Idea-->Execution: Frida Kahlo

Sometimes my ideas don't turn out quite right and I can't figure out why. Take Frida Kahlo, for instance.

Some elements need to be way-simplified for felt, but as far as inspiration goes--you have a distinct look. This should, in theory, be an ornament that turns out well.

But it didn't.

The pattern I made looked okay. (Note: my patterns are a combination of freehand and tracing, depending on how I want to interpret a subject. Sometimes I do multiple images sort of mashed into a representation that I'm looking for--but this was meant to mimic a bit more.)

But somewhere in between the pattern and the execution...something just didn't translate.

It wasn't bad, per se, but there is something about it that is just...off. Which is very disheartening after spending quite a bit of time on that flower embroidery background.

I always have issues with eyes. Eyes are tough because they can go dead-eyed uncanny-valley very quickly. But this seemed more...hulking... than Frida. So I gave her a jaw shaving.

And it's kind of amazing the difference such a subtle change makes. I'm still getting a lot of shadow under the brows (because of the way the light falls), but it's a totally different looking Frida. And, perhaps, it's a less accurate Frida (the original picture has that very rounded off--nearly square-to-round jawline, this is slightly more heart-shaped).

Sometimes you have to exaggerate or suggest some features in this medium (like the lips are merely represented by stitch, otherwise everyone looks like they have pouty-duck-lips).

Before:

After:

I had similar problems getting things right with Hillary Clinton and Julia Child.
And let me tell you, it's gutsy to cut into an already-assembled project. One must have the courage of their convictions.

How Do I Decide What/Who to Make?

Patterns in-process

My Etsy shop has a really weird amalgamation of things. Pokemon. Star Wars. Star Trek. Politics. Science Icons (coming...). Feminist symbols. With more being added as they strike my fancy or I get requests.

Why are the things that are there...there?

For lack of a better reason: Because I like them (and also because I made a gift for someone).

I've had a few requests: Can you make so-and-so? Well...maybe?

Here are the criteria I use to decide what to design:

It fits with my personal philosophies in some way (or, at least, I'm neutral on the matter).

My dad suggested that, to pair with the Ruth Bader Ginsberg ornament, I should make an Antonin Scalia ornament. . . . Nope. Not going to happen. Hours of energy go into designing an ornament and making it. I'm not going to spend that much time and effort on someone I'm philosophically opposed to.

The person has a distinct, recognizable look.

There are a lot of awesome, but very generic looking, people in this world. I wanted to make an Elizabeth Warren pattern, but Elizabeth Warren (though I love her) looks kinda like generic soccer mom #5. (FOR THE PURPOSES OF FELT RENDERING.) The same goes for Sonia Sotomayor. She is fab, but isn't instantly recognizable in felt form. Susan B. Anthony sort of has the same issue.

It helps to have a unique phrase/quote. 

Michelle Obama didn't turn out that distinctive-looking. This is my failing as the designer and speaks to my artistic limitations, surely, but still. However, she had a great quote that helped aid in being recognizable. Quotes, unfortunately, also have to be quite short and pithy. "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum." ["Don't let the bastards grind you down."] from Handmaid's Tale was, necessarily, shortened to "BASTARDES".

It brings me some sort of joy.

The things I make are mostly (with the exception of gifts I've made for nieces/nephews) things I really love. It gets to be a pretty eclectic spread. I love Bill Nye the Science Guy. I love powerful, strong women (I have a Notorious RBG maternity shirt). I love Star Trek. And Monty Python. And Firefly. And Julia Child. And RuPaul. And Doctor Who. And a bunch of geeky pursuits. So what I love is what I make.

It has to be able to be rendered in felt.

I don't have my Busy Book patterns up yet, but as I was going through those--taking scenes from things I loved--part of the challenge was to figure out how to render them in felt. A friend suggested I show a Romulan Warbird uncloaking. Awesome! How do I do that...in felt? There's a similar challenge with people--they have to be recognized with simplified features. (Too complex and their faces turn into a big ol' hot mess.)

 So what's coming up, as of right now?

Patterns made, crafts made, awaiting instruction-writing:

• Bill Nye (The Science Guy!)
• The Golden Girls 
• Weeping Angel 
• Crest of Hyrule 
• RuPaul "Werk" 
• Firefly Finger Puppets
• Busy Book: Monty Python Holy Grail
• Busy Book: Monty Python Flying Circus
• Busy Book: Star Trek TOS

Patterns made. Crafts and instructions not yet made: 

• Neil Degrasse Tyson
• Frida Kahlo 
• Lucille Ball (winkin' and drinkin' Vitametavegamin)
• Calvin and Hobbes [Gift.]
• Link (from Legend of Zelda) [Pattern made. Need to make craft and instructions.]

Patterns, crafts and instructions yet unmade: 

• Tina Fey "Bitches get stuff done" (if I can figure out how to render her in felt...she is going to be problematic, I think.)
• Jem (of Jem and the Holograms)
• She-Ra
• Opus 
• Paul Wellstone "We all do better when we all do better"
• Busy Book: Firefly (this has been started, but not enough to count)

Things I'm considering, but seem less likely:

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony
• Che
• Something Barack Obama
• Dr. Cornel West
• Malala

It's a lot of things! But I'm always open to suggestions--so feel free to send me an email/message if you see a void in the world that must be filled by felt crafts.

