The Fourth Doctor Mug Rug

Here is a quick project I wanted to make for my friend Jewells (her blog is here). This lovely lady, whom I met through the fabulous TTMT community, has sent me care packages full of crafty goodies which both my daughters and I always thoroughly enjoy.

I happen to know that she is a loooong-time Dr. Who fan, and I believe Her Doctor is #4. So, what to do? A mug rug, that's what.

These are two patterns from Fandom in Stitches. Halves of two patterns, actually. The Doctor's scarf is the lower half of Cat's 'Torn Ribbon' pattern, and of course the half-TARDIS is Jen's TARDIS, version 2. I have not seen the older incarnations of Dr. Who (like so many others, I started with Ecclescakes), and I'm pretty sure his scarf was never flying out behind the TARDIS, but what the hey. You get the idea.

Enjoy your cuppa, Jewells! :)

Moroccan Caftan Embroidery

Here is another 12-for-2012!

This is a gift for my mum, it's just waiting for a frame. The design is from a line-art drawing from Islamic Designs by Diane Victoria Horn. It's a ceremonial caftan and belt from 19th century Rabat.

Since it started as just a line drawing, I decided to make it into a sort of sampler, trying all kinds of stitches that I'd never done before. It's worked on a poly blend "silk shantung", backed with muslin. Worked in chain, stem, straight, buttonhole, fern, bullion, and satin stitches. Here are some pictures of the process.

The original design, traced using water-soluable ink:

There are babouches, or slipper-type shoes, in the original design. I tried to include them but they just never looked quite right.

I basted muslin around the edges to fit the piece nicely into a hoop. Here it is in the beginning, in summer!

I wanted to try a blackwork design for the belt, so I first drew in a grid to use as a guideline:

And here are some detail shots of the final piece:

A few new stitches under my belt! Success!

Prefect Badge How-To

I haven't quite decided if I'm prefect material.

For those days when I'm feeling especially prattish exemplary, I have made myself a badge.

It's kind of what I envisioned, minus the slabs-of-polymer-clay-stuck-together look.

Here's how I did it, and if you're more proficient with polymer than I am, you can smooth out the seams to suit your tastes.

It's a basic tray setting, into which I secured a printed prefect design (I designed mine in Inkscape), and sealed with resin.

You'll need the following:

• silvery polymer clay (I used Premo!Sculpey Accents in Silver)
• a pin back finding
• jewellery glaze or resin (I used Diamond Glaze)
• sealer (I used ModPodge)
• jewellery glue (I used E-6000)
• printout/drawing of your house prefect design

1. Cut out the design of your choice. Roll out the clay to a uniform thickness (mine is a little less than 1/8" thick). Use your cutout as a pattern for the base of your setting, cutting around the basic shape and leaving 1/8' 'seam allowance' for the walls of your setting. Cut strips of the rolled polymer for the walls. I eyeballed mine, but I just measured and they're 3/16" high. Attach the walls, trimming as you go, around the edge of the base.

2. After all the walls are in place, bake as directed.

3. After clay has cooled, attach pin finding with jewellery glue. Allow to cure.

4. For added security, make a 'band-aid' of polymer - just a rectangle - and attach over the bottom of the pin finding. Rebake your badge.

5. Seal both the front and back of your paper design with sealer. Let dry, then glue to the inside of your setting, trimming if necessary.

6. Before you add your resin, you have to make the setting level. Use a scrap lump of clay under the bottom of the badge to raise it to level.

7. Pour in a thick layer of resin, following your manufacturer's directions.

8. Allow to cure, again following your manufacturer's directions.

Enjoy being a prefect! :)