Thursday, 28 July 2022

Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 16

 Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 16

Back to the Holly.

Holly with Tails








 

I had left the Tails on the Tops of the Holly as I thought that I might need them to Sew to the Wreath. I decided that I was not going to do that.

Wind around Stalk

 










I decide the best thing is to Wind the Tails around the Stalk.

All Tucked in

 










I now have Sewn all the Holly Tails in so they are Tucked in neatly. However this has slightly rounded the Tops so I had to stretch the Wool a little to make them pointed again.

Match Thread










 

Since my efforts to make a suitable Pom-Pom had ended in disaster I bought some Red Buttons to use as Berries. I had no Matching cotton Thread so I had to delve into my Silks.

Leave Tail










 

I Sewed one Button in Place near the Bottom of the Holly Leaf. I left a Tail in case I need to use it to Sew on to the Wreath.

Double Berry

 









I like the way the Button looked so added the next one. It didn’t matter if the Buttons overlapped slightly. This is what happens naturally with Berries.

Triple Holly









 

I have now added the Buttons to all 3 Holly Leaf Pairs. I think the Triple Holly has come out smashing. They are certainly much better than with the Pom-Poms.

Thursday, 21 July 2022

Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 15

 Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 15

Well my hand has healed so I can get on with more crafting. This is just as well since this is blog 15 and I am beginning to think it will be Christmas by time I finish making this.

Trying to Place

 










I now have to try and work out where to Place the Ivy. This is easier said than done. I have to take into consideration both the Top and the Sides of the Wreath.

In addition to this I have to think where I am going to Place the Holly and the Ribbons. 

Turn Ivy

 










After messing about adding and removing Ivy and Holly numerous times I decided to do a test.

Add Glue to Back










 

I turned the Ivy over and began to carefully add some Fabric Glue. I only wanted to put the Glue on the Upper most part of the Leaf.

Pin Low

 










I Placed the Ivy in line with the Pine Cone but leaving a Gap. I Pinned it just below where I had put the Glue. This is so I didn’t Glue the Pin too. If I did the Leaf would come away when I removed it.

Three Stuck

 

Once I was satisfied with the outcome of the first Placement I added another two Ivy Leaves. Again I Placed them underneath the Pine Cones.

This is going to be my basis for the rest of the Wreath additions.

Thursday, 14 July 2022

Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 14

 Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 14

Warning do not look at the End Picture if of a Sensitive Disposition. ****

Pine Cone

 








I had an idea for some extra Decoration. I found one of the spare Pine Cones that I had rejected for the Ring.

Pine Cone Test

 








I began a Paint Test on the Pine Cone. First I did a few Seeds and when that looked alright I continued so it was all Painted.

Start Painting

 










I let the Test Cone completely dry so I could examine it properly. It didn’t take long as I was using a simple Watercolour Paint

All Painted










 

I Painted all 3 Pine Cones attached to the Wreath. I let them dry then I went to turn the Ring over so I could Paint the other side.

Pine Seed Stuck







 

It was once I tried to move the Ring for turning that I noticed that unfortunately the Superglue had seeped through on to the dish.

I had to tug the Ring to remove it and it left a Pine Seed behind along with some Superglue.

********

Should Know Better



Remember the old saying ‘more haste less speed’. I was impatient to crack on with the Painting therefore I grabbed the nearest thing I had to remove the Superglue and Seed.

So with the Dish in one Hand and the Scissors in the other I began to prise the remnants off. Of course the inevitable happened. I slipped and thrust the Scissors straight into my Palm.

Consequently I had to stop Crafting for about a week.  

Thursday, 7 July 2022

Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 13

 Crikey Not Christmas 2022 Part 13

A nice quick blog this week.

Pair of Pine Cones











I wanted to make the Wreath more 3 Dimensional. I know that sounds weird as it already was but simply being a Ring it looked too flat.

Therefore I decided to add some Pine Cones. I wanted them a similar size so began comparing them. I wanted 3 in total.

Trying to Glue

 










Once selected I took a Pine Cone and tried to Glue it in place using my usual Glue. It didn’t go well. The Pine Cones Shape meant that there was little surface to place the Glue.

Trying to Sew

 










To try and give it some extra Strength I tried to part Sew the Cone to the Ring. This was done by securing the Thread to the Ring. Then winding the Thread in and out of the Pine Cone. Needless to say all that happened was tangled mess.

Superglue to the Rescue


 









Luckily I had some Superglue in my Craft Stock. I used that to Glue the Pine Cones in place. This was done at roughly equal placing. See above photograph.