FRÖKEN SKICKLIG [fr'ö:ken ²sj'ik:lig]

Class Updates

2012-02-01T08:29:00.000+01:00

Dear readers,

I am happy to announce new classes for the coming months!

New weekend classes are scheduled for Germany - 17/ 18 March in Freiburg and 24/ 25 March in Seeshaupt near Munich. It will be wonderful to visit my dear friends and hosts again, Nina and Ursula, and to meet my students (some of them are attending a weekend class for the second and even third time!).

If you´d like to join us in March, be quick - we already have half of the classes booked. More info (in German) about the course, fee, accommodation etc. can be found here.

If you live too far away to travel to the south of Germany in March but would like to join a class, why not attend the upcoming e-class, 19th of February? We have still a few spots available for those of you who´d love to make a doll during four weeks with lots of online tutorials and guidance, more info can be found here. If you would like to join us, be quick - I am packing the last material sets this week...

***

I hope that all of you are doing well. Winter has decided to show his ice-cold smile (a glittery one, with snowflakes), and I am happy that I have still a few weeks left before travelling a lot. I prefer to snuggle in under a warm woolen blanket on the sofa when it is as freezing cold as it is now, drinking tea, listening to radio plays and sewing dolls. Tomorrow I am going to meet dear friends for coffee, cake and business chat, two of them are dollmakers as well, Suse and Maria - what would be a better reason to be outside, to get frost-red cheeks and an ice-cold nosetip ;-)

Have a sunny day (and snowflakes),

Juliane

Kiki in the Meadow (shop update)

2012-01-23T19:07:00.000+01:00

Early in the morning

When the robin sings

And the squirrel climbs

Up the old beech tree

Kiki opens her eyes

Moves her toes

And wiggles her ears

(left one first, always)

Then she makes herself
A cup of cocoa
Snuggles under the blanket
And counts snowflakes

***

After she has had

A cup of cocoa

Kiki puts on

A warm woolen cape

She walks down the path

Across the snowy meadow

To fill the wicker basket

With firewood and pine cones

And soon you can see

Three little clouds of smoke

Dancing above the chimney

Of Kiki´s tiny cottage

***

Two Kiki in the Meadow dolls for the webshop.

Each of them is 34cm/ 13.5" tall, stuffed with organic wool, made with cotton interlock and woolfelt (wig). They come with the clothes as shown, in a tote bag, together with a lavender sachet and a little first aid box (with extra beads for the eyes, sewing thread, embroidery floss, a beeswax crayon and a soft cloth for rosy cheeks.

I have been asked whether Kiki in the Meadow would be the same as the one I shared for a doll making series in Handmade Living magazine some time ago. While the overall appearance is still the same, Kiki in the Meadow dolls made for sale have a slightly modified (= more advanced) body pattern. Except from the wee neck seam, all other seams are machine sewn, including the attachment of the limbs, the feet have a sole. Each doll has with a wee tag sewn on to prove that it has been made by me.

Both dolls can be found here.

Have a warm and cozy evening!

Juliane

My Summer Jar

2012-01-13T16:19:00.000+01:00

Do you want to know a secret?

I have a magic jar

Filled with summer

When winter is cold and grey

And the snowstorm is blowing

I open the jar

And hear the summer sing

It is not so difficult

To fill such a jar

But you have to do it

On a warm late summer afternoon

First you take
A little bit
Dark soil from the flowerbeds

Add three drops
Of glittery water
From the bird bath

Pick fifteen golden buttons
From the tansy
Behind the fence

Then you´ll have to find
A yellow leaf
Under the plum tree

Find a dead brimstone butterfly
One that only flapped its wings
Three happy weeks in August

Add six pumpkin seeds
A mosquito bite
And thirteen little freckles

A handful of hay
You will need
For your jar filled with summer

Add an apple
That the deer didn´t eat
Last night in the meadow

Don´t forget the little song
Of the Goldhammer bird
(But close the lid quickly)

Shake well
And keep the summer jar
On the third shelf of your bookcase

When winter is cold and grey
And the snowstorm is howling
Carefully open the lid

And hear the summer sing

***

This 50cm custom doll travelled to Italy. Giulia wanted me to make her a girl called Sunny, the only detail I was given. It was a pleasure to make her (and that summery jar truly is the best remedy against a winter blues).

