Fabric Paper Mache Eggs

I am not really a big fan of dyeing Easter eggs. Maybe it is because it is not something I grew up doing (I don't think I actually dyed my first egg until I was well into my 20s...) or maybe it is because pre-schooler + toddler + dye = colossal mess that I will spend days trying to clean up. And, plastic eggs are the bane of my existence for most of the year because they have a tendency to end up in halves all over the place, and they are really painful to step on. But, I do love the bright colors of Easter eggs and I love a good Easter egg hunt.

It was actually my hunt for a plastic egg alternative that led to the creation of the Treasure Eggs I sell in my Etsy shop, but those are fairly big and better suited for baskets than egg hunts. So, when I came across this post on the Moda Bake Shop for Bunny Eggs (fabric covered paper mache eggs) by Angela Yosten I was so excited - A project I could do with Miss M AND a solution to my plastic egg problem!

This is actually a fairly quick project, and another great one for using up fabric scraps. I went through my scrap bag and cut scraps into small pieces that were about 1" big for my daughter. For the eggs I worked on, I used some Moda Honeybun strips that I cut in half width-wise (so they were about .75" wide) and then cut those into strips that were about 2"long. I got out the Mod Podge, put down some protective coverings on our kitchen table and we were ready to go.

At first she was a little hesitant to get the glue on her hands, but after I assured her that it would wash off fairly easily she got into it a bit more.

She worked a lot faster than I did and got 4 done in the time it took me to do 2. Granted our styles were a little different...

And here are our finished products!

 Baby Sis woke up from her nap, so we had to wrap things up. But it was a fun, quick little project. I actually really enjoyed the process of making my eggs. I found it quite relaxing, and it gave me an idea for this month's EtsyKids Design Challenge ...

Miss M did say to me at the end that she needed more lessons because hers didn't look like mine. I told her we each have our own way of doing things, and that if she wants hers to look more like mine she has to be willing to get her hands a bit more dirty and sticky next time. She asked if she could just paint hers with paint instead of with fabric then.  Elbow deep in the mud or sand and she is happy as a clam, a little glue on the fingers though ... she is a funny kid.

Dressing a Stylish Poodle

I hate throwing away fabric. I can't shake the feeling that fabric has potential, no matter how small. So, as a result I have bags full of bits and pieces of the fabrics I have used in my projects over the years.  I am convinced that one day I am going to come up with a great idea that will use them all.  This is actually one of the things that drew me to quilting in the first place. I love the look of patchwork quilts AND I would have something to do with all my scraps! But, patchwork quilts take a lot of time to piece together and there are several items ahead of that on my current project to do list. So, I am always excited when I find new ideas for ways to use my scraps.

The other day I came across this wonderful tutorial by Carrie at This Mama Makes Stuff on making Fabric Scrap Paper Dolls. She even provides a .pdf of 6 different adorable paper dolls to use as templates (which is fantastic because I can't draw a stick figure to save my life).  Even though the tutorial recommends this activity for kids 6 and up, I thought Miss M could handle it (she is a very mature 4.5 year old :) ) and I couldn't wait to try it out with her. So, today we gathered some of the scraps from the bag hanging on my sewing table, some glue and scissors and got to work.

We managed to make some room for our project on the always crowded playroom table. The dinosaurs and hairy spider looked on curiously as Miss M got her first lesson in using mama's fabric scissors (and learning that we don't cut anything but fabric with those scissors).

We had a couple of near misses, but nobody lost a finger in the process, which is always a good thing.

Once the "stylish" poodle was all dressed in her skirt, shirt, shoes & hat, Miss M decided she needed some tights.

Then, she assured me that "she's not bleeding, she just has a red face".

When she was all done, we added the Stylish Poodle to our Art Gallery. Miss M LOVED this project. She went on to do 3 more dolls after the poodle.

I am not sure what my favorite part of the whole experience was - listening to her make up stories about the people she was creating and why they were wearing the "clothes" she was picking out for them, or watching her create and develop her technique with each doll. By the last one (which I forgot to photograph) she had figured out how to cut out pants, a scarf and mittens. We worked on the first two together, and then I moved over to my sewing table to work on a few things while she kept working on her dolls.  I like giving her time to work things out on her own and seeing what she comes up with. It also makes me really look forward to working on more craft projects with her and teaching her how to sew.

