1st Grade Art - Inspired by Kandinsky

My daughter’s school will be holding it’s annual “Arts Night” later this year.  As part of the event, each class will create a painting to be auctioned off to raise money for the school’s arts program.  The 1st grade classes used the artwork of Kandinsky as their inspiration and created these wonderful “Squared Circles” paintings.  I was so thrilled with how the paintings turned out, I thought I would do a quick “how to” post with instructions to make your own.  This is a great project to do with an entire class or at home with your own family.

First, a little background on Kandinsky — the most interesting aspect of Kandinsky is that he experienced a neurological condition called “synesthesia” whereby colors evoked sounds and sounds evoked colors.  Perhaps because of this condition, music played an important role in his life and greatly influenced his works.   In order to help the kids understand this concept, we played music (Brand New Heavies) while they worked on their project.

Materials Needed:

• Stretched canvas
• Acrylic paints (we divided the classes up by warm colors/cool colors/mixed colors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Different size cups/glasses

To begin, determine how many square you will need in your painting.  We found that the following ratios worked best: 3 rows by 4 columns;  4 rows by 5 columns; 4 rows by 6 columns.  Using your ruler and pencil divide the painting up into a grid.  Using the different size cups/glasses, trace 3 concentric circles inside each block. Let 2-3 kids work on the painting at a time.  Give each child a palette with 4 colors.  Beginning with the center circle, have them fill in the circles with the paint, ending with the outside square.  It is not necessary to tape off the squares because you do not want crisp edges.  The paintings will look best when the edges are slightly blurred.

Tips for using acrylic paints with kids:

• Be sure to put smocks on the kids and a drop cloth or newspaper under your work space
• Wash the paint off the brush between colors by swishing the brush in a cup of water and then wiping dry with a paper towel.  Refill with clean water, as needed. This will keep the colors from getting muddy looking
• Although acrylic paint is permanent, if you get paint on clothing, wash with soap and water immediately.  There is still a small chance you can get it off if it hasn’t begun to dry

Totally off the topic note – if you watch the show Weeds, remember when Doug said he saw numbers in colors.  It sounds like synesthesia to me!

1st Grade Artwork - Cool Colors

Felted Sweater Jacket - Just in Time for Fall!

For those of you who’ve read my blog before, you probably know I have a penchant for making cool, new things out of upcycled, felted wool sweaters.  As a back-to-school gift to my daughter, I made her this fun felted jacket out of pieces left over from several felted sweater projects.  Of course, its just my luck that we’ve been enjoying 80 degree weather for the past few weeks, but I’m sure she’ll get a chance to wear it sometime before Thanksgiving!  I’ll admit, I did pack her into it one morning  on the way to bus, only to have her come home with it stuffed into the bottom of backpack, pink and sweating from another sweltering day.

Unfortunately, I didn’t put together a complete tutorial for this project, but I can give some pointers in case you are interested in trying something similar.  Here we go:

• Decide what sweater to use for the bodice AFTER you felt it.  I felted about a dozen sweaters to use for various projects.  As luck would have it, a women’ size L yellow sweater felted perfectly to fit a 6 year-old girl.    Since you never know how a sweater is going to felt, it is much easier to make ‘wardrobing’ decisions after they have been felted.
• Seams were sewn holding the pieces edge-to-edge and stitched with a zig-zag stitch.  Since the felted material doesn’t fray, there is no need to place the pieces wrong side together and make a folded seam.
• The flare around the bottom and the cuffs were made by cutting long, semi-circles of felted fabric.  Think of a really fat letter “C”.   When the center of the “C” is stitched to the bottom of the sweater, the outside of the “C” falls to form ruffled flare.
• This project works up fairly quickly, especially since felted material doesn’t fray, you don’t have to hem anything.
• The tulips are simply semi-circles of felted material with a long strip for a stem.  The button were hand-stitched on afterwards.
• The button loops are just small strips of felted sweater, fold in half, and machine stitched onto the front of the jacket.
• Don’t forget to take advantage of existing features of your sweater.  For example, the collar and front pocket were part of the original sweater.

Pieces from the sweater used in this jacket have also gone to make:

• 1 full size blanket (If I can take some pics, I’ll do a post!)
• 1 woman’s sweater tunic
• 1 woman’s bolero/shrug
• 6 small stuffed kitties (I hope to post a tutorial for these soon!)
• many, many hair accessories and brooches

Close-up of the Tulip Detail

Another View of my Upcycled Sweater Jacket

If you are looking for more upcycled sweater inspiration, check out Sweater Surgery by Stephanie Girard.  I love some of the ideas the book has to offer!