Have a nice weekend!

Juliane

Mohair Pleasures (Dolly Mo Yarn)

2012-01-12T16:44:00.006+01:00

Dear readers,

A couple of days ago I made several Little Mi and Little Mo dolls for my webshop, a whole bunch of lovely little people.

My personal favourite this time has been a little redhead.

I have tried a new sort of mohair yarn and love the colour.
It is that sort of red that calls for freckles, that sort of red that makes you smile when you see it.

For several years I have been looking for a natural looking red for my dolls. What a wonderful surprise when I received a skein of the softest mohair before Christmas, which I immidiately had to try out for my Little Mi Sets. As a dollmaker, I find it difficult to source good quality material, especially doll mohair. I seldom add extra strands to my doll wigs, therefore it is of importance for me that the mohair fibers are long enough. Most of the usual mohair yarns (from the yarn store) either don´t work for the special crochet technique I use for my wigs or the yarn comes in unnatural colours.

To my great joy, Kamrin from Kamrin´s Poppenatelier (Netherlands) and Debbie from Little Oke Dolls (UK) decided to have their own yarn spun and dyed to their own specifications. They have been searching for a long time for the right mill to work with until they found a spinning mill and dyers from the UK to produce a range of the most beautiful and natural looking colours for doll mohair

The Dolly Mo Yarn is made from 84% mohair, 8% wool and 8% nylon and has a much higher mohair share than the Wollknoll mohair that a lot of dollmakers use. The texture is very soft - pure bliss for me as a very haptic person (you could make blind tests with me in a yarn or fabric store, my fingers remember the character of material more than my eyes would do ;-)

With the technique I use for my doll wigs, the hair has about the same length as with the mohair I used before. If your child has been allergic to doll mohair, you could try Dolly Mo as it is so much softer than any other yarn I worked with so far. If you usually crochet a cap first and then brush it, you will probably end up with slightly shorter mohair fibers. Depending on the size of your dolls (mine are between 45-60cm/ 17.5-23.5 inches), you can add extra strands or style pigtails. If your dolls are rather small, you will hardly notice a difference in hair length between Dolly Mo and conventional doll mohair.

I sometimes get the question whether I could use mohair yarn without any nylon and I asked Kamrin about that as well. Mohair needs a binder (a thread around which the mohair is spun) and that binder could be anything - cotton, polyester, nylon etc. Depending on which binder is used, it will reflect on the costs and the dying process. Usually, nylon is used because it keeps the costs low and is ideal for dyeing.

By using nylon as a binder, Kamrin and Debbie could keep the costs low for us as dollmakers (and you as the ones who buy our dolls). Even more important than the costs is the quality of the yarn. It takes me about seven to eight hours to crochet a wig for my 50cm dolls - and after all that labour, I would want a wig to last, and a good binder is a necessity for strength and durability.

The dyes being used for Dolly Mo are not natural dyes and are pre-metallised to give a better result for the composition of the yarn. That is a compromise I gladly make because the colours look very natural and lovely and such a result (with a large range of colours) would be hard to get with only natural colours. At the moment, dark brown is sold out in both Kamrin´s and Debbie´s webshop, but will be stocked up very soon. Another lovely brown shade and black mohair are going to complete the range of colours in February, Kamrin told me.

Summarized, I am very glad to be able to choose from a wider choice of mohair yarn for my dolls. I love the texture and quality of Dolly Mo and I am amazed by the natural looking colours. For a small additional charge, I will offer Dolly Mo as an option for the material kits for my e-class students as well, I often get asked for red shades and I am glad to be able to provide my course participants with such a wide range of colours.

Dolly Mo yarn can be purchased here or here.

For me it is time for a little break now with a cup of tea and with cake (remember, it is one of my New Year´s resolutions to eat at least one piece of cake a day ;-)

...and then I will continue crocheting wigs.

Warmly,

Juliane

Additional Note:
This product review has not been sponsored or paid for, it mirrors my personal experience as a dollmaker only. All material info was given by Kamrin and Debbie.
Since I often get questions about good sources for dollmaking supplies, I have set up a small material list for you which can be found here

New Year´s Resolutions

2012-01-09T15:34:00.000+01:00

Dear readers,

It is not only me who has some New Year´s resolutions, I guess.

