Hand-Stitched Felt.

So, perhaps you consider yourself to be a jaded crafter.  And as far as you know, toymaking doesn’t have a regular place in the crafting repertoire you’ve created for your oh-so-grownup and cynical self. Maybe you even tend to make only what you deem to be useful items like clothing or, on a particularly whimsical day, a tea cosy that still has a job to do.

But then, one day, you find yourself holding some luxurious handmade felt, a needle and thread, and maybe some other trimmings and notions.  And you’ve been invited to make something so sweet and so unassuming that you don’t know how to respond beyond simply getting started.  The next thing you know, you’ve created your very own button-nosed, carrot-inspired finger puppet.  And you can’t wait to get your hands on the stuff to make more.

What caused this change of heart?  Nothing less than Kata Golda‘s book, Hand-Stitched Felt, with its unabashed enthusiasm, gentle approach, and sweet results.  Golda’s creatures and toys make use of basic materials and straightforward hand sewing methods, but the results are anything but simplistic in their charms.  Each little doll, puppet, cushion, and cosy pattern leaves things open for personal and imaginative reworkings.

So, the Carrot’s home is atop a bottle of port in this adults-only household.  But don’t think for a second that this fellow doesn’t bring me the same joy that a child feels for new toy.  And yes, I do indeed plan to make more items from Kata’s wonderful book.  But first I need to place my order for the incomparable OhMa felt that she recommends.  This felt has made me rethink what this crafting staple should be. Just as Kata’s book has gotten me to think differently about making toys by hand.