Upcycled Cashmere Sweater

This adorable bolero-style felted shrug began its life as one of my husband’s cashmere-wool sweaters.  After an unfortunate run-in with a naughty moth, it ended up in my recycle pile.  Since the moth holes were mostly in the body of the sweater, I though I could leave most of the upper section in tact and make a shrug.  I added a flower using a leftover piece of the sweater and scraps from two other sweaters.

Upcycled Fashion

Here’s what you need to to to make your own:

Materials

• Recycled wool sweater
• Wool yarn
• Large Needle
• Toggle Button
• Small Button (for flower center)
• Felt Scraps (for flower)

Directions

• Felt the wool sweater by putting through a cycle in the washing machine on hot.  Dry it in the dryer
• Turn the sweater inside out and try it on (this is so all your markings will be on the inside of the sweater and won’t be visible when you wear your finished shrug)
• Determine how long you want your shrug to be and mark the length
• Following the cutting lines in Figure 1, cut the sweater to the desired length and then cut straight up the middle (Use a ruler to make an even line before cutting)
• Draw a curve on one inner front of the sweater.  Cut one side.  Use a piece of paper to trace the curve.  Now copy the curve onto the other side.  This ensures that you have matching curves on both sides.  See Figure 2
• Using the blanket stitch, decoratively stitch around the raw edges of your sweater.  Threads magazine has good instructions on how to do a blanket stitch.
• You can now attach a toggle button and loop, if you’d like.  I think it would look nice without a button, too.
• Using the flower design in Figure 3 as a sample, cut out 3 different size 4 petal flowers out of felt scraps.  Set them on top of each other  with the largest on the bottom; stitch through all 3 layers; stitch on a decorative button and sew onto sweater.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Enjoy!

My Lovely Shrug!

Cuddly Critter Ear Flap Hat

I designed this cuddly critter hat for a friend of mine who was having a baby earlier this spring.  It came out so cute that I wanted to share the pattern.  Although I made mine in 2 colors, it would also look cute in a solid color, or even stripes!  Right now, the pattern is only written for a size small (14″ circumference) which should fit a 3-6 month old.  I plan to revise the pattern at some point in the future with size medium (16″), large (18″), and x-large (20″).  Of course, you can vary the size by playing around with yarn gauge and needles size.

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn (I used Debbie Stoller Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe)
• Size 6 circular needles
• Size 6 dp needles
• Size G crochet hook (for ears)

Guage

• 5 stitches to the inch

First Earflap

• CO 5 stitches
• Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
• Row 2: K1, K into F/B, K1, K into F/B, K1 (7 stitches)
• Row 3: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
• Row 4: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1, K1, K into F/B, K1 (9 stitches)
• Row 5: (K1, P1) 4 times, K1
• Row 6: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (2 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (11 stitches)
• Row 7: (K1, P1) 5 times, K1
• Row 8: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (3 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (13 stitches)
• Row 9: (K1, P1) 6 times, K1
• Row 10: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (4 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (15 stitches)
• Row 11: (K1, P1) 7 times, K1
• Repeat row 11 4 times; place onto stitch holder

Second Earflap

• Follow instructions for first earflap up through row 11.
• Repeat row 11 5 times (rather than 4)
• Leave second earflap on working needles

Body of Hat

• With second earflap on needles, CO 16 stitches (this will become the back of the hat)
• Knit first earflap off the stitch holder onto the working needles
• CO 24 stitches (this will become the front of the hat)
• Place marker and join in the round (70 stitches)
• Row 1: (K1, P1) 35 times
• Row 2 (P1, K1) 35 times (establish seed stitch pattern)
• Repeat rows 1 & 2 until hat measures 1 inch
• Switch color (optional)
• Continue in stockinette (knit all stitches) until hat measures 4 inches tall

Shape Crown

• Row 1: (K12, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 2: (K11, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 3: (K10, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 4: (K9, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 5: (K8, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 6: (K7, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 7: (K6, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 8: (K5, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 9: (K4, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 10: (K3, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 11: (K2, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 12: (K1, K2tog) 5 times (10 stitches remaining)
• Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitches

Critter Ears (optional)

• Using color A, make a ‘magic loop’
• Row 1: sc into loop 5 times, ch1, turn
• Row 2: skip 1^st stitch, 2sc into each stitch (8 stitches), ch1, turn
• Row 3:  skip 1^st stitch, 2sc into each stitch (14 stitches), ch1 turn
• Row 4:  skip 1^st stitch, (2sc, 1 sc) repeat 6 times, switch to color B, ch1, turn
• Row 5: sc into each stitch; tie off

Ties (each side)

• Pick up 4 stitches on bottom of first earflap (right side facing you)
• Work in I-cord until desired length is reached
• Bind off and tie a decorative knot at the end

If you decided to make your own, please post a link to a pic!