***
Some of you want to air the blankets every morning on the balkony
and say hello to the neighbours
(to their surprise)

Some of you want to get up earlier in 2012.
And watch the sunrise every tuesday...

Others want to start the day
with green tea instead of coffee
and live healthier...

Some want to do morning exercises,
three squats, five press-ups
and a handstand.
Not only on wednesdays...

Some want to read more books

and go to the theatre twice a week...

Some want to watch the squirrels from the window more often.
And feed the birds...

***

I too started the year with some New Year´s resolutions.

One of them is to start blogging again after almost a year of silence.

Another one is to go to bed before midnight.
Take the weekends off. Play more piano. Have a piece of cake. Every day.

May your 2012 be filled with lots of joy, light and inspiration!

Warmly,

Juliane

[One of my many New Year´s resolutions is to re-use more fabric when I make dolls.

I love all the table linen I inhertited from my grandparents and I use it every day.
But after so many years of being in use, they show some stains and holes.
It is lovely to use material that has a story to tell, and that is why Kiki got new bedlinen, made from a vintage napkin]

Merry Christmas * God Jul * Frohe Weihnachten

2011-12-24T22:09:00.000+01:00

***

*** A very merry Christmas ***

*** God Jul ***

*** Frohe Weihnachten ***

Christmas Preparations

2011-12-07T16:51:00.003+01:00

Dear readers,

candles are lit, the kitchen is cozy and warm while an ice-cold wind is blowing outside and paper stars are dancing in the window.

I am spending the afternoon in the lovely company of lots of little boys and dolls, most of them already dressed up for their journey to their new families, with red cheeks and braided hair, with warm scarfs and soft pillows...

Currently I am finishing the last custom dolls for 2011.

Until the end of next week, I will add a few Little Mi and Little Mo hot-water bottle sets, Get well soon! sets and - if I find the time - one or two Kiki dolls to the webshop.

Products shipped this week will make it in time before Christmas to

EU-countries.

The coming year will start with quite a few changes and I am looking forward to an exciting 2012, new challenges and lovely collaborations.

This is why I enjoy all these calm hours before Christmas, listen to the sound of my sewing machine, have a cup of tea and try to keep an eye on a few very curious little fellows on my table (I wouldn´t be surprised to find them hiding in the biscuit tin as soon as I am busy with something else ;-)

Hope you all are enjoying your Christmas preparations!

Warmly,

Juliane

October

2011-10-19T18:24:00.000+02:00

Dear readers,

it has been quiet here, and pretty noisy in my studio.

Time for a wee update (and a quick hello)

A lot of you have asked for weekend classes. I´d love to schedule a few courses before Christmas, but time is flying and I must admit that it will be too busy in the coming months for weekend classes.

If you sign up for our newsletter (form to the right), you will receive updates for new course dates and won´t miss any info regarding upcoming classes, else you find updates in the sidebar here on the blog.

I do not take any new orders before Christmas but I will prepare a few items (such as hot-water bottles and a few dolls) for the webshop pretty soon. I am working on new designs and products for 2012 and I am looking forward to presenting you a few ideas in the coming weeks.

We are currently busy with the 4th part of the Kiki in the Meadow tutorial series for Handmade Living. It is a lot of fun, it is a lot of work, and we are so very happy that so many of you are enjoying crafty hours with our little friend. In the next issue we´ll show you how to finish the body and to sew tiny undies!

I received a lot of requests lately whether I could order extra copies or send dollmaking supplies for Kiki. I´d love to reply each of you, but I don´t manage timewise - I aplogize for that. Please call All Craft Media, Tel +44 1279 879038 for any further information (newsagents, yudu digital copy) and Myriad for supplies, I am sure they can help you.

I hope you all are doing fine and I am looking forward to meeting you soon again. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, don´t forget a cozy scarf - and enjoy autumn.

Warmly,

Juliane

Kiki in the Meadow (DIY)

2011-09-04T19:31:00.000+02:00

Dear readers,

life is pretty busy at the moment, but I wanted to pop in to let you know about one of my favourite projects of the last months:

Especially for Handmade Living Magazine (a UK based craftzine), I have designed

Kiki in the Meadow, a 33cm/ 13" clothdoll for a series of dollmaking tutorials.

