Wood Carving

Wood carving is a great past-time for both adults and children, and you don’t have to be a carpenter to have a go!  When we take our children out on walks, we usually carry a pocket knife with us.  The simplest pieces of bark of small branches can easily be transformed into delightful toys.  Here are a few images for you to enjoy and we hope they will inspire you to have a go.

This little boat is a simple piece of bark with a groove carved out with a Crook Knife.

Just add an off-cut of slightly scrunched blue cloth and a few pebbles from the beach and you instantly have a river to sail it down.  You can also add a sail with a small twig and a piece of fabric.

These simple little gnomes are small branch cuttings, with a gouge carved for a face and one end whittled to a point for the hat.  Just add a touch of red paint to the hat.

You can start to create them a home by carving some more off-cuts into the shape of a table and chairs.  These chairs have a wedge cut out of them with a simple hand saw and the table is a small log glued to the bottom of a larger flat one.  You can add a table cloth and some even small twig off-cuts for plates and cups.

And so to bed.  A few more log slices glued together for a bed.  This cover has been made from felt, but a simple piece of cotton is just as effective.

I love this little house.  Again it is very simply carved, leaving the bark on for texture and colour depth.  The gnome requires patience and a bit more skill, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.  He has been finished of by sanding and waxing to create the smooth finish.

You couldn’t get much simpler than this, and I can assure you it is well loved by my son.  this is all one piece with the bark whittled away and a very rough face carved out.  A simple slit has been made at the base to represent legs.

Woollen Dolls

This is a craft I remember doing with my mum when I was a child.  It is really easy for quite young children to do without much help and the dolls make great little gifts for friends or fabulous Party Bag fillers.  A friend recently reminded me how to make them so I am sharing them here with you.  Hope you enjoy them.

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut a piece of strong cardboard into a 8 x 6 cm rectangle.  (This is your pattern)

Making the Body

• Wind some thick wool over the 8cm length of the cardboard approximately 30-40 times.
• Cut the wool free from the ball at the bottom end.
• Carefully remove the wool from the cardboard and place on a flat surface.

Defining the Head

• Wrap a spare piece of wool several times around the body length approximately 1cm from the end to create a head.
• Tie neatly in a tight knot and leave the loose ends long enough to cut at the bottom of the body.

Making the Arms

• Wind some more wool around the 6cm width of the cardboard – approximately 25-35 times.
• Cut the wool free from the ball at one end and gently slide the wool off the cardboard.

Defining the Hands

• Wrap some spare pieces of wool several times around the arms approximately 1cm from each end.
• Tie neatly in tight knots and leave the loose ends long enough to cut of at the outer edges of the hands.

Connecting Body and Arms

• Open up the loop of the body and thread the arms though it pushing them securely up to the head.
• Keeping two very long ends, tie some spare wool around the body directly under the arms to create a waist.
• Secure with a tight knot at the back.
• Push the waist line up as far as possible to ensure the arms remain secure.
• Bring the loose ends of the waist tie around to the front on either side, cross them over and return them to the back at the neck to create a cross over the chest.
• Cross the loose ends at the back and return to the front at the waist to create a cross over the back.
• Repeat the previous two steps about 3-4 times and secure the thread with a tight knot at the back.
• Bring the loose threads down and cut neatly at the bottom of the body length.

Defining the Legs for a Boy

• At the base of the body pull the loops carefully apart so that you have an equal number in each hand.
• Tie some thread around each section about 1cm from the bottom to define the feet.

Creating a Skirt for a Girl

• Take a sharp pair of fabric scissors and thread them through all the loops at the bottom of the body.
• Cut carefully and splay out to make a full skirt.

OPTIONAL FINISHING TOUCHES

If you are feeling creative you can stitch little cone shaped hats to the heads to transform your dolls into delightful woollen gnomes.  Or add a felt jacket to the boy and an apron to the girl made from a square of fabric sewn to a length of ribbon for the ties.  Click on the image below to follow the links to “The Crafty Crow” and “Crafts Stylish” for details about how to make these delightful costumed dolls.

Pom Poms

I remember really enjoying making Pom Poms with my Grandma when I was a little girl.  They are really simple to make, don’t take very long and I think they make a great craft when travelling as the materials can easily be stored in a handbag (but remember no scissors if you are travelling by air!)

In case you are new to this craft, or like me just needed a reminder, here’s a really straight forward video that shows just how easy it is.