Side View of the Critter Hat

Kirby and Prince Fluff

For Christmas this year, I bought Kirby’s Epic Yarn for my husband. For those who are not familiar with the game, Kirby is transformed into cute little yarn guy, and he and his friend Prince Fluff go on a quest through a land made of yarn and fabric.  The entire game looks as if it were quilted and knit together.  Anyway, it became an instant hit at our house.  Since I try to limit game time, I thought I would make a couple amigurumi toys so that they kids could play with their favorite little yarn guys, even when the Wii is turned off.

They came out so cute, I wanted to share the pattern I created with anyone else who’d like to make their own Kirby and Fluff dolls.

Here you go!

Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Prince Fluff Amigurumi

Materials:

• Size G crochet hook
• Large needle for sewing and working in ends
• Worsted weight yarn (I used leftover yarn from various projects, so Kirby and Fluff are a mix of wool, acrylic, and bamboo)

Kirby & Fluff Directions: (notes:  I use the “magic loop” method to start each piece.  Also, I find this is the best method to crochet 2 together)

Eyes – Make 2 (black for Kirby, white for Fluff)

• Chain 3
• Row 1:  SC into 2^nd stitch from the hook,  3 SC into next stitch
• Row 2:  SC into back of next 2 stitches
• Tie off (basically, you are crocheting a circle around the chain)
• Embroider center of eye

Body (Pink for Kirby, Blue for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1:  6 SC into loop
• Row 2:  2 SC into each stitch (12 stitches)
• Row 3:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (18 stitches)
• Row 4:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (24 stitches)
• Row 5:  (3 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (30 stitches)
• Rows 6-13: SC into every stitch
• Row 14:  (3 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (24 stitches)
• Row 15:  (2 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (18 stitches)
• Stitch on eyes and embroider face.  Don’t forget little pink cheeks for both guys, and eyebrows for Fluff!
• Row 16:  (1 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (12 stitches)  Add stuffing
• Row 17:  (SC 2Tog) 6 times (6 stitches); tie off and pull yarn through stitches to close the body.

Arms – Make 2 (Pink for Kirby, Blue for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1:  4 SC into loop
• Row 2:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 4 times (8 stitches)
• Row 3:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 4 times (12 stitches)
• Rows 4 & 5:  SC into each stitch
• Tie off and stuff arms

Feet – Make 2 (Red for Kirby, Orange for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1: 6 SC into loop
• Row 2:  2 SC into each stitch (12 stitches)
• Row 3:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) repeat 6 times (18 stitches)
• Row 4:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) repeat 6 times (24 times)
• Tie off; fold circle in half to form a semi-circle.  Stitch shut around the edges

Prince Fluff’s Crown (Yellow)

• Chain 14, SL to form ring
• Row 1:  SC into each stitch
• Row 2:  (SC, picot) times
• Tie off

Once all pieces have been made, stitch Kirby and Fluff together as shown in pictures.  Make sure you position the feet under the body evenly, and far enough back, so that your little guys can stand up.

Kirby Amigurumi

Kirby and Prince Fluff - Best Friends!

Prince Fluff

Since we seemed to get REALLY behind schedule with our ’round the world project we decided to cover Guatemala and Honduras together, mainly because they are close both geographically and alphabetically.  We were able to check out a couple of really good books from the library with a lot of wonderful pictures.  Deirdre was particularly enchanted with the colorful outfits worn by many of the Guatemalan girls in the book.  We spent most of our time talking about the wildlife indiginous to these countries.  The kids were especially interested in looking at pictures of jaguars, toucans, blue morpho butterflies, and sea turtles.  The kids also decided that Diego might live in this area since these seem like the animals that he hangs out with!  This gave us a good opportunity to talk a little bit about wildlife conservation and sustainable farming practices which wasn’t exactly what I intended but was covered in the book.  Not a bad lesson to learn!

For our project, we made worry dolls.

