Pan Collar via Honestly WTF

So a little wee week ago, or more, a girlfriend asked me if I had seen this tutorial on Honestly WTF.
Of course I had!! I love reading their blog and often am inspired by all that they have to share.

She asked me if I could use my crafty ways to make her one and I said "Yes", in fact I had been wanting an excuse to make one for a while now but never had because maybe I didn't need another collar....Then again....

Anyhow I made some helpful discoveries about the project that I ought to mention from my experienced craft table.

#1- Don't glue it, sew it!  Seriously hot glue will not hold up effectively over time especially if you move between fluctuating temperatures, like the ones we get here in Toronto. Or if you wear the item frequently- neck things get tugged on more than you initially imagine. Pick a thread to match your ribbon and felt and sew neat little stitches that connect the ribbon with the felt.  Once, in an emergency situation, I discovered that once stitched into, the surface of a felt can also be roughed up and iron pressed to disguise where stitches lie.

#2-  If you go with felt felt, like plain old everyday felt, it is wise to run to a fabric/craft store an get yourself some iron on inner facing aka fuse-able inner facing.  This will help add crispness to the form of your collar and help the felt sustain a bit more wear and tear.  In the picture below you will see my primary cut pieces laying atop a square of fuse-able inner facing.  After ironing I allowed the material to cool before neatly snipping around the curved edges.




#3 - A fabric that might also make a nice collar is wool coating.  I have used this for collars in the past and have found it to come in a variety of colours and weights which could help you customize your project nicely to your own style.  It would also require the facing for stability.

#4 - As always, with everything SAMPLE!  Make a quick sample to test the facing/felt combo, to test your sewing, to test your hole puncher.  You may be annoyed by the extra time it takes but when compared to the time/resources it takes to start over because a mistake is made.... you will be thankful.

I really loved how this one turned out and recommend it to everyone to make for humans and kitty cats alike, even little bunnies and dogs!!

The template is downloadable and prints to the perfect size so don't be afraid to dive in ok!

See it turned out just darling!!

Making Arts with Kids

Well Golly, didn't I have the best summer ever!

I just finished spending my entire summer working as a director for some cool children's arts programming.  In this situation I was permitted to prepare exciting and new arts and crafts activities for children.  I did my best to present them with activities they might not have done before, while revamping old favorites.  In the end I feel as though I have learned just as much as the kids about art making, perception and possibility. As my contract has finished I find that I am a bit tired, but heavily inspired.  

The following are some pictures of a few projects we completed.

Enjoy!

A view of our Kusama inspired Sticker installation- we had to plastic wrap before stickering because the building people said so!  Our small project was based on the large and amazing one by my hero and yours Yayoi Kusama!

These two objects are actually time machines that a group of children made when given a random and rag tag collection of supplies, and told to go wild!

After being introduced to Andy Goldsworthy the children were lead outdoors to make their own version of earth based art.

In all I have been impressed and dazzled by the responses these children have had to the projects I shared with them.  It was not easy to explain certain moments in contemporary art to five to ten year olds, but in their own way they picked up the ideas and ran far faster with them than most adults!

A Surefire way to Turn a Frown Upside-down

I was a bit sad that my vacation was over until I remembered this little gem of a project that I did on a cool January eve.

The goal here was to draw 100 smiley faces in an act of self cheering.

It totally works.

Here is my sample, and I encourage you to do the same.

If you do do the same you should share it with others too.. or share it with me!!!

Want to Learn to Knit one of these?

I am excited to announce to you all that this coming weekend,

Saturday April 2, from 4pm-7pm I am offering a beginners knitting workshop at The Make Den in Toronto. 1207 Bloor Street West.

C'mon out and lean a craft that is so simple and versatile!! (it is also good at reducing stress!)

Come early and you can shop through the goods on the main floor at the fabulous 69 Vintage.