I'm feeling rather mellow today, I think it has to do with the turning of the year. I have always loved autumn, the colours, the smells in the air, bonfire smoke and an earthiness from falling leaves collecting in piles in the corner of the garden. When you look on the internet for crafting ideas, America seems to embrace this time of year with their usual gusto and largess, everything seems to be bigger and more colourful. I think we over here seem to be rediscovering our crafting heritage as well now. I don't know whether that is to do with the current economic climate or a deeper need to re-connect to our past, maybe a little of both. I would like to have the kind of home that is filled with things I have made, things to pass on to my daughter and her daughters after that. Things that start to become imbibed with love and a sense of family history.
My sister is a crafter as well and the other day we were talking about wreaths. We tend to think of them as just for Christmas and funerals, they can be for any time of year though and any celebration. I suppose somehow they link back to an earlier age, I'm sure they have some sort of pagan connotation (these things usually do) . As a result she set a challenge on her business Facebook page (Make Me Fabrics) to create a Halloween wreath, she has made one herself while at work on in her shop and put a picture on the page. I couldn't think of anything suitable to use as a base at the time, although I have since remembered some wire coat hangers I'd saved for doing this! So I went and had a good search through the bottom drawer in the kitchen, I'm sure we all have one. The graveyard of things we (mainly husbands) save because they could be useful (plugs, bits of wire, bent nails!) or bits that have lost one half and we put them there until the other bit turns up, which it either doesn't or is already in the drawer to start with. Anyway, I pulled out various curtain rings for which we no longer had the poles and tied these together with ribbon into a circle. It makes sense when you see the photo, obviously this wasn't a rigid circle but I thought it would firm up as I attached more ribbon and fabric. I could have waited until I bought a ring but I am not gifted with a great deal of patience when it comes to new projects I just want to start straight away.
So I set about cutting some large felt squares into strips, I used orange, dark brown and a mustard gold colour. I also raided the ribbon box for any ribbons in matching colours and started to knot them onto the rings. Be warned this takes a lot of time, it might be a good project for the next half term, if you cut the strips then your kids could knot them onto the ring. So I kept knotting until my fabric ran out and it is starting to look really good, it has firmed up a bit and there is room to go back and add some more, but I think I'm going get some pliable lengths of twig, probably willow and interweave them. So if you see someone walking around Upton Country Park (or the tips as we all call it) with a bunch of twigs in one hand and some secateurs in the other you know who it is! I need to get some more felt from Carolyn's stall on South Elmsall market to finish it off and it isn't really a Halloween wreath more of an autumn one. Sometimes things take on a life of their own and what you start out with is not what you end up with. It made me think of doing one for each of the seasons in appropriate colours, just to have on the wall in the front room or hall. Why buy art when you get create it yourself, they would look lovely in a child's room in their favourite colours with their name across the middle.
This is a lovely child friendly project to try and they can make it their own by choosing colours or adding buttons. Just buy either a polystyrene ring, a florists ring or an embroidery ring, the latter come in smaller sizes perfect for kids and Carolyn has them on her stall. They come with two wooden hoops so can be split to make two wreaths, making it a cheap project for kids. You don't have to use expensive ribbon or fabric either you could cut up old clothes or bedding and if you don't have any you can always visit a charity shop.
Well I am off to continue mellowing out, I have Classic FM on and have decided to just enjoy the day. I have been quite poorly lately with my ME and Menieres, but last night I had a really good nights sleep for the first time in ages and I'm feeling better because of it. So to my fellow crafters, enjoy the day, ignore the housework and carry on crafting.
All my love Louise xx
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