Our Worry Doll Family

Legend has it that Guatemalan children would make these worry dolls out of scraps of thread and fabric.  At night, they would tell a ‘worry’ to each doll, and the doll would help make that worry disappear.  Here are some basic intructions to make your own!

Materials Needed:

1. Twist ties
2. Yarn
3. Fabric Scraps
4. Marking Pen

Instructions:

1. Bend twist-ties into basic T-shape for your doll’s body
2. Fold a piece of fabric over the top of the “T” for the head
3. Wrap yarn around the neck to secure head; wrap yarn around body, arms, and legs.
4. Tie on a dress or serape
5. Use marking pen to draw on a face

Step 1 - Bend Twist Ties

Step 2 - Add Fabric Head and Cover with Yarn

Step 3 - Add Clothing

Step 4 - Add Faces!

For our snack, we tried making dulce de leche cookies.

Dulce de Leche Cookies -yum!

Although not specifically Guatemalan or Honduran, they are still somewhat regional.  (we substituted corn flour for the corn starch). What did I learn?  Dulce de leche is REALLY hard to make.  Seriously, you need to stir it for, like, 3 hours.  The cookies came out tasty, but we probably won’t be making them again.

Next stop, by popular demand, India!

Eating our Home Made Ice Cream

Did you know you can make tasty homemade ice cream using plastic ziploc bags, soy milk, sugar, salt and ice?  Whether you are digging yourself out from “Snowpocalypse” or trying to beat the summer heat, you have to try this improbably easy and delicious recipe.   I saw a similar recipe in Highlights magazine a few months back and having been waiting for a chance to give it a try.  It was really fun to make and even more fun to eat!  Here are the basic instructions:

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup flavored soy milk (we used chocolate and vanilla)
  

  Ingredients for Home Made Ice Cream

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Ziploc bags in 2 sizes (we used sandwich size and quart size)
• Ice cubes (approx 2 cups)
• 5-6 tablespoons salt

Directions:

1. Pour the soy milk into the smaller bag.  Squeeze out the air and zip it shut
2. Fill the larger bag about 1/4 – 1/3 full of ice
3. Sprinkle the salt over the ice in the bag
4. Put the small bag of soy milk into the larger bag
5. Add ice on top of the bag of soy milk (leave about 1/4 of the bag empty)
6. Zip the large bag shut
7. SHAKE the bag for about 5-10 minutes until soy milk is the consistency of soft serve ice cream
8. Carefully remove the small bag and wipe off any water or salt on the outside of the bag (so that you don’t have salty ice cream)
9. Put into a bowl and eat!

Here is an action shot of the kids shaking their ice cream.  To make the shaking part more fun, we put on some Irish music on Pandora and danced a little jig while shaking it up.

Dancing a Jig While Making Ice Cream

Science Question – Why do you need salt to make ice cream?  According to WikiAnswers ,”Ice water is only 32 degrees F, and ice cream needs to be much colder to properly freeze. The salt lowers the freezing point of the water. The super cold water is what will actually freeze the ice cream. You can actually get the temp of the liquid water down to about 10 degrees F.”

We Love Ice Cream!

Pirate Girl

With Halloween only two days away, I thought I would post instructions for a super easy last minute Pirate costume.  My daughter and I made her version of the costume to wear to the Harbor Festival in Wickford Village earlier this fall.   This costume  involves no sewing and can be completed in less than 10 minutes, so it is great for a last minute costume party!

Materials Needed:

• 2 old t-shirts
• 36″ of ribbon
• scissors

Optional:

• Pirate Hat
• Old Skirt
• eye patch
• head scarf

Instructions

1. Cut t-shirts along green dotted lines as shown in the photo below.  The first t-shirt will be the “Pirate Vest”; the 2nd t-shirt will be the undergarment
2. Place vest over the undergarment
3. Lace ribbon through the holes in the vest as if you were lacing a shoe
4. You now have your complete pirate shirt!

Cut Along Green Dotted Lines

Closeup of Pirate Vest

Variations & Tips

1. This method can be used for either a child or adult; for adult, you may want longer ribbon for the ties
2. Use a white undergarment, black vest and red ribbon for a real “piratey” effect
3. Instead of a pirate hat, pair the costume with a headscarf and be a gypsy!
4. Cut a square neck on the vest for a different effect
5. Make more or fewer holes for the lacings for different effects
6. For a boy, use the same design, but do not cut holes for the lace up ribbon; leave the vest plain
7. I found that smaller size t-shirt work better since they stretch out when cut

And, since you are in the Pirate mood, here is some fun Rhode Island Pirate history for you.  Have fun dressing up!

