Christmas Mouse Ornament

Technique:  Sewing

Materials:
larger sized matchbox
warm and natural quilt batting
assorted fabrics
7mm plastic eyes
black embroidery floss
ground cinnamon
Distress Inks
* Vintage Photo
* Peeled Paint
holly punch
grunge paper
adhesive

Tools:
sewing machine, needle and thread etc
printer
paper distressing tool

If you saw my post on Friday you will know straight away where the inspiration for this wee little mouse came from!  The Olde Country Cupboard has a large collection of free patterns available to download, (scroll down the page to find them) and although I didn't actually use most of their pattern, I drew heavily upon it for inspiration, so if you download it and follow her directions you can't really go wrong.

Anywhere, here's what I did differently!

I used warm and natural batting to make my mouse rather than grey felt.  I adjusted the pattern shape of the mouse for a pointed nose rather than the blunt, rounded nose and I embroidered the nose at the tip of the point.  I used plastic eyes instead of french knots, and once he was sewn together I dusted him heavily with cinnamon powder to make him look old and dirty.  The quilt is made from a Debbie Mumm quilt label, and glued in place over the top of the match box.  The letter to Santa is directly from the pattern, and I have aged it with distress inks and glued it in place with a sprig of holly.

It is my son's eleventh birthday in a few days, and believe it or not he asked me to make him an ornament as a present.  He also insisted that he not see it before his birthday and that it be kept as a surprise!  You can see in the photo below the hanger for the ornament, I punched a hole in the top and strung through a bead and some twine so my son can put it on the tree this year.  If you preferred you could glue four beads to the base of the matchbox to act as feet for the bed so it can be a shelf sitting ornament.

Oh, and I have just noticed that the theme this week at Winter Wonderland holly and ivy so I am going to pop this little rascal over there as my first entry this week. I just bought a Martha Stewart holly punch so I have a few projects in mind for this week :0)

Three Blind Mice Part 3

Technique: Knitting

Materials:
8 ply or double knit wool in three colours
bells, buttons or embellishments if desired

Tools:
scissors
3.5 - 4mm knitting needles

Three Blind Mice Part 2

Technique: Knitting

Materials:
8 ply or double knit wool in three colours
bells, buttons or embellishments if desired

Tools:
scissors
3.5 - 4mm knitting needles

Did I mention yesterday that these little guys were so cute and quick to knit that I couldn't stop at one?

Three Blind Mice - Part 1

Technique: Knitting

Materials:
8 ply wool in three colours
bells, buttons or embellishments if desired

Tools:
scissors
3.5 - 4mm knitting needles



Before delving into the pattern the two small things that I did change. Originally I did put eyes on my first mouse, but when I put the bonnet on it came forward so far it completely covered them, which led to the idea of the Three Blind Mice. After that I deliberately left the next two without eyes.

Also, the pattern calls for 4mm needles and the closest I had was 3.75mm and they still came out perfectly. These little mice knit together very easily, even for someone with little to no knitting experience (me!!).

Aside from the basic knit and purl stitches you will be using two types of stitches that decrease the row. K2TOG is just as it says, you knit two stitches together as if they were one. SKPO also decreases, but it does so in such a way that the stitches lie in a different direction to K2TOG. First you slip a stitch from the right needle to the left without working it at all, knit the next stitch, then loop the slipped stitch over the stitch you just knitted. Utilizing both of these stitches is what gives the mouses nose that lovely point.

Holiday Mouse

Materials: 15 g worsted weight yarn in main colour (MC), 10 g of worsted weight yarn in contrasting colour (CC), small amount of pink worsted weight yarn, stuffing, pair of 8 mm safety eyes or buttons (or black yarn), 4 mm (US size 6) set of dpns or pair of needles), tapestry needle

Size: 8 cm (3")

Gauge: 22 sts and 32 rows per 10cm (4˝) in st st

Notes: Instructions are written for knitting flat with straight needles. To knit the toy in the round on dpns, knit all odd rows, rather than purling them (except for bobbles). Please note that you may need to shuffle sts between needles occasionally, in order to work the increases and decreases. Remember to attach safety eyes and stuff head before working Row 16.

MB = Make Bobble
Row 1: increase 5 sts into next st (knit into front, then back, front, back, front of st). (5 sts)
Row 2: p5, turn.
Row 3: k5, turn.
Row 4: p2tog, p1, p2tog, turn. (3 sts)
Row 5: s1, k2tog, psso. (1 st)
Then continue with pattern...

Body
Start at bottom. Cast on 7 sts with MC.
Row 1: P 1 row.
Row 2: k1, [m1, k1] x 6. (13 sts)
Row 3: P 1 row.
Row 4: k3, [m1, k1] x 7, m1, k3. (21 sts)
Row 5: P 1 row.
Row 6: k7, MB, k5, MB, k7.
Row 7-9: work 3 rows in st st.
Row 10: k6, k2tog, k5, skpo, k6. (19 sts)
Row 11-13: work 3 rows in st st.
Row 14: k6, MB, skpo, k1, k2tog, MB, k6. (17 sts)
Row 15-17: work 3 rows in st st.
Row 18: k2, [skpo] x 3, k1, [k2tog] x 3, k2. (11 sts)
Bind off. Cut yarn. Sew up back seam, leaving bound-off edge open. Stuff body.