Once something new is ready to replace the Stylish Poodle (the name Miss M gave her creation) on the art wall, I am going to put it away for that day when Miss M designs and makes her first dress.  Then, I can pull the poodle out and show her her very first design project.

How to Make Fabric Origami "Paper"

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I am a reforming pack rat. I used to save everything - cards, movie ticket stubs, receipts for just about everything ... but having moved as much as I did in the last 10 years I had to change my ways and start letting go of stuff. Even though we are settled into our cute little house now and plan on being here for quite a while, I am continuing to fight my pack rat tendencies to keep clutter to a minimum. But, there is one area that is resisting all reformation efforts - fabric.

I am a fabric-a-holic. I love fabric - the colors, the textures, the endless possibilities. I have boxes and boxes of fabric stashed around the house.  While I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing with usable lengths of fabric, my real problem is with scraps.  I am a compulsive scrap hoarder. I just can't seem to make myself throw them away. I hardly ever use them. I end up with garbage bags full of little fabric scraps "just in case" I need them someday. This wouldn't be much of a problem if I were a quilter, but I am not. So I came up with something else to do with my collection of scraps - making origami "paper" out of fabric scraps.

What you will need:

• Fabric scraps (I find that 100% cotton quilting-type fabrics works best. I tend to stick to pieces that are at least 8"x8")
• Medium weight fusible interfacing
• Iron & ironing board
• Pressing cloth (a thin, old t-shirt works great)
• Rotary cutter & mat or scissors & a ruler

How to do it:

I usually start off by squaring off my scrap piece to about 9"x9", then I iron it flat.

Next I cut the interfacing to an 8"x8" square. I suggest using medium weight because heavyweight can make folding pretty difficult and lightweight doesn't hold the creases well. Following the manufacturer's instructions, iron the interfacing onto the back (or wrong side) of your fabric. (Tip: Use a pressing cloth to protect your iron from any glue residue that might seep out.  This will save you lots of time with Goo Gone down the road, trust me...)

Now, I cut down the fabric to an 8"x8" square using my rotary cutter & mat, but you can easily do this with a ruler & scissors too. (Cutting after putting the interfacing on minimizes fraying)

And there you go - Fabric Origami paper. Need some origami instructions or inspiration? Origami Club is one of my favorite sites. They have easy to follow instructions in either diagram or animation format. They also rank items by degrees of difficulty.

Playing with fabric origami is fun, but it does have some limitations. Fabric is thicker than paper, so some of the more complex pieces with lots of folds are difficult to make because the fabric is just too thick and the folds won't stay in place. I like using this with my older daughter because the things we make are a bit sturdier than their paper cousins, so they can stand up to toddler play a little bit better.

A shameless plug for my Etsy shop here - I have some of my fabric origami cranes listed and one of my Crane Dreamcatcher mobiles listed as well. So check them out if you have a chance and if you have any feedback, please let me know.

Three years in the making...

I have been thinking about starting this blog for about three years and now that I finally have it all set up I am sitting here staring at the screen wondering where to begin. How do you go about introducing yourself to cyberspace?  Hello, my name is Claudia and I am ...

• a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, a best friend;
• a stay at home mom = a cab driver, a nurse, a chef, a baker, a dishwasher, a housekeeper, a child psychologist, a life coach, a professional organizer, a teacher, a singer, a dancer, a human bouncy seat, a photographer, an historian, a human chew toy, an interpreter, a sherpa, a travel agent, a bookkeeper ...
• an amateur gardener
• a craft person (sewing, crochet, needle felting, doll making, general arts & crafts)
• an eternal student with a couple of fancy pieces of paper on the wall in even fancier frames that cost me a lot of money (which I will be paying back until I am well into retirement...)
• a traveler and a wanderer
• a wanna-be locavore/foodie

Why am I starting this blog? Many reasons. I like to write. My brain needs some exercise, and I need somewhere to put all the random thoughts that bounce through my head on a daily basis while I am chasing after two kiddos. I want to share some of the knowledge and resources I've collected over the past few years on parenting, gardening, crafting, etc. I want to be one of the cool kids with a blog :)~
So I can't really tell you up front what you will find here - maybe some tutorials, maybe some recipes, most likely some random musings on parenting and motherhood and life. We will just have to wait and see. But for now I would like to issue you an  ...

INVITATION

by Shel Silverstein ( from Where the Sidewalk Ends)

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

Oh yeah, and I guess I am now ... a blogger :)