I am very excited about her (it was quite a challenge to keep quiet about Fröken Skicklig´s newest family addition) and I am very glad to introduce Kiki to all of you.

During the past three years a lot of people have asked whether I would consider to write a book about dollmaking. It feels good to teach dollmaking the way I do in my courses and it is nice to be able to make small changes after each class and to improve the courses. But once a book is at the printers, it is the way it is. That is probably the reason why I feel that a book would limit me as a teacher right now, I simply enjoy the dialogue with my students and the possibility to constantly develop my techniques.

But when Handmade Living Magazine asked me for a collaboration (long before their first issue was out), I started rethinking my avoidance of print media. I found it challenging to design something different from my own dolls and to write easy tutorials for a monthly magazine, it feels less static than a book.

(this is the very first Kiki draft we used when we discussed the first ideas)

The techniques I used for Kiki in the Meadow can be found in classic waldorf doll books, they are based on rather traditional techniques and we (the editors and I) did our best to provide you with a very detailed series of step-by-step photo tutorials which will hopefully make it easy even for those who haven´t made any clothdolls before. What was important for us was to add a fresh touch to those traditional techniques - and we just love Kiki´s shiny bead eyes and her wool felt wig.

The 4 parts tutorial series in the magazine provides you with the pattern for Kiki, instructions and patterns for shoes, underwear and a pretty dress.

In issue number 5 you can find the first eleven pages with 75 photos and detailed step-by-step descriptions. We´ll continue in issue 6 with the second part of the head making instructins, followed by the instructions for the limbs and trunk and underwear in issue 7. The last part of the series will be available end of November in issue 8 (Kiki´s shoes and dress), so that you will have plenty of time to do the last stitches before Christmas.

We are also very pleased to offer Handmade Living readers a complete material kit by Myriad, a marvellous natural craft supplier in the UK (read more about their special Kiki in the Meadow offer in the magazine)

If you would like to follow Kiki in the Meadow on her adventures, please join us!

We are planning more nice patterns and DIYs to come in 2012. You can find Handmade Living Magazine at your newsagent or (if you want to be really quick and start making Kiki today) as a digital copy at Yudu.

Hope you´ll enjoy meeting Kiki as much as we do!

Warmly,

Juliane

Do you want to know a secret? (The Magic Box Tutorial)

2010-12-04T19:08:00.007+01:00

I love this time of the year. Wrapping gifts, making small surprises.

What I like a lot is to make little Magic Boxes.
Do you remember them from your childhood?
You pull the button and voilà! the box magically opens by a simple mechanism
and you will see a surprise inside.

To make such a magic box, you will need
a matchbox (I used a white box from the craft shop, which has the same size as the one with longer matchsticks in. Any ordinary small matchbox will work perfectly)
paper and fabric scraps
a button, fishing line
sewing needle, scissors, glue
and for the inside of the box a surprise

Remove the little box inside the matchbox.
Cut off 50cm fishing line, make a knot on one end (better two or three knots) and stitch through the cardboard as seen on the photo.
My little black cross marks the upper third of the box, but the middle works as well (1).
Pull through, but just through one side (back) of the cardboard box (2).
Check that the knot at the end of the thread is thick enough and secured (3).
And check with the photo below (4).

Now we are going to cover the cardboard box.
(You can skip the following steps, but then the fishing line knot at the back of the box will be visible)

I used a piece of fabric and ironed the hem to the inside so that it would fit the size of the box. Instead of fabric you could use paper, nice giftwrapping paper or a pretty vintage wallpaper (1)
I start at the back of the box and cover the knot of the fishing line first (2)
Then I cover the whole box and make sure that there are no wrinkles in the fabric (3)

Take the sewing needle with the fishing line and stitch through the covered cardboard box into the front/ opposite the knot (1)
Pull through (2)
Push the inner box into the cardboard (3) so that the fishing line encompasses the inner box at the other end (4)

Now choose a pretty button (1)
Attach the button to the fishing line (2)
The fishing line still encompasses the whole inner box, the button has to be as close as possible to the outer box (does that make sense? I hope you understand what I mean ;-)
Secure the fishing line several times (3) and cut off.
If you now pull the button, you will see how the box magically opens (4). That is the reason why the button has to be tight to the cardboard when the inner box is inside.

