Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Crochet Blue Flower - Pattern

This is a pattern for a flower that I used to my blue crochet skirt.


Here is the pattern.

Chain 6 stitches.


Yarn over hook 3 times (make a treble stitch)


Insert hook in the 5th stitch from the chain and pull yarn through first 2 st, then through next 2, then next 2 and so on. This is treble stitch.



This is the treble.



Chain 5 stitches.


Insert hook in the same 5th stitch from the first chain and make a slip stitch. This is the first petal. 



Repeat for the next 4 petals: chain 6, treble, chain 5, sl st.



This is the flower.

To make a yellow middle, insert hook at the base and make slip stitches with yellow yarn.



Finish. Fasten off. You can use this flower for hair band, for skirt and sweaters.


I used it on my blue crochet skirt. If you want t try to crochet one, use my pattern and send ma a picture with your creation to post here. Crochet Blue Skirt Pattern





Monday, April 2, 2012

Counting Felt Book for Preschool

I sew this book for a little girl named Kate. Her mother was looking for a toy that can be use in the airplane. And my quiet book is perfect for this.


It is an educational activity book for preschool and kindergarten. 

This book is made from felt and contains numbers from 1 to 5. The size for each page is 9.00 x 6.00 inches. Each page is design to help children learn to count. Numbers and pieces are detachable and they have velcro on the back. The last page contains geometric shapes arrange for counting. 
For each page you can tell a story or sing a song:
For number 1 – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
For number 2 – you can adapt the song Five Little ducks 
For number 3 – you can adapt the song Five Little Snowmen
For number 4 – you can adapt the song Little Apples
For number 5 – I’m A Little Fish 
For last page – songs with shapes. 



This is the cover with Kate's name. I applied 2 little butterflies too.



These are the pages for numbers 1 and 2. Sing the songs and play with the detachable star and ducks. On the page no 2 you can play "I spy..." to find 2 items: 2 circles for sun, 2 butterflies and so on.


 These are numbers 3 and 4. Sing about snowmen and apples. Create some stories. Count the clouds and the leaves.


Number 5 and a page for geometric shapes.



This is the back cover with a cute little flower.




Here are all the detachable pieces. Sort them, count them, find other activities.




If you need a gift for a little girl, you can give her my book. If you want one for a boy, please let me know to change the design. :)



THOMAS Banner


You know Thomas, the train? In fact this is a banner for a boy named Thomas. I know that little kids like to see their name on the wall. Because they have an age, between 3 and 5 years, when they discover them as persons and suddenly their names are very important. 


I made it for a 5 years boy. It will be great in his room. The banner length is almost 50 cm (19 inches) without the plane and the cloud. Size for letters: 6 cm (2.36 inches) 

I didn't know anything about this little boy: what he prefers, what toys he likes. I supposed that he likes airplanes, like other little boys.  For this reason, I sew  a plane at the beginning and a cloud at the end, and other 2 little planes on the banner. 


This is the big plane. I tried to mix the blue with yellow to add more light and a little red for contrast. 



And this is the cloud. A puffy one, because it has poly-fill inside. 


I cut very carefully the letters and I tried to mix the boy-ish colors: dark blue, light blue, purple.



It can be a great gift for a little boy who loves planes and his name is THOMAS. If you want another appliques instead of planes and clouds, please send me a message. 
Custom orders are always welcome. You can choose another name or other colors. 

Felt Bunny Book Board



Give a nice, colorful and soft gift to a child: my bunny quiet book. It is perfect as a gift for preschool and kindergarten kids. 

This is the back. You can hang it on the wall on both sides. 


My felt board is soft, funny, colorful, and helpful for math. It is a bunny garden with 10 carrots that you can move on their ribbon to make addition, subtraction or just to count them. The bunny is a finger puppet (my 5 years daughter loves it ! - children like to play with finger puppets). Size for book: 11.50 x 9.00 inches ( 29 x 22cm).

It can be a great decoration for your classroom, as additional item for homeschooling, for your kids room, a perfect Easter gift or a funny birthday present. 
My felt board is perfect for kindergarten and preschool, for 4 - 6 years children, boys and girls too. If this book is for a boy, or if you consider that the butterfly beads are not safe, I can sew your book without them. 


Count with your kids: 1 sun, 2 clouds, 3 cabbages, 4 flowers, 5 spots on the mushroom, 6 leaves. 


Use the finger puppet bunny to entertain your kids. If there is something that the child can move and touch, the game is more attractive. Create a story about a rabbit who wants to eat cabbages and carrots and talk to your little one about what rabbits eat. Ask him / her to tell other rabbit food and draw them on a separate sheet of paper. 


Move the carrots on the ribbon to make addition or subtraction. Count them, and sort them. Ask your child to make simple addition: 2+ 1 and 3+1 and so on and invent a story: "The rabbit has only one carrot. But he is so hungry. Can you please give him other 2 carrots? How many carrots the rabbit has now? And if he eats two carrots, how many carrots remain?" 


My daughter uses to play with this felt board and to write on her notebook the exercises. We even play "I spy ... ", and we try to find more nice words for everything (adjectives): "I spy ... something green and small. I spy ... something cute, yellow and with spots". You should try too. 


You can create many games and exercises with my felt colorful board. Don't be shy with your kids. Put on a show for them. 

-Sing a silly song about a rabbit, even without rhyming words: "This little bunny / Goes in the garden / And he finds / Some cabbages .... // Let's eat them / Let's eat them / Let's eat the cabbages." -Create short Good Night stories.-Imagine difficult situations for the bunny and ask your kids to save it: "It came a storm and the cabbages and carrots are lost. Let's help bunny to find some food. Where should we search for food? "



Custom orders are always welcome. If you want another story for a felt board, please send me a message. 

If you want the child name on the back (something like that: "Susan's Book) or a title (for example, Bunny Book), I'll sew it for additional price: $ 3.00.











Sunday, April 1, 2012

Tutu Skirt - How to make

One day I needed a tutu skirt for my daughter. It was for Halloween and we decided to make her a pumpkin. A very nice lady from a craft store taught me how to make a tutu skirt by myself. Then, I searched on the Internet and I found many tutorials about how to make a no sew tutu skirt. It's very easy.



You need elastic, 1 yard or 2 yards tulle and some ribbons. Fit the elastic to your daughter waist. After you finish to make loops with the tulle, you have to sew together the ends of the elastic and to hide this part under the tulle.



You have to cut some 3 inches strips.



I cut more than in this picture. Maybe 20 pieces. It depends on how fluffy you want to make the tutu.


Unfolded them and fold them again in two.


You can tie the elastic between 2 chairs.



Put the strip on the elastic and make a loop.


Tie the strip on the elastic.



When you finish with all the strips, you can attach some green and orange ribbons through them.


It's the same: you make some loops with the ribbons.


Tie them.


For the orange ribbon, I fold it around the elastic.





I make two loops at the ends and ...


I make a bow in front of the skirt.




If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send me an email. And if you make a more beautiful tutu than mine, send me a picture to post here.

This is my pumpkin.



I made two pompoms for her pony tails. It's a real pumpkin flowers, isn't she?




Penguin Toy

A new penguin toy in my collection. Soft and fluffy, I made him from two different fleece. My daughter said that fleece from his belly is a...