Ribbon and Lace Tassel Tutorial

Hello my dear friends,

this is what I made with some of the lace I showed you yesterday. It is a decorative tassel which you could use to hang on your door, wall or anywhere you would like. I didn't buy anything for this creation - I found everything in my craft room and it is very easy to make.

 

 

 

The measurements are only a guideline. You can make this tassel any size you would like, it all depends on what you would like to use it for and where you would like to hang it.

 

 

What you will need:

- Ribbon, lace, cotton trimmings, organza in various colors or shades of a color of your choice -   

  I used 16 types of ribbons/lace in different widths.

- 2 old keys

- 2 old buckles - mine were either shoe or watch buckles.

- An old hinge - the one I used had 3 holes on each part.

- A vintage brooch - which I didn't use in the end, but that's up to you.

 

 

How to make the tassel:

Start by cutting your ribbons/lace into the lengths you will use. My longest piece was 42 inches long and my shortest was 36 inches long. I used 15 different ribbons/lace for the tassel and one piece of 26 inch lace for the hanger.

 

 

 Cut the ends off diagonally.

 

 

 The next step is to lie your ribbons/lace down and find the center of them.

 

 

Now using the 26 inch piece of lace, tie the center of the ribbons/lace together.

 

 

 Then place your hinge onto where the knot is and using the ends of the 24 inch lace tie the hinge to the ribbons/lace and make a double knot.

 

 

Make a knot further down the piece of 26 inch lace. This will make the hanger.

 

 

Using thin organza ribbon, (or you can use other ribbon if you like) loop tie it to each of your keys. This ribbon was cut into two different shorter lengths.  

 

 

Thread the ends of the 2 ribbons with the keys through the center hole of the hinge.     

 

Make a knot into the ribbons. This will hold the keys in place.

 

 Tie the ends into a small bow...

 

 

and cut the ends off diagonally.

 

 

 Using a very thick needle make a hole into the ribbon where you would like to place your buckle and thread your ribbon through the buckle.

 

 

 This is what it will look like once the buckle is attached.

 

 

Now you can make some single knots into individual pieces of ribbon/lace closer to the ends.

 

 You are almost done! If you like, you can decorate your hinge with a vintage brooch like in this picture, but you don't have to. I ended up not using the brooch after all.

 

 I prefer the plainer look, so you don't lose sight of the hinge.

 

 A closer look at the keys and how they are placed ...

 

and a closer look at the ends of the tassel.

Your tassel is now finished! This would make a lovely little gift for yourself or a friend.

I hope you have enjoyed this little creation and tutorial, please let me know what you think!

Have a peaceful and creative day,

Karen B.

It's Here!!!!!

Hello my dear friends,

I am so excited!!!! My gift from Sonya's giveaway at Counting My Blessings has arrived today!!!

                                http://www.countingmyblessings-sonyawalker.blogspot.com/                                     

Yay!! I have never before won anything like this, so I feel like a child on Christmas morning!! Did I already say this - YAY!!! And please go and take a look at Sonya's blog - she makes the most wonderful things!

So here we go ...

it's a big box and it's all mine!!! (I know, I am now getting carried away -  did I mention - I am so excited!!!)

The wrapping of the box has revealed a nice surprise - it has a beautiful Christmas scenery on it. 

One step at a time and carefully - I can't wait to see whats inside the box and under all this stuffing...

Oh, how beautiful! I saw the pictures of the beautiful creation on Sonya's blog, but the pictures just do not do it any justice at all - it is so BEAUTIFUL!!

Even Alexia the cat likes Sonya's paper!

Another surprise to unwrap - YAY!!! I wonder which treasures this super pink paper is hiding?

Wow! A lovely decorated tin!!! It is so pretty !!!! Time to open it up ....

Oh my, so many little goodies are hiding in here.

And the inside of the tin is just a pretty as the outside.

And look at all the little treasures Sonya has gifted me with. She is such a sweetheart!!!

Another little present to unwrap. I know what it is, I just can't wait to see it!

I LOVE IT!!! It is so sweet and precious!!

I just wanted to show the wrapping paper that was covering the box. I am going to save it and think of how I can maybe reuse it in one of my creations. The paper was in itself a gift!

I also just wanted to show you the wonderful creation in full.