Now let´s fill the box with a surprise!
I have covered the inner box with wallpaper:I labelled the box with a little instruction outside and embellished it even with some vintage lace...And inside?
Two tiny deer and green moss!

And if someone now pulls the magic button,
the inner box gets pushed out
and two deer are standing in the moonlight
under the apple tree.

Simple, isn´t it? And such a nice gift for a loved one.

I had planned to share this before the 1st of December because it is a pretty idea for an Advent calendar, but I was too busy during the last weeks. But I am sure you could use magic boxes for a lot of things for Christmas (and the whole year through).
For photos or small souvenirs. Tiny papier-mâché mushrooms or modell railway animals. A handwritten poem or a snail shell. An engagement ring. Or three pretty hair clips for your daughter. One single christmas cookie instead of a big bag. New York air or a survival kit for someone who loves to travel with one button, three pins, sewing needle and thread.

What would you keep in such a magic box and give away? I would love to hear your ideas!
(And I would love to see your magic box. Would you like to share photos with us?)

Warmly,

Juliane

P.S. I haven´t seen our deer under the apple tree for a couple of days now, the snow on the fields is too high. But a shy black cat has moved in, she has found a cozy and warm place somewhere in the barn and leaves lots of small paw prints in the snow covered garden...

DIY Play Stove - Tutorial

2010-11-06T13:37:00.008+01:00

Some months ago Barbara and I have been asked to create a do-it-yourself project for Himbeer, a Berlin family magazine. The task was to create a simple and easy project for children (resp. their parents).

We worked on some ideas and decided to turn an everyday object into a toy. We used an ordinary IKEA stool and made a fabric cover for it which would turn the furniture within a second into a colourful play stove.© Xavier Bonnin/ apropos foto and Sandra Bruns/ Raumfragen for Himbeer magazine

The play stove is perfect for small flats or summerhouses or grandmother´s kitchen because it can be stored away easily and doesn´t take a lot of space. While you are preparing dinner, the kids can cook as well. And when dinner is ready, you can pull off the play stove cover and use the stool as a stool.

DIY Play Stove

You will need a stool (we used a simple IKEA stool, a sturdy box or a beer crate work as well),
a bigger piece of fabric (we used an 1.20m x 1.20m square for our stool, an old sheet would be perfect)
colourful fabric scraps
big buttons and a big bead
colourful ribbons
wax cloth
scissors, measuring tape, pins

1. Measure the stool height and and the side lengths.
We made it very simple and only made side seams, so the whole cover is made out of one square.
You will need a piece of fabric which has the measurements
2x height + 1x side length = length of the square
Imagine a cross with the seating surface as the centre. On each side of the seat, you draw a square which is as long as the length of the stool. You will get a cross now, add 1cm seam allowance to each edge.

2. Now prepare four cooking plates:

We used colourful waxed cloth and a bowl to draw the circles.
Pin these circles on the centre of the big fabric cross (where the seating surface would be) and sew on.

3. Now it is time for the knobs:

We used old buttons and covered them with fabric.
Draw four fabric circles (from different scraps) with a diameter as twice as long as the button´s diameter.

Take needle and sewing thread and gather the edge of the circle.
Then close the circle by pulling the thread, stitch a few times to secure the gathers.
The fabric should be tight enough and the fabric well secured.
Voilà!

4. Now the stove door. Use a colourful fabric rectancle and sew it onto the front of the stove.

We have prettied-up our stove door with a nice ribbon (you can see it on the following images).
Sew the knobs on the front and add the bead as the control lamp.

5. As a little extra we have added an organizer/ bag on one side and a strap for utensils and kitchen towel on the other side:The bag is made of two fabric rectangles.

Don´t forget a little fold when you sew the bag onto the cover, you will get more space (otherwise the bag will be too flat).The fabric strap is a bit longer than the side length of the stool.
Pin from one side edge to the other so that the ends of the fabric strap will get sewn into the side seams of the cover when you sew them together.