Head
Start at back. Cast on 6 sts with MC.
Row 1: P 1 row.
Row 2: k1, [m1, k1] x 5. (11 sts)
Row 3: P 1 row.
Row 4: k2, [m1, k1] x 3, k1, [k1, m1] x 3, k2. (17 sts)
Row 5-9: work 5 rows in st st.
Row 10: k2, skpo, k1, k2tog, k3, skpo, k1, k2tog, k2. (13 sts)
Row 11: P 1 row.
Row 12: k3, k2tog, k3, skpo, k3. (11 sts)
Row 13: P 1 row.
Row 14: k2, k2tog, k3, skpo, k2. (9 sts)
Row 15: P 1 row.
Row 16: [k2tog] x 2, k1, [skpo] x 2. (5 sts)
Cut yarn, thread end through remaining sts, and pull tight to gather. Attach safety eyes. Sew seam, leaving an opening. Stuff head, adding extra stuffing to cheeks. Sew closed.

Hood
Start at front. Cast on 22 sts with CC yarn and straight needles.
Row 1: K 1 row.
Row 2: skpo, k18, k2tog. (20 sts)
Row 3: k2, p16, k2.
Row 4: skpo, k16, k2tog. (18 sts)
Row 5: k2, p14, k2.
Row 6: K 1 row.
Row 7: k2, p14, k2.
Row 8: k8, m1, k2, m1, k8. (20 sts)
Row 9: k2, p16, k2.
Row 10: k9, m1, k2, m1, k9. (22 sts)
Fold hood in half and graft together back from neck to point. Or, work one more wrong side row, then bind off, and sew back seam of hood. Add a couple lengths of yarn or ribbon to front corners for ties. If you like, add a pom-pom or bell to the hood point.

Beret
Cast on 18 sts with CC yarn and dpns. Join in the round.
Row 1-2: [k1, p1] x 9.
Row 3: [k2, m1] x 9. (27 sts)
Row 4-8: work 5 rows in st st.
Row 9: [k1, k2tog] x 9. (18 sts)
Row 10: K 1 row.
Row 11: [k2tog] x 9. (9 sts)
Row 12: K 1 row.
Row 13: [k1, k2tog] x 3. (6 sts)
Cut yarn, thread end through remaining sts, and pull tight to gather. Secure yarn ends.

Ears (make 2)
Ears must be knit flat.
Cast on 3 sts with pink yarn.
Row 1: P 1 row.
Row 2: [k1, m1] x 2, k1. (5 sts)
Row 3: P 1 row.
Row 4: k1, m1, k3, m1, k1. (7 sts)
Row 5: P 1 row.
Row 6: k1, [k2tog] x 3. (4 sts)
Bind off.

Finishing
If you're not using safety eyes, sew on button eyes, or embroider them with black yarn. Embroider a nose with pink yarn. Sew bound-off edge of ears to head or hat. Sew head to bound-off edge of body. Sew hat onto head (add a bit of stuffing to the hat if you like). For the tail, make a braid or a length of I-cord from pink yarn. If you're hanging the mouse on a tree, add a loop of yarn to the top of the head. If the mouse will be a toy, you may want to sew down the sides of the bobble feet.

Abbreviations
K or k = knit
k2tog = decrease 1 by knitting 2 together
m1 = increase 1 by picking up loop between stitch just worked and next stitch, and knit into the back of this loop
P or p = purl
p2tog = decrease 1 by purling 2 together
skpo = slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over
st or sts = stitch or stitches
st st = stocking stitch

This adorable pattern comes from www.fuzzymitten.com

Mouse Christmas Carol Paper Tole

Technique: Paper Tole

Materials:
christmas card or image that you like
spray Sealant
600gsm card stock
silicone
PVA glue

Tools
scissors
scalpel or hobby knife
paintbrush
styrofoam pad
paper tole tool
high resolution colour printer

Paper tole, or 3D decoupage as it is often called, is where you use one image that you have cut several times, and then layer to give a three dimensional effect.

Once you have found an image that you want to use, you must make 5 to 6 copies of the image. If it is an image you found online, or the one above, simply print it a few times on the same sheet of paper. Use high resolution paper and print at the highest quality you can. If you are using a christmas card you will need to scan it in and then reprint several copies (or purchase several cards!)

The first step is to seal the backs of the images. The silicone that we use to raise each layer will leave a dark spot on your paper unless you protect it with a sealant first. Seal the front and back with the spray sealant.

Glue one image to the card stock, this will be the base upon which you build the rest. For mine, I cut closely around the music sheet, eliminating all of the red background, but you could keep that in if you prefer.

I won't give exact directions on what to cut as you may have chosen a different image to mine. Look at your picture and try and divide it into background, middle and foreground. For the mouse carollers I cut all three mice as one piece, and then from another sheet I cut the heads and scarves of all the mice. Then from another sheet I cut their ears. What we are looking for is pieces that can be layered to give depth and perspective.

Once you have cut the pieces you want to use it's time to give them a little shaping. A paper tole tool is a simple shaping tool, with a blunt end designed for making soft curves, and a sharper edge designed for scoring and creasing. Lay the first piece you want to add onto a foam board or piece of styrofoam and gently rub over it in small circles. If you don't have a paper tole tool you could use a marble to get the same effect. Gently rub until you have put a little shape into the piece. Now turn it over and mark in any creases, pleats or folds. Take a small piece of silicone onto a toothpick, no bigger than the pip in an orange, and place several dobs on the back of your image and then place it onto your backing image and line the two up as precisely as you can. This will now become the foundation for the rest of the pieces so it is important that it is well supported.

Working now with the mid-ground images, do the same, shape them and then place them onto the ornament with small amounts of silicone. The silicone doesn't take long to adhere and set, but you should ensure that it has a firm hold before attaching a new piece, or as you are sliding it into position you could upset the layer beneath.

For the final pieces, the ones that are going to be in the most foreground, try and work a little more detail into the shaping and be a little creative with the silicone to add angles. For example with the ears on the mice, they would be touching at the point where they join the head, but they could be angled away from the head and lifted just as real ears would be.

When you are happy with the piece, allow it to set up properly for a few hours and then give another coat of sealant. Attach a hanger to the back of the ornament.