Sonya, you sweet girl, thank you so much for your kindness and your beautiful gifts. You have made me very happy.

And last but not least ...

This is something I picked up yesterday whilst out and about. I think it's lace from a wedding gown or brides vale, but I'm not sure. There was about 10 yards at least in the bag and it's really nicely embellished with pearls and ...

I have made something with some of this lace today and I am writing up a little tutorial for it tonight. That means if you would like to see what I made and how to make it, you will have to check back here very soon.

I hope you have a peaceful and creative day,

Karen B.

Baby Dresses and A Treasure To Share

Hello my dear friends,

I am very happy that you liked my felted nest tutorial and it would be great if I would get to see some of your creations! My wee bird will be the next thing I will be working on, so just give me a little time to write up the instructions and get the photos taken and I will post it as soon as it is done.

I would like to share some of my makings with you today again.

Since I have two daughters, girly things are a must in our house and I am always on the lookout for any new ideas and treasures. On one of my outings I found two little cotton dresses in a thrift store and I knew right away what I was going to do with them. My thoughts were directed toward a little girl's or baby's room decor.

I wanted the dresses to have a vintage look so out came the hot water and teabags.

 Once that was done I needed to make hangers for the dresses, which I created from old wire and pieces of broken wooden coat hangers. I painted and distressed the wood and for the hanging hook I twisted the wire and formed it around the wood.

Now I wanted to embellish the dress. I decided to make a hanging tag for each dress. I used a tea stained manila tag and decorated it with bits of muslin, an old crochet pansy with a pearl center and a small quote that I love. Using lace and delicate ribbon I strung the tag over the hanger and dress.

This is the other dress, this time a sleeveless one, but none the less just as pretty as the first.

Yet another sweet quote. Just imagine these two little dresses hanging on the wall in a little girl's room. I think it would look just lovely!

And last but not least ...

My treasure I would like to share with you.

This is an old Victorian infant school locker (long name). I bought this cupboard about 10 years ago back in England off of eBay. It came from an old school that was being torn down and I was so lucky to happen to see it on eBay, bid on it and WIN!!

 It is from the late 1800's and has three compartments. You can see the old airing holes in each door and each door has also a name tag for the student's name.

It took me weeks to hand strip it and clean it up. The hooks are the original ones but the numbers are replacements since only the outline was left from the originals and that's how I knew the number for each locker.

I am so in love with this cupboard! I have it standing in my hallway, so everyone can see it's beauty as they come into my home!



I only have a few pieces of Victorian furniture, but the ones I have are really special. I will have to show you my biggest treasure one day. It is a 45 drawer cupboard also from the late 1800's.

I wish you a peaceful and creative day,

Karen B.



Felted Nest Tutorial and A New Wee Bird

Hello my dear friends,

I have been working hard these past days  making this tutorial on how to create my felted birds nest. This is a general tutorial, meaning that the outcome of each individual piece can/will be different. It depends on how much lambswool content your sweater has, how long you work with your piece, how hot the water is and how you dry your piece - all these factors have a big role in how big your nest will be and the overall look of it.

 

This is what you will need to make the nest:

 

 

- Old lambswool sweater (mine was 100 % lambswool)

- Three different textured types of wool

- A large, thick needle

- A strong thread and sewing needle

- Scissors

- A ruler

 

 

I chose different textures and shades of brown for my wool, so the look that you will get isn't too uniformal and more realistic looking. You are trying to achieve the look of branches, twigs and other things that you would find in a real nest.

 

 

Depending on the length of the sweater arm you use, your nest will either be larger or smaller. Whilst you felt your piece it will shrink and also during the drying it might shrink a bit more, it really is something you cannot control very much. For the nest, cut off the cuff on one of the arms. For a larger nest, cut a length of about 11 inches for the arm and for a smaller nest only use about 8 inches of the arm.

 

 

Using your strong thread - I used upholstery thread - sew a running/gathering stitch about 1/4 inch along both ends of the piece of sweater.

 

 

Then pull the thread tightly at one end, knot it off and cut the ends. ( If the arm isn't the same width on both ends use the smaller end for the inside of the nest)

 



Pull the thread tight and knot it off at the other end of the tube and stuff the seam allowance inside the tube (this is the bottom outside of the nest), but do not cut the thread yet.