As you can see, we have made a few stitches every 15cm along the fabric strap to keep it in place.
Towel and soup ladle can be stored easily...

6. Now we close the side seams of the stool cover.We have turned the cover to the left and first pinned and then sewn the side seams.
Turn to the right and iron. Then trim and sew the hem.

Finished!

Our play stove is very simple in order to make it easy even for people who don´t sew a lot. If you don´t have a sewing machine, use staples for the side seams and glue for the cooking plates. If you are a bit more skilled, make a stove door which can be opened and closed (with velcro) so that your kids can not only make a soup but also a pizza.

Barbara has written a detailed tutorial in German for you, which can be found here.

Now have fun sewing fried eggs and fabric sausages and finding nice vintage pots at the flea market!

Warmly,

Juliane

(And remember to turn off the hot cooking plates before you take a seat and have dinner!)

Please note that the design and pattern of this play stove are under copyright as any other design on this site. Unless for personal use only, do not use this design/ pattern for any commercial purpose. Thank you.

Happy Dot Garland | Tutorial

2010-10-15T20:09:00.005+02:00

When Mister Autumn has a lot of rain and grey in his luggage, I need a little colourful dotted happiness. Days are getting shorter here in Sweden and it feels natural to spend less time outdoors and more hours in front of the working table, close to the fireplace and with a nice cup of tea within reach.

I use to save a lot of fabric scraps for craft projects and this idea is definately a nice one for someone who has a big stash of fabric scraps as well as for someone who loves dots:The Happy Dot Garland

made of lots of colourful circles...

And that is what you need
fabric scraps,
vliesofix/ bondaweb (a double-sided adhesive for fabrics)*
scissors,
a hot iron,
a fabric marker
and the pattern which can be found here
*if you want to make the Happy Dots Garland without lining, it works without vliesofix and iron

Choose matching fabric scraps and a fabric for the lining (I have used a turquoise fabric for that)
For each Happy Dot you will need a 8cm x 15cm (3" x 6") big rectangle.

Place the vliesofix/ bondaweb with the glue side on the fabric you have chosen for the lining.

Use a hot iron until you can feel that the vliesofix sticks to the fabric. Then remove the backing paper by peeling it off (if you can´t remove easily, you might need to iron it a little longer)
Then place the fabric scraps on the lining (glue side up).
To work a bit quicker, I have cut my scraps into rectangles, but if you use bigger pieces of fabric and no scraps, you save time.To protect the surface of your iron, cover the fabric with paper or a cloth
(I have used baking paper).
Iron hot and let the fabric cool.Cut out rectangles, 8cm x 15cm (3" x 6") big.
Fold in the middle and transfer the pattern or (as I do on the photo), just fold and cut along the pattern. Be careful with your expensive dressmaking scissors though to not cut the paper ;-)Cut the slit by either using a cutter knife or by simply folding the circles the way I do on the image above and cut into the fold to get this result:Then arrange all Happy Dots in the order you´d like for your garland.
Take the first Happy Dot, and roll up one of the circles as shown below:
Pull through the slit of the next Happy Dot:
Continue with the whole row of circles
until your
Happy Dot Garland
is finished...
***Please note: The design, pattern, instructions and images provided in this tutorial are the property of Juliane Strittmatter/ Fröken Skicklig. Do not use for any commercial purpose without express authorisation. Thank you***

The Happy Dots Garland can be made without lining of course. It looks also pretty made of newspaper or vintage wallpaper.

I have made garlands in white and red for our christmas tree and for the windows and I am looking forward to make a lot of tiny ones for gift wrapping and doll houses too.
Have a crafty day and enjoy autumn!

Warmly,

Juliane

Hot Chocolate Pin Cushion - Tutorial

2010-10-05T17:05:00.000+02:00

A little note beforehand regarding copyright: Nice that you want to spread the word about this tutorial. But before you use my pictures on your own blog/ website/ online forum, please do not forget to ask me and respect the © sign which is both on my blog as on each of the pictures (and that with good reason). Thanks

Do you love hot chocolate while working?
I do, especially when it is that snowy and cold outside! And especially when the hot chocolate gets served in a pretty china cup.

We have lots of old china at home to be used every day. But even if I drink espresso from time to time, I don´t use my espresso cups (or demitasse actually) that often. And that is a pity since they are too pretty to be hidden in the cupboards.

