These are the fruits (hah!) of my labors this week.
Bits and pieces from six different pages. None of them finished; all in progress. (And six more pages to do.)
I love the spiderweb page but it takes a lot of steps to complete.
But the green fabric was so dark, the colors I used looked black. I pulled out two of my brightest neon fabric markers and after multiple layers, the spider's features had some color.
Sewing all of those buttons onto the web took me four hours. Each button had doubled thread and the entire page is backed with interfacing for strength. (Safety is paramount when you are sewing for littles.) The spider is on a cord that can be wrapped around button to button, building a cobweb.
Everything is either in the tub, the box on top of it, or on the in-progress table shown earlier. And I am going to do it all again today. And tomorrow. And next week...
Using fusible interfacing, I iron the appliqué to felt, stitch around the entire piece (including all those legs), and then carefully cut it out. I also have to make sure I have knotted and then sandwiched the cord securely in between the layers.
Drawing the face is a little nerve wracking. I first practice on some fabric and then draw it on the spider. One of my children has been terrified of spiders since childhood, so any spiders I ever make are always happy spiders.
Next, I chose the buttons. I look for a variety of colors, shapes, and decorative surfaces. After stitching the web lines, I lay out how I want the buttons to be placed.
Sewing all of those buttons onto the web took me four hours. Each button had doubled thread and the entire page is backed with interfacing for strength. (Safety is paramount when you are sewing for littles.) The spider is on a cord that can be wrapped around button to button, building a cobweb.
I struggled with other decisions as I worked.
Such as the size of the eyeballs to use on this page.
Sending photos to Gimmie (my daughter Sarah, the JCs^2 grandmama) was helpful.
She confirmed what I was thinking - the smaller pair worked better. It wouldn't do to scare my great grands with a spooky animal or spider in their book!
Don't let my nice and neat sewing table fool you - the entire room is a mess at the end of every day. I straighten it up when I am finished for the day as I don't like stepping into a mess first thing in the morning.
Everything is either in the tub, the box on top of it, or on the in-progress table shown earlier. And I am going to do it all again today. And tomorrow. And next week...
My timeline for completion is the 4th of July. Thus far, I am in good shape.
Cross your fingers and stay 'tooned.
