I was looking around and saw some things I’ve made when trying out new crafts. There were a few things I wanted to try so I added kits or basic supplies onto my birthday/Christmas lists and when I was fortunate enough to receive them I could give them a go.
Firstly, needle-punch. This was from a kit, that included the frame, stand, fabric, yarn and the most important thing, the needle-punch tool. The pattern was printed onto the fabric so it was fairly easy to follow; I did the background first so the flowers etc would stand out. It took me a few tries to get the hang of the tool, and then I’ll admit I pulled out everything I’d done and started again! It was fun to do and very quick. I think you could use any fabric as long as it was fairly loosely woven and goodness knows there’s plenty of yarn in this house so now I have the tool maybe I’ll do another some time, or someone else here might.
I also needle-felted a blue tit! Eldest child had a llama needle-felting kit and it looked fun, and it is. So much stabbing. And easier to shape the wool than I’d expected. I have some of the roving left and I have a strong urge to spin it up into yarn and knit the birdie a little hat.
And finally my little animals made from air-drying clay. I hadn’t used clay since I was at school and I’m happy to report it’s still a lot of fun. I think with a bit more practice I could get a smoother finish. Once they were dry I painted them with acrylic paint, the little cat is my favourite, I painted him to match our actual cat (approximately).