Zodiac Felties: 16 Compelling Astrological Characters to Craft
By Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
From the authors of the sensational Zombie Felties and Steampunk Softies comes Zodiac Felties a craft book for creating felties representing each of the twelve astrological signs plus four planetary figures--Mars, Venus, the sun, and the moon.
These cute and creative felties make perfect gifts for friends and loved ones, so the book also includes a template you can copy and fold into a beautiful card to present to someone along with your creation.
Nicola Tedman
Nicola Tedman trained in theatre design and has worked as a freelance designer for the last 15 years, for productions as varied as In the Night Garden and Hellboy 2.
Read more from Nicola Tedman
Beaded Bugs: Make 30 Moths, Butterflies, Beetles, and Other Cute Critters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Steampunk Softies: Scientifically-Minded Dolls from a Past That Never Was Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSewing with Letters: 20 Sewing Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for Zodiac Felties
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I spied this book a few weeks ago, I definitely knew that it was love at first sight. I like crafty things and had been looking for something fun and simple. I don't crochet, I forgot how to knit, I have an off-again/on-again relationship with cross-stitching - but when Zombie Felties boasted of not having any hard sewing involved, I signed myself up!The designs presented are really hit-and-miss for me. I'm not sold on the idea of a Zombie Vampire or Undertaker - they almost look like what you typically expect of them. The Surfer is also really way in left-field that I'm not sure if I will ever make one. I think my favorite so far is The Classic. I really want to try the Pirate and Thrilla because they look awesome, but it seems a little beyond my skill set at the moment.The Zombie Felties do not take too terribly long. It takes me longest to get all the pieces measured out and cut. After you do a couple Zombie Felties, the assembly of the rest do not take so long. There are loads of embellishments and variations - one pattern's details may be easily transferable to a different pattern. My favorite is the dangling eyeball - so awesome! :)
Book preview
Zodiac Felties - Nicola Tedman
Zodiac Felties
Copyright © Ivy Press Limited 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC an Andrews McMeel Universal company
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
ISBN: 9781449422158
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011932651
This book was conceived,
designed, and produced by
Ivy Press
210 High Street Lewes
East Sussex BN7 2NS
United Kingdom
www.ivy-group.co.uk
Creative Director Peter Bridgewater
Publisher Sophie Collins
Editorial Director Tom Kitch
Senior Designer James Lawrence
Designer Kevin Knight
Photographer Andrew Perris
Illustrator Melvyn Evans
Digital Assistant Emily Owen
Attention: Schools and Businesses
Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: specialsales@amuniversal.com
Important
Safety warning: The felties are not toys. All the figures are small and many have removable parts, making them a choking hazard. They are not suitable for children under the age of three.
Contents
Starting Out
The Stitches
Your zodiac lineup:
Aries the Ram
Taurus the Bull
Gemini the Twins
Cancer the Crab
Leo the Lion
Virgo the Maiden
Libra the Scales
Scorpio the Scorpion
Sagittarius the Archer
Capricorn the Goat
Aquarius the Water Carrier
Pisces the Fish
Plus four planetary felties:
The Moon
The Sun
Mars
Venus
A Home for Your Zodiac Felties
Index
Starting Out
How to make a feltie worthy of its place in the zodiac
You’ll want all your creations to hit the heights of the cosmos, so be sure to read these few pages before you make a start. We’ll describe the stitches you need to use and the clever techniques that will make all the difference to your finished figures. Don’t give your felties to the kids, however—many have small or sharp pieces, so they don’t make suitable playthings.
Tools
Use a sharp pair of scissors for cutting and snipping, and the smallest embroidery needle you’re happy with to add stitched details and to sew the felties together. A few characters specify use of eyelet pliers. These are inexpensive and available online or from craft stores—just follow the manufacturer’s directions for your model.
The felties call for two kinds of glue: rubber cement and superglue. The best way to use rubber cement is to spread a thin layer over both the surfaces to be stuck together, wait for a few seconds so that the glue becomes more tacky, then press the glued surfaces together. For very small areas, use a matchstick or a toothpick to help you spread the glue thinly. Superglue is very strong and fast acting; the main thing to be careful about is to avoid inadvertently adhering together items that you didn’t mean to.
A nonpermanent fabric marker (again easily available) is used on many of the felties to draw lines on the fabric that disappear after a few days. Use it to mark out stitching or details.
Templates
Visit www.andrewsmcmeel.com/zodiac_patterns.html to download a PDF of the Zodiac Felties template and print from your computer. All the templates are the correct size to make the zodiac felties shown; none needs scaling up or down. (Note: In your print dialog box, make sure page-scaling
is set to none
so it doesn't resize the template.)
Stuffing the Felties
Use a loose polyester stuffing to fill your felties. It’s light and easy to separate into wisps for stuffing the dolls. Don’t be tempted to use cotton balls or batting instead—they’ll clump and make for a less-than-starry result. A matchstick or pointed tweezers will help you to distribute the stuffing evenly in the smallest pieces.
Sewing and Embroidery
All the characters are embroidered and sewn together using embroidery floss. This comes in a small skein with thread made up of six separate strands, and you pull the floss apart to get the number of strands specified in the patterns. It’s mostly used in single or double threads, although in a few cases more strands are needed. To get the number of strands you want, cut a short length of floss, around 12 to 16 in. (30 to 40 cm) long, and gently separate the number of strands required from the main piece, pulling gently from one end. Keep the other strands to use later. To secure the thread, either tie a small knot at the end of the floss, or make a tiny cross-stitch (one strand laid over another). Whichever method you choose, start from the wrong side of the felt piece. All the patterns specify using an embroidery needle unless you are sewing on beads, in which case use a beading needle. This has a very narrow head so that the beads slip over it easily.
If you aren’t used to embroidering, practice on a scrap of felt before working on your zodiac felties. None of the stitches described is difficult, but one or two—French knots in