewn into a band, and would make an awesome short shoulder cape thing

Rabbit! It's a scarf, made from attaching small bits of rabbit fur to a piece of string, and then making a sort of net from that. I plan to take it apart so I end up with lots of tiny bits of rabbit. they'll make awesome shoulder pads and boots and stuff for the puppets

Full length view of the rabbit scarf, it's about 1,5m I think, and 4 dots wide

Ribbon with tiny roses on them, will be using this on the Flower Faerie (I'm thinking to name him Florian?) and possibly on later puppets as well

Leather string bits, good for making belts and straps and such

Puppets & Other Crafty Things Image Dump

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I went shopping at the Pipoos craft store last week, again. I’m falling in love with it. It has things on all matters of crafting, from scrapbooking, sewing, felt work, painting, pottery, mosaicing and what not more. It is on occasion a bit more expensive than certain online shops I’ve found, but it has the advantage that I can go there and touch things, and look at it closely to see if it will work for what I want. Let me show off my treasures 😀

Bells

Pretty Flowers for Planned Puppet nr. 3, a Flower Faerie

Lots of pretty yarn

Hair for puppets, not sure yet if this will actually be used, instead of just making hair from felt, but it's nice to try things

A pretty straw hat for forthcoming Frederic the Farmer

The hat from the side

New wooden shoes, in a bigger size. They fit better, but aren't quite hollowed out enough to fit the feet of the regular legs. So for Frederic I'll either have to hollow them out some more, or make his feet smaller

Pretty keys

A paper mache bag. I'm thinking of giving this to a regular puppet, later on, to carry books in, or possibly a small pet

Then something from myself. A cape from an old stuffed animal. It is a perfect size for the puppets, and will suit a future prince quite nice

Time

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I need more time. Or maybe just better time management…

The puppets are feeling sorry for themselves since they’re still only just a body with a head (although I have made George a leg to go with his solitary arm, and I attached said arm).

My Book Club books are also feeling neglected. I haven’t finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms yet (although I’m far enough in that I can finish that tonight) and haven’t even started on Chill. Saving grace on that is that I’ve read it before so I should be able to do a post about it and discuss along a bit.

My blog is lonesome since I’ve only been doing the regular theme posts of late (weekly four, P365) and not very much personal blogging or one of the other varieties of theme blogs I have going on.

On the up side, I’m no longer sick, I’ve a reasonably uncluttered house these days and Monkey’s paw is as good as better. That counts for something right? 😀

It’ll right itself next month, I expect. New years usually start of a bit rough 😀

Weekly Four: week 3

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I’m grateful for my new storage containers, I <3 organizing 😀

I’m happy I’m renewing my interest in other non-computer things beside reading. Not just crafts, but also board games. Now to harass more people into playing with me.

The one downside of living in Smalltownia, there’s not a lot of recreational things beyond the basics. So, in reference to the previous point, something like a game club you won’t find here.

I learned forgetting the book you’re reading, and enjoying very much, at your parents is not smart 😀

Weekly Four: Week 2

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LOL, good start to a new year, forgetting the first Weekly four…

I’m grateful for feeling better. Flu’s mostly gone, some remnants in terms of a still occasionally stuffed nose, and a cough that isn’t quite gone.

I’m happy the LOTR games were good. I don’t get to play games a lot so it was nice to finally be able to play them and learn that they are actually fun.

I’m annoyed (slightly) that whenever I decide to make stuff, I always end up having to stop half way because I don’t have everything at hand. Fortunately this time around there is other stuff I can do in the mean time.

I taught myself some form of the blanket stitch, but I’m not sure it’s the proper way. It gets the job done though 😀

Puppets

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I can tell I’m feeling better. I’ve been doing little of anything the past week (good excuse though, had the flu) and more of that today, but as the evening came on I was feeling restless and wanting to DO!

So I brainstormed and figured out I wanted to make puppets. Inspired by the ones Signe @ Dapper Dier makes. Since they will end up very similar to what she makes, I decided I’m going to make boy puppets (since all I’ve seen from Signe are girls). I’ve made a list of the types I would like to make, and found the pattern online. Had some issues in printing it so will need to borrow Nienke’s printer tomorrow.

As I was making the list, Nienke asked if I would make one of her. Of course I said yes. I started with this one tonight as it’s a bit easier than the rest. Not just because I know exactly how I’ll be making her, but also because it’s okay if I mess up the proportions a little in free drawing the pattern 😀

So far I’ve made her pattern and cut the pieces. I’ve started assembling the body and the head, but have come to a standstill since I have no stuffing. And cottonwool doesn’t really work very well. Fortunately I’ve a short day on Tuesday which will enable me to go to the market in the city and buy various craft related things.

While doing this I’ve been watching the latest Grey’s Anatomy and some more Once and Again. Ended just now with a good chunk of Hamlet with David Tennant. Couldn’t finish ’cause I’m getting too tired, and I can’t do it to Nienke to finish this without her.

Photos of progress tomorrow 🙂