Bunny Ears

I was recently asked to come up with three ways to upcycle a coat hanger by Pretty Nostalgic magazine. I made a bird mobile from Recycled Home, some kid's bunny ears and a slightly crazy wire weaving. Here are my instructions for the bunny ears:

You will need: Plastic headband, wire coat hanger, pliers, gaffer tape, scissors, PVA glue, fabric scraps.

1. Stretch out your coat hanger using the pliers and create the shape of two elongated bunny ears, the wonkier the better. 2. Stick the wire ears onto the headband using gaffer tape. Be generous, you need to make sure they are secure. 3. Using sharp scissors, cut your fabric into long strips about 2cm wide. Try to keep the strips an even width all the way along. 4. Using a small piece of tape about 1cm long, fix the end of a fabric strip onto the headband and begin to wrap the fabric around the band, covering the tape as you go. 5. Take your time and keep it as neat and firm as possible. When you get to the end of a strip, secure it with a 1cm piece of tape. 6. When you start wrapping a new piece of fabric, secure it in place with tape and make sure you wrap the fabric over it to hide any joins. 7. Continue wrapping until you have covered all the wire ears and the headband. 8. Instead of tape, secure the final fabric end with a drop of PVA glue and leave to dry. Trim any loose edges for a neat finish or leave raw for a more authentic furry look.

You can see this and my other two upcycled pieces in the latest issue of Pretty Nostalgic.

Japanese Sewing Books

I love Japanese clothes but in England they are hard to find, expensive and unless you are extremely petite, usually a little on the small side. Thankfully, I just found these great new books called Feminine Wardrobe: Twenty-One Beautiful Skirts, Dresses and Tops for You to Make, and Stylish Dress Book: Simple Smocks, Dresses and Tops, so that I can now make my own! The books are part of a series of Japanese sewing books, all reprinted in English and published by Laurence King. They feature lots of very wearable clothes in simple shapes that have just the right amount of Japanese quirk to stop them being boring. The instructions come through a series of simple, step-by-step diagrams, as well as actual-size patterns included in the back so they are really easy to follow. I have my eye on several of the designs and hope to make a couple in the coming months.

Patterned Walls

I mentioned The Painted House here before and I just couldn't resist having a go of their patterned paint rollers. We have wonky cob walls in our house and although they are lovely and characterful, I've always wanted to have at least one room with a bit of pattern on the walls. Cob and wallpaper aren't a great match (plus the papers I like tend to be prohibitively expensive) so I was extra keen to give these rollers a try. I used design no.4 on our pale blue bedroom walls. It is a very simple design with a 1930's-style leaf pattern. I added the design in white, over the existing blue and I am so delighted with the results! It was extremely easy to do; the whole room took just under two hours and now the walls have a subtle vintage pattern that suits the cottage perfectly. I can see that these patterned rollers could become quite addictive. I am already trying to think of other places to paint, and the great thing is that they are reusable so you can use them an unlimited number of times. You could use them to create printed fabrics, wrapping papers and cards. I also think that they would make a great tool for kids craft activities. Patterned cardboard playhouse anyone?

www.the-painted-house.co.uk