Techniques: Lettering

When I did my step-by-step process post using Betty White, I missed an important element that is featured in a lot of my ornament designs and deserves its own walk-through: The Lettering.

To go through my tips and tricks/process for making the lettering with the middle stitch, I’m going to get help from Mr. Joe Biden.

Hey Joe!

 And since this is going to be picture heavy, I’m also putting it behind a jump.

Off the Shop: Things I Can't/Won't Sell

Along with the normal round-up of semi-subversive ornaments, there are also several that I likely won't end up putting in my shop/sharing widely.

So they're going to go here.

I have a Happy Uterus Ornament as seen below:

Which is adorable. And a little bit subversive. My mother--the Scandinavian nurse--was amused and baffled, but not totally horrified.

But this one is NOT going into the shop.
(Putting it behind a jump because of mild-NSFW-ish-ness...I mean, it's a felt vulva.)

Making Betty White

Hi Betty White!
I got a few requests to make a process post showing how I make my ornaments/felt crafts. So I took pictures while making a new ornament: Betty White!

I'm going to walk through some of my techniques and tips and tricks and you'll also see some of my thought process/adjustments as I go along (this is my first time testing the pattern).

(Forgive the basement lighting--the color will be inconsistent, but you'll be able to see what I'm doing, generally.)

And because there are so many pictures...it's behind a cut!

Techniques: Eyes

Eyes have been a learning process for me. It's hard to get eyes that don't look weird or creepy, but are still representative of a more realistic style.

Not every eye style will work for every project. Here are the different representations of eye techniques:

This is simply a French knot on top of the felt face.

This works fine for projects like this--these Firefly finger puppets don't need accurate eyes, just a suggestion of them.



Here, Leia is meant to be more cartoonish, so I simply cut out very tiny rounds of felt and glued them on the face piece.







Cartoony characters in general are a bit easier. It's easy to layer their eyes with different color felt components. They don't need to look flat or inset, because a pop-eyed effect doesn't take away from the overall look (or, in some cases, is consistent with the character).


This is a simple backstitch over the felt layer using the full strand of embroidery thread. I find it a bit bulky.

Julia also has a face under this face. Because the first eyes just did NOT work out and I had to try again.


These two are examples of the same backstitch technique, but using different strand thicknesses. The Handmaid is has 3 strands of thread from the 6-strand original, and Rosie the Riveter has 2 strands of thread and some very fine eyelash detailing.


Bob Ross and Captain Picard are examples of stitching the eye shape detailing and then doing a French knot pupil. In Bob's case, he doesn't have any additional eye fill, where in Picard's case, the whites of his eyes are stitched in. I do not prefer this technique, and if I re-did these I would use the next technique.



Cut-out eyes are tricky but the effect is worth it. Here, you cut out the eyes in the top layer of felt and then insert a small piece of felt for the pupil. This took some time to learn.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg was my first experiment in this technique. Because she has dark eyes and light skin, overall this works.







With Michelle Obama, I thought I'd try an inset French knot. So I cut out the eye holes, but I filled them in with a French knot instead of felt. This is not a bad technique, but the felt pieces were easier for me.


The first attempt didn't include whites which, in my opinion, is not a great look. I added a tiny bit of white felt filler (without gluing in), and I think it looks much better that way.




Filler also improved RuPaul's eyes. I don't glue in the white filler, I just tuck it in the eye hole. It should stay with normal use.


 Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher, like RBG, didn't seem greatly improved with eye white filler. So I left them as-is--cut-out eyes with felt pieces glued in the center.


Of course, if this is all too complex, you can always take the easy way out...

 And just make weeping angels.

Getting Started: Types of Stitches

There are a few types of basic stitches you'll need when doing felt crafts. These are uncomplicated and effective, but there are plenty of tutorials online if you need to see a stitch being done (I found this super helpful for the French Knot, in particular).

Here are the types you're going to use, and what you'll be using them for. 
(Stitch Diagrams from https://americanfeltandcraft.wordpress.com/stitches/.)
 
Backstitch:

This is what you'll use for most detail work on the felt patterns. It produces a smooth, straight line.

Here is another example of the backstitch:

 

Satin Stitch:

You won't use the satin stitch very often in my patterns. However, this is an alternate technique for filling in eyes (as opposed to doing small felt eyes).

French Knot:

 The french knot is good for details like eyes, small buttons, and pearl detail on necklaces/earrings.

Overcast Stitch:

 This is what I use for stitching pieces together and for edge details.


 Running Stitch:

This is what I use for basic decoration detail (i.e. there is a stitch detail on the inside of circles of ornaments--and you just use a flat running stitch for that).

Tools: What you need for felt crafts.

There are basic tools you need for the felt crafts I've created. Some of these are pattern specific (i.e. you don't need ribbon if you're not creating an ornament), but this will give you a basic idea of what you should have on hand to get started.

