Matchbox bears

One of the things I like about going to a multi crafting croup is that you get to try out things you never thought you would ever need or use. When I first saw how to make a pipe cleaner bear on Pinterest I decided they were so cute that I had to find a way to sell them at my craft sales. They reminded me of Matchbox bears, but I couldn’t find a quick cost effective way of making boxes, until I mentioned the idea to my papercraft friends at the craft group. They introduced me to Scoring boards which are great for getting even lines for making cards, gift boxes, and envelopes.

The part of the boards used for making boxes tend to be labeled lid and base at the top and bottom as there is a small difference in size so that one part of the box is a different size when they go together so you have to make sure you use the correct end each time. For some reason on mine the lid side is smaller than the base side, so I always label my template guides as seen in the picture.

Using the board and counting the spaces (or rows) between scoring makes the boxes quick and easy as there is no measuring involved. I mark on my template the count so that I don’t forget if its been a few months since I made any. Each brand of these boards does seem to be slightly different in size, the boxes made with this one are slightly bigger that the ones my friend makes so they are not interchangeable.

 

I decided to make the boxes in the same way as a matchbox as they are a bit tougher for the sake of ware and tear than just having a single layer of card at each end. It also gives a neater look and hides the glue used to keep it all together.

 My bears are approx 4cm or 1 ½ inches tall

For the blanket and pillow I use a mix of ribbon, felt, and any fabric scraps I have lying around and glue them into place making sure there is plenty of room under the blanket for the bear. I had tried putting some stuffing under the pillow but found that the bears tended to sit too high and their noses got caught when closing the box. You can use any card packaging for the matchbox covers and I like to find more unusual things.

Tickle Monkey emergency repair

I was all ready to take pictures of how to make my new bestselling item last night when we had an emergency situation. While changing my 5 year olds bedding I found poor tickle monkey hidden under the pillow with so many holes that his stuffing was starting to fall out. I asked son why he hadn’t told me and he said he was afraid I would throw the poor monkey in the bin. 

Tickle Monkey

It may surprise people to know but despite the number of monkeys and other thinks I make hand sewing, I am not a very neat sewer.

Tickle monkey is almost 3 years old now and has done a lot of tickling in that time. He first came into being when my son saw a pair of knee high socks in a shop and I commented on how long the legs would be if we made them into a monkey, he kept on about it for a couple of days so I gave in and made him. 

To give a better idea of his size, the black body section is the foot of the sock. He was only my 4^th monkey and my sewing is not the best, so I got fed up hand sewing his legs and used my new sewing machine, the problem was that I had bought cheap thread which is why he now needs repaired.

Ladder stitch, now you see it

Now you don't

Repairing seems in toys (or anything) is easier than most people think. The name of the stitch is a ladder stitch as before you pull the thread tight the look like a ladder. ( hard to see in the picture due to white thread on a white background)The other benefit of this stitch is that it is almost invisible, even when done by as messy a sewer as me.

Back with his friends