My students got a to-bring list for the doll making classes in Munich the coming two weekends. One of the things they should bring is a pin cushion. Which inspired me to do a five-minute project which I would love to share with you.

Voilà!
The Hot Chocolate Pin Cushion

And this is what you need:
A little espresso cup, doll´s china or a demitasse.

Brown fabric such as cotton interlock or velveteen, a piece of white cotton fabric, brown and white sewing thread, a needle, scissors, some polyfill, a make-up sponge (about the same size as the cup you are going to use) , some beads, double-faced adhesive tape...

And five minutes of your time.

We start with the brown fabric (I used cotton interlock).
Cut out a circle which is about 1.5 times larger than your cup.

Take needle and sewing thread and gather the edge of the circle.
Gently pull the sewing thread, place the make-up sponge in the middle,
on top some poly fill...

Close the circle by pulling the sewing thread, secure the gathers with a few stitches.
If you turn the whole piece, the surface should be flat.
That will be the top of your hot chocolate.

Make a yo-yo, use the white cotton fabric. The diameter of that circle is a bit less than the cup´s diameter. Cut out the circle and gather the edge as seen in the images. Gently pull (seam allowance is inside the yo-yo). Secure the sewing thread.
The cream on top of your hot chocolate is finished.

Attach the white yo-yo onto the hot chocolate.
Add a bit gold-brown sugar sprinkles on top.

Cover the inside of your cup with the double-faced adhesive tape. Make sure to leave some space between the rim of the cup and the tape (otherwise your hot chocolate will spill over ;-)

(I use adhesive tape because the china cups I might want to use them one fine day for espresso again)

Now fill your hot chocolate with the cream on top into the cup...

...and enjoy your new yummy Hot Chocolate Pin Cushion!
Low in calories and pretty on your working table.

Chocolate greetings,

Juliane

© by Fröken Skicklig. This item/ tutorial is for personal use only. Thank you.

Paper Beads Tutorial

2010-03-15T19:43:00.005+01:00

No, I won´t win a coronet for today´s tutorial.
And I truly apologize for not sharing a brand new idea with you, dear reader.

Because today´s DIY project is about:

Paper Beads

I have made these kind of paper beads when I was a kid. And so did my mother when she was a kid. And so did my grandmother. And so did many others - and I guess you made them, too.
Like I said, nothing new under the sun!

I wouldn´t share this idea here if I wasn´t extremely fond of these beads. And honestly - when did we make these beads the last time? At kindergarten? At primary school? They are super easy to make and an eyecatcher too. Perfect for e.g.:

A bead curtain for your home
(my personal project right now, we have very few doors at our place and I want light and the warmth from the fireplace to be able to get into every corner of each room):

A lovely gift for someone crafty, as favours at a birthday party or as a nice prezzie for kids
(I don´t like to buy big presents for little people, either handmade or for creative play - or both):Colour dashes for a spring-like wreath

as a gift for your mother-in-law, your friend, your neighbour:Pretty embellishments for drinking straws for the good old was-this-my-glass-or-yours? problem (at the school party, your child´s birthday, for picnic with friends):
***
You will need

sturdy paper in different colours such as wallpaper, magazines, gift wrapping paper

(I use wallpaper, ask in the shop for last year´s pattern book. They use to throw them away when the new wallpaper collections are out - and the paper is perfect for a lot of crafty projects)

gluestick, ruler and pencil

toothpicks or chopsticks or a thin spit of wood

cutter and cutting mat, old newspaperMy triangles are 2cm/0.8" wide on one side and 45cm/ 17.7" long
(you will get isosceles triangles, that means that two angles have the same lenth)

Cut out the triangles, using cutter, ruler and cutting mat
(I recommend cutter and cutting mat, it is hard to cut the paper straight when using scissors):
Then put on glue, use either a glue stick or a brush
(spare out the first centimeter of the shortest edge)

roll the paper triangle around the wooden stick as shown on the pictures,
starting from that part which has the shortest edge (which is not the one with the tip ;-)
Roll up and roll up and roll up until your bead is finished.