A Very Cute Little Gypsy!

We didn’t find any books on Dominica in the children’s section of the library, so we did all of our research on the “Nature Island” online.

Dominica - The Nature Island

I have to admit, looking at pictures of this gorgeous Caribbean island made me want to schedule a vacation RIGHT NOW!  The things that most impressed the kids about Dominica is that fact that it has 16 active volcanoes, a boiling lake, and is surrounded by beautiful marine-life. And, as Jon pointed out, there is amazing kayaking to be found.

In the spirit of Dominica, we decided to create our own volcanic island in our backyard.  As luck would have it, I left the top off the sandbox right before a rainstorm, so we had a large box of sand and water right at our finger tips.  We made a mountain out of the sand, surrounded by our ‘ocean’.   The core of our  volcano was a bottle (Pilsner Urquell left of from Czech week!), and we used paprika to make our lava appear red.  Then, we just added some baking soda, poured in some vinegar, and voila!  A volcanic island!  Yes, I did spend the next 45 minutes bailing out the sandbox so that we did not end up with 0ur own ecological disaster.

Building our volcano

Pouring the vinegar

Kaboom! Lava flow!

After looking at pictures of tropical fish, turtles and other sea life, we decided to do an ocean-themed craft.  We actually combined the concept of traditional basket weaving and marine life to make these cute woven-paper fish.  They were fun to make, and Deirdre was able to do most of the cutting on her own, although she needed some help with the weaving.  Jonah decorated his fish like a ‘robot fish’.  I’ve included some instructions to make your own.

A School of Fish

Cut 2 Rectangles

Cut into strips, leaving about 1/2 uncut at the edge

Use basket weave technique to weave together your 2 pieces

Alternate weave until all pieces are woven together

Fold edges over and glue down

Cut fins along lines as shown

Give your fishy a happy face!

Next stop — Egypt!

A few months ago, my husband asked me to make him a felted sleeve for his new laptop.   So, of course, I started peppering him with questions like ‘what color?’, ‘knit?’, ‘crochet?’, ‘recycled?’, ’size?’.  Half jokingly, he said he didn’t care, but it just needed to have flames going down the side of it.  I had just bought a bunch of second hand wool sweaters to use for felting projects, and I found a dark olive one that would be perfect for a laptop cover.   Lucky for me, I also had a bright red sweater that just screamed ‘flames!’.   Thus, was born the “Greased Lightning” Laptop Sleeve!   He’s gotten a number of compliments on it (or so he told me — maybe he was just trying to make me feel good), so I thought I would post some instructions on how to make your own.

Tongues of Flame Fingerless Gloves

I also used the leftover pieces from the sweater sleeves to make a cool pair of fingerless gloves.  You can see more pictures of the gloves at my Etsy Shop.

I’m not a Photoshop genius, so please be kind with my diagrams!  Here goes — First step, select a sweater to use as the base of the bag.  In order to felt properly, it should be 100% wool.   If you are going to add an applique, select a sweater in a contrasting color.  The sweater used for the applique should also be 100% wool, but should be thinner than the sweater used for the base of the bag.  Felt both sweaters by putting them through at least one cycle in the washing machine (hot wash/cold rinse); dry in the dryer.  Using the diagram below, cut out the central piece of the laptop bag.

Template - How to Cut Sweater for Laptop Bag

If you are adding an applique, cut out the applique and sew it to the outside of the bag using whip stitch or ladder stitch. (you do not need to hem or turn under the edges of the applique; the felting process will keep it from unraveling) The sides of the bag will be partially open (where you remove the sleeves).  Sew the open part of the sides shut.  The bottom edge of the sweater (will probably have some ribbing) will be the top of the bag.   Attach a zipper.  You can also add buttons, if you prefer.  The last step is to turn the bag inside out and stitch the bottom shut.  Although I added the tongues of flame by hand, I did all the other stitching by machine.

Template - Sewing the Laptop Bag

You can use the sleeves to make a pair of fingerless gloves.  Cut according to the diagram above.  The cuff edge of sleeve will be the wrist side of the glove; the raw edge will be the finger side of the glove. Turn the glove inside out and mark where the thumb opening should be.  Machine stitch as indicated in diagram.  Snip the ‘triangle’ that is created with the stitching.  Turn the glove right-side out.  You can now stitch on an applique, embroider flowers, or embellish however you like!

Template - Stitching for Gloves