All of these are available at any craft store (JoAnn, Michael's), and you can also find a great many of these online on Amazon or the like. (Shopping w/no pants > regular shopping)

Ribbon:

 

I like to use thin ribbon for hanging ornaments. Offray works nicely, but any brand will do. This can be metallic, transparent (beware hot glue bleed-through for your fingers), etc.  

Tape:

I love taping down my pattern pieces. I don't have to worry about wiggling and trying to hold the felt in place while making precision cuts. I like magic tape because it tears a bit more easily if you should happen to tape over a place where you are going to do stitch detailing. The non-matte tape also works but is harder to tear. For what it's worth...I use generic (Target brand, etc.) "invisible" tape a lot of the time.

Fabric Scissors:

You'll want a sharp fabric scissors with a nice point on it to cut out your felt pieces. Dull scissors will frustrate you because it will gnaw at the felt and make your edges all fuzzy and such. Which is why you'll also need...

Paper Scissors:

Did you ever use your mom's sewing scissors for paper? Did she threaten to cut you for real? Yeah. Don't do that. Have a separate paper scissors for cutting out paper pattern pieces.

OPTIONAL: Detail Fabric Scissors:

  

This is an optional piece--a fine-point fabric scissors. I find it useful for cutting out very small center detail. And (shhhhhh) I also use it for precision on the paper pattern. Do NOT tell my mom.

Glue Gun:

 

I glue a lot of the finer pieces together, and I also glue a lot of thread ends down. You're going to want a glue gun.  You can use other glues (tacky glue works well for felt) but you're going to have to wait a long time in between gluing discrete pieces. And it gets all over. 

Advantage hot glue gun: Near-instant gluing, precision tip, slight depth.

Disadvantage hot glue gun: Your fingertips. It burns. Plus strings of glue (that can be snipped later). 

Here are my hot glue gun tips: Get the high temp ones (there are low temp and high temp versions). It will allow you more time for maneuverability on your project and the low temp will still burn your fingers, so you might as well go all in with high temp. Get one with a stand/rest that pivots out of the way for gluing time. 

Don't fall asleep and leave your hot glue gun plugged in overnight. Ask me how I know.

Glue Sticks:

 

Get lots of these--you'll go through them faster than you think. There are two sizes--get the ones that match your glue gun (MOST hobby glue guns are mini size). Get clear ones. Get the ones that match your glue gun temp (when in doubt you can get the multi-temp ones--there are low temp, multi-temp, and high temp).

Embroidery Floss/Thread:

 

Hello embroidery thread! This is what embroidery thread looks like. It comes in these little skeins in almost any craft or fabric store. It is comprised of six little threads twisted together. This is important because while most felt craft just needs a 6-strand thread, sometimes you'll want to separate out 2-3 strands for some detail work.

Embroidery needles: 

 

You'll want a good number of embroidery needles. I hate unthreading needles for the next color (I like to keep them threaded and stick them in a pincushion) so getting as many needles as you have thread colors is a good idea. I use finer needles (toward a 3 or 5) for detail work with 2-3 strands of thread. I use larger needles (16ish) for regular embroidery thread work. Get a variety pack and experiment with what works best for you--embroidery needles are fairly inexpensive.

Felt:

 

The base of your craft! Felt is available in individual sheets at craft stores. Most of the time this is all you need. It comes in myriad colors and is 25-50 cents a sheet. I keep a good stash around. If ordering online, this is 1.5mm (soft), not the 1mm (the 1mm is stiffer, so it can be really useful for letter detail, but it has a different look and isn't as accommodating for other things).  

Felt also comes in bolts! So you can get a ton of a certain color (for busy book patterns, this is a necessity for the page bases).

Fine-Point Tweezers:

 

These, I love. Curved, fine-point tweezers are really, really good for holding small pieces while applying hot glue, and also having precision placement. They have saved many a fingertip of mine from being burned, or from me dropping an errant eye-piece onto someone's cheek. Plus? They're pretty cheap. I got a three-pack on Amazon for $6, and I like having multiple tweezers because there's always a use for them...and I lose them.

There you are! That will get you started with any basic felt pattern that I've created. (Oh, you'll also need a printer and paper...and a computer to process the PDF I suppose, and a power supply...and free time...but there's only so much I can help you with here.)

Hello!

Welcome to The Craft Subversive blog.

A while ago I downloaded a felt busy book pattern to make for my impending baby. That baby is now turning 2 and the busy book is done, plus some.

It got my creativity flowing, and I already had all this felt... So I started designing new busy book pages.

And then I started designing other things. Ornaments/badges, finger puppets... you know. Like you do.

I already had all the pattern pieces (I made them in photoshop), so I thought I'd write up instructions and put them online.

And thus was born:

The Craft Subversive Etsy Shop

Ta dah!

And then I had some people say they'd really like more detail--some in-process photos or some tips and such. This is why this blog is here. Along the way, I'll post tips and tricks, new things I'm working on, etc. It's a learning process for me too, so share in my pain!