I use to have a wet cloth on the table - you will get quite sticky fingers while making paper beads and this is a great helper ;-)

If you want to use the beads for e.g. curtains and such, use spray on some enamel, they will last longer. For smaller beads, transparent nail polish is a good solution, too

And while I sorted material, having a big spring clean in my shelves, I even used fabric stripes instead of paper ones for a bracelet
(with three tiny stitches in the very end of each bead to keep everything in place):After some time it will look much more used, you will see tiny threads and such - but this is exactly what I like about it. And you won´t even need a sewing machine to use up all your fabric scraps and leftovers. I will make some more as necklaces for Fröken Skicklig dolls and as gifts for friends, I really like them.

Felt is a great material too and so does leather. Have fun experimenting!I am looking forward your ideas for these kind of beads. Would you like to share them with us? Leave a comment with a link to your blog post or - if you are on Flickr - feel welcome to add your pictures to the Fröken Skicklig Chronicles Group so that we can see what you´ve come up with.

Have a creative week!

Juliane

Summer Swallows (Tutorial)

2010-03-01T18:20:00.006+01:00

A little note beforehand regarding copyright: Nice that you want to spread the word about this tutorial. But before you use my pictures on your own blog/ website/ online forum, please do not forget to ask me and respect the © sign which is both on my blog as on each of the pictures with good reason. Thanks

End of February means end of winter - and that is one reason why I am always longing for my birthday the 28th. So all of us enjoyed the sunshine yesterday, the smell of melting snow and the twitter of the birds (still a bit shy).

And today the storm is wailing around the house, bringing lots of snow and falling branches. Winter. Still. Although it felt a bit like Spring yesterday...

So it is time for the
Summer Swallow Tutorial!
Pretty paper swallows for your window, for some birch branches or as a nice decoration for a little gift.One swallow doesn´t make a summer, they say. And a bit of sunlight and melting snow end of February doesn´t mean that Spring is around the corner, sigh.

So let us not only make one swallow but several! And then maye winter will get tired so that Spring will come and then summer...

You need:

Wallpaper samples in black and white (ask in a wallpaper store, they use to give away the old books with samples which are perfect for crafting)

alternative: newspapers, black or white paper, gift wrapping paper etc.Scissors, a ruler and a pen,

cutting knife and cutting mat,
sewing thread and needlesClothespegs and a gluestick

and fifteen minutes of your timeFirst download the Summer Swallow pattern here and print it:Transfer the pattern onto the wallpaper samples, cut out the silhouettes as shown in the pattern:

(The easiest way to transfer the pattern is to use some adhesive tape and stick it onto the paper you want to use)
Cut in the slots for the wings, using cutter and cutting mat:Glue together the parts of the head. You can use clothespegs as a little helper:Cut the edges of the head a bit if needed. Then pull the wings through the slots as shown:And pull through a sewing thread:

Voilà!

And remember: One swallow doesn´t make a summer. So do not make only one, make several swallows!

Hang them into some birch branches to spread a feeling of warmer days:Or hang them into your living room window
(I really like the white and black contrast and the way they move):For our Christmas Nightingales I had been using a modified pattern of the Summer Swallows and fabric instead of paper (I have sewn the two parts together then). Felt would be a great material, too, or any kind of metal foil to try the pattern with.

I wish you sunny days and happy crafting!

Juliane

P.S. Thank you so very much for all the congratulations, gifts, letters, drawings and emails yesterday! It was a fantastic birthday and I enjoyed it very much reading all your lovely lines!Footnote: It should go without saying: this tutorial is under copyright protection and is for private use only. Thank you.

FRÖKEN SKICKLIG [fr'ö:ken ²sj'ik:lig]

Class Updates

Kiki in the Meadow (shop update)

My Summer Jar

Mohair Pleasures (Dolly Mo Yarn)

New Year´s Resolutions

Merry Christmas *** God Jul *** Frohe Weihnachten

Christmas Preparations

October

Kiki in the Meadow (DIY)

Do you want to know a secret? (The Magic Box Tutorial)

DIY Play Stove - Tutorial

Happy Dot Garland | Tutorial

Hot Chocolate Pin Cushion - Tutorial

Paper Beads Tutorial

Summer Swallows (Tutorial)

Merry Christmas * God Jul * Frohe Weihnachten