Another one bites the dust
Dec. 17th, 2021 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetAnother project, that is!
Cloth corn rattle 😁 (Click photos to enlarge.)
This took a bit longer than I'd initially planned, and went through a good number of conceptual changes along the way. I'd originally planned to have a layer of pony beads on one half and popcorn stitch on the other, for exploration of different textures; then Mom talked me out of the beads (I couldn't make myself sure enough that they wouldn't all come loose and be a choking hazard), and I talked myself out of the popcorn stitch (I simply couldn't imagine making whole "cloth" out of popcorn stitch, or the math involved to only crochet half of an item made in the round in popcorn stitch; not divided against the round, at any rate). The face happened after I ditched the beads idea, and honestly it pretty well matches the other corn I've made over the years this way. The brown eyes were not planned, but look fine, and I needed to use them up anyway; I had no idea what I was going to use that size for otherwise. (20mm in diameter, I think?)
After I finally convinced myself to abandon the popcorn idea, the corncob was going to be all single crochet, since that looks more like individual corn kernels, but I was still figuring out the size I wanted it to be and single crochet was taking too long, so I switched over to double 😛 (For those more familiar with UK stitch names, I switched from double to treble.) My wrists are grateful for the switch, though a little salty that I didn't start with my usual "larger project" stitch.
The zipper was always in the plan, as was the different cloth textures: Cotton on the outside of the husk, felt on the inside. I also added a rattle to the inside: A recycled pill bottle, with some of the pony beads inside to make noise, since I wasn't using them otherwise.
I made up the pattern for the husk by folding a piece of paper around the corncob, then using the folds as a guide for where to cut or sew darts. As far as half-assed plans go, it worked out okay; if I try and make another pattern like this, though, I'm going to see if I have any scrap fabric that's large enough to use instead. (I can't remember the proper name for this, argh.) I also used Mom's sewing machine rather than my own, if only because hers was conveniently already threaded with green 😂 The tension got a little wonky in places (I think that's what was going on), but I'm not messing with the tension on Mom's machine, no-siree-bob!
The zipper was a bit tricky, since the store didn't have one that was the length and the color and the size I wanted (something big enough for a toddler to fiddle with relatively safely). After some debate, I cut off the bottom rather than the top. This caused a few headaches as I was putting things together, but now that everything's in place, I think it was the right choice.
Last note is, the two items also "attach" with a magnetic snap. I got the sew-on kind, and sewed it on as firmly and securely as I could on both the corncob and the husk. Unfortunately, Dad has suggested it may be a safety issue for Nibling, so I might be removing it and using it in a different project at another time. Gotta say, this bums me out, but I've already sided with my nibling's safety over my original design choices once for this project, and a second time won't hurt me. It's just slightly frustrating that I only found this out after already sewing the magnets in place, rather than before I started, like with my beading plans.
Phew, that's a lot of process talk! But then, I don't usually use this many different materials. It's usually either traditional cloth sewing or crochet, not both in the same project! Anyway, I'm pretty sure Nibling will like it; it makes a noise, has a fun zipper to play with, and the yarn tassel will be lots of fun to see shaking around. I only have to wait a few days to find out!
Next on the creative project docket: More ear/hijab savers for the local community college (because for as long as we're stuck wearing masks, I want to make it as comfortable and convenient as possible). And after that, I'm not sure yet; guess I'll find out!
Cloth corn rattle 😁 (Click photos to enlarge.)
This took a bit longer than I'd initially planned, and went through a good number of conceptual changes along the way. I'd originally planned to have a layer of pony beads on one half and popcorn stitch on the other, for exploration of different textures; then Mom talked me out of the beads (I couldn't make myself sure enough that they wouldn't all come loose and be a choking hazard), and I talked myself out of the popcorn stitch (I simply couldn't imagine making whole "cloth" out of popcorn stitch, or the math involved to only crochet half of an item made in the round in popcorn stitch; not divided against the round, at any rate). The face happened after I ditched the beads idea, and honestly it pretty well matches the other corn I've made over the years this way. The brown eyes were not planned, but look fine, and I needed to use them up anyway; I had no idea what I was going to use that size for otherwise. (20mm in diameter, I think?)
After I finally convinced myself to abandon the popcorn idea, the corncob was going to be all single crochet, since that looks more like individual corn kernels, but I was still figuring out the size I wanted it to be and single crochet was taking too long, so I switched over to double 😛 (For those more familiar with UK stitch names, I switched from double to treble.) My wrists are grateful for the switch, though a little salty that I didn't start with my usual "larger project" stitch.
The zipper was always in the plan, as was the different cloth textures: Cotton on the outside of the husk, felt on the inside. I also added a rattle to the inside: A recycled pill bottle, with some of the pony beads inside to make noise, since I wasn't using them otherwise.
I made up the pattern for the husk by folding a piece of paper around the corncob, then using the folds as a guide for where to cut or sew darts. As far as half-assed plans go, it worked out okay; if I try and make another pattern like this, though, I'm going to see if I have any scrap fabric that's large enough to use instead. (I can't remember the proper name for this, argh.) I also used Mom's sewing machine rather than my own, if only because hers was conveniently already threaded with green 😂 The tension got a little wonky in places (I think that's what was going on), but I'm not messing with the tension on Mom's machine, no-siree-bob!
The zipper was a bit tricky, since the store didn't have one that was the length and the color and the size I wanted (something big enough for a toddler to fiddle with relatively safely). After some debate, I cut off the bottom rather than the top. This caused a few headaches as I was putting things together, but now that everything's in place, I think it was the right choice.
Last note is, the two items also "attach" with a magnetic snap. I got the sew-on kind, and sewed it on as firmly and securely as I could on both the corncob and the husk. Unfortunately, Dad has suggested it may be a safety issue for Nibling, so I might be removing it and using it in a different project at another time. Gotta say, this bums me out, but I've already sided with my nibling's safety over my original design choices once for this project, and a second time won't hurt me. It's just slightly frustrating that I only found this out after already sewing the magnets in place, rather than before I started, like with my beading plans.
Phew, that's a lot of process talk! But then, I don't usually use this many different materials. It's usually either traditional cloth sewing or crochet, not both in the same project! Anyway, I'm pretty sure Nibling will like it; it makes a noise, has a fun zipper to play with, and the yarn tassel will be lots of fun to see shaking around. I only have to wait a few days to find out!
Next on the creative project docket: More ear/hijab savers for the local community college (because for as long as we're stuck wearing masks, I want to make it as comfortable and convenient as possible). And after that, I'm not sure yet; guess I'll find out!