 

 

Push the one end into the tube forming a sort of bowl shape and sew it together in the center going through both layers of the sweater, knot it off and cut thread.

 

This is what your nest should look like so far.

 

The next step is to embellish your nest. Cut a long strand of one of the wools and using your large, thick needle sew a running stitch around your nest.

 

When you get to  the top of your nest, stitch over the edge with your wool. Now using the other types of wool do the same. You can use a much or as little as you would like, it's all up to you.

 

You are looking to make you nest to look natural and rustic, something close to the real thing.

And now the work really starts ...

How to felt...

You will need:

- A sink or pail

- Hot water

- Liquid dish soap

- Rubber gloves

...and good old elbow grease!

Fill your sink/pail with hot water high enough to cover your nest and put about 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap in. (Please be careful because the water has to be hot, but not too hot that it will burn you so don't use water that has just boiled!!)

 

Drop your nest into the soapy water and start working it - don't forget your rubber gloves! You can almost do anything to it - kneed it, rub it against the bottom of the sink/pail or work it between your hands. You need to agitate the wool to make it turn into felt. Every so often take it out of water and check how it looks. You can also run it under the cold tap in between - this will help the felting process - and then return it back into the hot water and work it again. It takes me about 30 minutes to get the result I am looking for.

 

Once you like the look of your nest, take it out of the hot water and rinse it under the cold tap. Now you just have to dry it. I normally put mine on top of the heating outlet in  my dinning room and let it dry over night. You could also use the tumble dryer, but that would end up costing too much just for one nest. If you would like it to stay a certain shape then you can scrunch a piece of newspaper into a ball and stuff it into the nest, if doing this you cannot use the dryer - fire hazzard!!)

 

 

 

Your nest is done and if you like you can add a few feathers for a more realistic look. Now the only thing for you to do is find some little eggs, a wee bird or another little critter to place in it!

 And last but not least ...

 

 

 

 

I designed this wee fellow a few days ago with the thought of another tutorial for you, but I am not too sure whether or not I like the way it turned out. What do you think?? Please drop me a line and tell me your thoughts on this little bird!

Have a peaceful and creative day,

Karen B.

A Special Thank-You and A Picture That Captures Me

Hello my dear friends,

my back seems to be getting a bit better every day. I would like to thank all of you for all your kind words and for all the lovely birthday wishes for my oldest daugther Ashleigh - you are all so thoughtful!!

I also have to say a huge thank you to Tiffany from the "Cranky Queen". She thought that my blog was so good, that she awarded my the "Stylish Blogger Award" !!!! I was so touched and so thrilled all at the same time. Tiffany, you made my day, girl and I can't thank you enough!!
BUT ...
I decided to not accept this award though. My reasons for this was that I think awards are really great, but when it comes to me having to pick only a few to pass this award on to, it is very difficult since I have found many new friends and so many lovely blogs in blogland. So, I would rather not take the award myself so I don't have to offend or upset anybody else. I hope I haven't offended you, dear Tiffany, by not accepting this award.

If any of you wonderful bloggers would like to check out Tiffany's lovely, please visit it by using the following link:

http://www.thecrankyqueen.blogspot.com/     

I am hoping to start work on a new tutorial once I am OK with sitting for a longer time. I have more than  one idea floating around in my head which I could turn into a tutorial, so I will just have to wait and see which one is the one the speaks to me most. Of course as soon as it is ready I will post it.

And last but not least ...

I would like to share my most favourite picture with you. The story of it is, that I was trying to bid on a 1800's postcard on e-bay. It was a scene from the town in England where I used to live. The scene is a young boy standing in a snowcovered street looking at the beautiful Salisbury Cathedral - which you unfortunately cannot see in the picture and it just captured me when I saw it. Well, as it goes I got outbid at around $70. I loved this picture so much that I e-mailed the owner and explained this, and I was leaving England to return to Canada and I asked if he would be so kind and maybe sell me a copy of this postcard, so I could take it with me and enjoy for many years. The Gentlemen was so kind and sweet that he scaned the card and sent it back to me. I cannot tell you how happy he made me! An enlarged print of this card is now hanging in my livingroom and every day I look at it and become consumed by it. In my mind it is so beautiful I just wanted to share it with you, and I hope you enjoy it!

Have a peaceful and creative day,

Karen B.