I Love Making Gnomes

So, to take a break from making dolls and collages to sell, I decided to make some toys for my kids. I have been wanting to create these little guys for awhile. I came across this style of peg doll when I was researching Waldorf dolls. They fit with the connection to nature that is part of the Waldorf philosophy. Mine are made of wood pegs that I bought. I covered them in 100% wool felt and embroidered with cotton embroidery floss. Everything is hand sewn except I did use a little bit of fabric glue to attach the hats. I'm thinking of maybe creating some to sell. What do you think?

By the way, there are more pictures of these little guys in my new dolls and sculpture gallery on my webpage. You can click here and visit, if you are interested.

Monday Craft Project: Felt Crown

I've been meaning to make a felt crown for my son ever since I made one for my niece. He asked for his to be a pirate crown, so here we are.

Felt is a very easy material to work with, and, if you are just getting into sewing, it's an ideal fabric. It doesn't fray, it runs through a sewing machine easily, and it's very forgiving. All wool felt is very expensive, so unless it's a project where I specifically need 100% wool, I either used a blend or use synthetic (especially for projects that the kids might end up trashing). For the crown, I also used a little bit of elastic for a better fit and room to grow.

So here's my pirate king thinking up his next dastardly plan.