“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.”
J.M. Barrie
Violet
Stanley
Fern and Tucker
For those of you who keep in touch through the blog, here are a few of the pieces I’ve created recently. If you live in Rochester and want to say hi in person, you will find me at the Mayday! Underground show this Saturday from 10 am-4pm. Follow this link for all the details http://maydayunderground.wordpress.com.
Supplies
1. white yarn ( I prefer using wool)
2. pink yarn (optional)
3. scissors
4. tacky glue
5. needle and thread
6. small black beads for eyes
7. pink or white felt for ears ( I use wool felt)
8. red crayon and small piece of knit fabric
9. white cotton pipe cleaner
10. pink bead (optional)
11. Tiny bit of pink wool ( optional)
12. Clover pom pom makers 1 3/8″ and 1 5/8″ (optional)
First we need to make two white pom poms, one in each size. If you do not have the Clover pom pom makers you can use cardboard templates cut to the same diameter. Make sure your pom poms are nice and full, then tie them off tightly with strong thread.
Next we need to trim and shape them. The smaller pom pom will become the head. While holding the string used to tie the pom pom together, carefully trim until it is shaped like a tear drop. Then take the larger pom pom and trim until it is egg shaped.
Now it’s time for the ears. Take your piece of knit fabric and rub the red crayon on it a few times. Cut 2 ears out of felt, and take the knit fabric and rub gently to blush the inside of the ear. Using a needle and thread, place a few stitches in the bottom of the ear as pictured above.
Using the tacky glue, attach the ears to the head. Be sure to part the yarn, so that the ears are set in, and not just resting on the surface of the head. Now glue the black glass beads on for eyes, being sure to set them in as with the ears. Next we need to make the nose. You can use a pink bead, shown in the photo on the right.
You can also take a small bit of pink wool and roll it into a ball with your fingers, it only takes a little while for the wool to mat together. You can also make a nose using a piece of pink yarn. Simply tie the yarn into a triple knot, trim the ends and glue onto the head. Be sure to let the glue dry before moving on to the next step.
Take the piece of knit fabric and gently rub on the cheeks of your mouse to add a little blush.
Time to make the arms, legs, and tail.
Cut your pipe cleaner into 5 pieces. 3 pieces should be about 2 3/4″ long and 2 pieces should be about 1 3/4″ long. Fold 2 of the longer pieces in half, these will become the legs. Leave the third long piece as is, this will be our tail. Turn in the ends of the remaining 2 pieces, as shown in the photo above. These are our arms.
Time to attach the limbs and tail. Use the tacky glue to glue both legs in place, be sure to use enough to form a strong bond. Attach arms in the same manner. Set aside until glue is dry.
Once the glue for the arms and legs has dried, it’s time to attach the tail. Wait for the glue to dry and bend the feet at the ankles as shown.
Yay, we are almost done! Glue the head onto the top of the body, and let dry. Yippee, you have a new mousy friend!
With some gentle adjustments, your mouse will stand on it’s own.
Is your mouse a boy or a girl? Do they need an acorn cap beret and a scarf, or maybe a pretty dress? Use your imagination, and have fun!
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Please feel free to send me a message, if you have any questions. I would also love to see photos of finished mice!
This tutorial is for personal use only and may not be sold.
You already know that Sebastian loves to write thank you notes, and collect silly things like frozen bubbles. Did you know, he is also a big brother? This is his little sister Evie. Evie is an itty bitty thing, barely 2 inches tall. Though she is quite sensitive about her size, so best not to mention it!
They love to play make believe, weaving long tales and silly stories.
When Evie is sad ( sometimes it’s hard to be so small), Sebastian is always there with a hug. He also knows, that the fastest way to cheer her up is a good game of hide and seek!
He counts to ten ( the mouse house is quite small) and says ready or not…..here I come!
He even pretends that he does not hear her giggle. Evie gets so excited, she just can’t keep it in!
Gotcha!
All that running around and giggling can be quite exhausting, especially for a mouse so small.
So now, little Evie, it’s nap time for you.
Sweet Dreams little one.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting Evie. Even now she is sitting on my shoulder, asking me to tell this story or that.
If she has her way, you will be hearing more about her adventures soon!
Thank you for stopping by.
Warmly,
Amy
What were the mutterings I awoke to you ask? F r o z e n BUBBLES!! It does not stop there….oh no. Sebastian was the only creature in my house to be excited that it was still cold enough to freeze bubbles. After hearing quite a bit of this “please, oh please, oh p l e a s e”, I gave in. Stubborn little mouse , at least he let me pour a cup of coffee first.
His plan did not end there though….nope. His real reason for dragging me outside to blow bubbles, he wants to keep them. Bastian the bubble headed would like to store the “magic” bubbles in the freezer. Even says he’s cleared a spot…..spring cannot come soon enough :).
When at home alone I sit
And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes
To go sailing through the skies–
To go sailing far away
To the pleasant land of play;
To the fairy land afar
Where the little people are;
Where the clover-tops are trees,
And the rain pools are the seas,
And the leaves like little ships
Sail about on tiny trips;
And above the daisy tree
Through the grasses,
High o’erhead the Bumble Bee
Hums and passes.
In that forest to and fro
I can wander, I can go;
See the spider and the fly,
And the ants go marching by
Carrying parcels with their feet
Down the green and grassy street.
I can in the sorrel sit
Where the ladybird alit.
I can climb the jointed grass;
And on high
See the greater swallows pass
In the sky,
And the round sun rolling by
Heeding no such things as I.
Through that forest I can pass
Till, as in a looking-glass,
Humming fly and daisy tree
And my tiny self I see,
Painted very clear and neat
On the rain-pool at my feet.
Should a leaflet come to land
Drifting near to where I stand,
Straight I’ll board that tiny boat
Round the rain-pool sea to float.
Little thoughtful creatures sit
On the grassy coasts of it;
Little things with lovely eyes
See me sailing with surprise.
Some are clad in armour green–
(These have sure to battle been!) —
Some are pied with ev’ry hue,
Black and crimson, gold and blue;
Some have wings and swift are gone;-
But they all look kindly on.
When my eyes I once again
Open, and see all things plain;
High bare walls, great bare floor;
Great big knobs on drawer and door;
Great big people perched on chairs,
Stitching tucks and mending tears,
Each a hill that I could climb,
And talking nonsense all the time–
O dear me,
That I could be.
A sailor on the rain-pool sea,
A climber in the clover tree,
And just come back, a sleepy-head,
Late at night to go to bed.
-Robert Louis Stevenson
If you take a peek through my photos you will often see an old book, weathered and worn, with a dark green cover. The book is, A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, and it is one of my greatest treasures. It belonged to my grandma Ruth. She read it to my father when he was young, and then to me. Once during a visit, she handed the book to me and said “it is yours now”. I often think that it was those poems, and all their talk of fairies and little lands that instilled in me a desire to create such tiny beings.
" I called the little pool a sea; The little hills were big to me; For I am very small" Robert Louis Stevenson
" I called the little pool a sea; The little hills were big to me; For I am very small" Robert Louis Stevenson
" I called the little pool a sea; The little hills were big to me; For I am very small" Robert Louis Stevenson
Sweet Pea Felts 