Penrose Triangle Marquetry

My latest woodworking project was to do a simple marquetry top for a plain wooden box I had. I've always like all of Escher's Impossible things, and thought the Penrose Triangle would be a nice, and simple project. I actually spent more time choosing the veneers to get the right shading effect, than it took me to do the cutting! I applied several coats of gloss poly on it to give it a durable finish since the box will be handled quite a bit.

 

 

Giraffe Update

Back in February I posted about some stuffed giraffes I'd been making for some family and friends. Well since then I've made a few more, and have gotten back some pictures of them being put to good use by some pretty cute little folks!  

I had to make a second one for little Sebastian, as it is one of his favourite toys, and he knows that its bedtime as soon as he sees his giraffe!


And this is Elissa's first reaction to "RG" as her giraffe is known. I think she likes it! 

Wooden Name Tag

Since I've moved here I've joined both the local woodturning club and more recently the marquetry club. The turning club requires a name tag - ideally turned, and if you're caught at a meeting without one you are supposed to make a $1 donation to the club. So this winter I finally had an idea for making one that involved both turning and marquetry, so that I could be covered for both. The backer disc is turned around the outside as well as a small indent in the front where I glued in the marquetry I cut with an exacto knife. I designed it with my name and a maple leaf on it as a conversation starter to meet new people. The whole thing is 3" across, and so the letters were very challenging and tiny, which is why I decided against removing the centers of the letters. I glued a pin to the back and now wear it and save a dollar every month at the meetings!

 

Lego Photo #6: Happy Canada Day!!!

Happy Canada Day from Jerome and I!!

 
And we found a beaver friend who wanted to celebrate too!

Lego Photo #5: My Dad and I on a Bench

This was my second Lego photo that I took. It was for Dad's father's day last year. He has an affinity for benches, so I thought us hanging out on a bench would be fun, and I wanted to incorporate the outdoors.  I found a spot across from our apartment under a tree that had a nice root to put the bench on, and a day when the grass wasn't too long. These were the top two.

I liked this one because of the sky in the background, and the grass in the foreground. 

But I liked the better focus on the minifigs more in this one. 

Leather Moustachios

My latest sewing endeavour has been to make a series of leather moustaches. I chose a variety of types and colours and stitched them to background squares. I carefully stopped sewing before I got all the way around, so that I could add in a bit of stuffing, to get them dimension. Each frame is about 6"x6". I got the leather from someone who was giving away their sample kits for couches. So I have many small rectangles, and have been trying to come up with projects to use them on. Here are some close ups to see the textures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lego Photo #4: Mum's Sewing Room

Here is another Lego photo that I took a while ago - last summer I believe, but thought since Mother's Day was coming up, this would be a good time to post it! It's a photo of my Mum in her sewing room, with her cutting table, dress form, rotary cutter, pin cushion, sewing machine, and a little quilt in the works.
I didn't do any real editing to these ones, just set them up with some good lights, on my desk to mimic her wood floor, and then started taking pictures. 


This one was a nice overall view that showed all the elements that I had incorporated. 

But in some ways I prefer this one, as it is a more realistic view point, as if another Lego person took it instead of from above. 

Wood Duck Call

Another one of my March projects was to make a wooden duck call. I got the kit for this a few years ago because it sounded awesome, but was having a hard time finding the weird drill bit size I needed. I happened to find out that we had one at work so borrowed it one weekend to finally be able to turn my duck call!! This was for my Dad as he likes ducks. I don't know if he'll find any or not, but it was fun! 

It is made in two parts that slide together and so I had to fit the parts quite carefully which was a fun and interesting experience. Here is the first part as I was working on it on the lathe. 

And here is the second part. They actually went together quite well. Perhaps beginners luck, but I also tried to go very slow and check often to avoid making it too big. 

Here is is with the duck call parts installed.

 

And here it is put together.

 

This is where the funny sound comes out of.

 

And this is where you blow into it. I sanded it well to avoid splinters!!

A small washer is added in a grove to create the seal for the call.

And here is a very poor demonstration of what it sounds like! 

It sounds alot different than I thought it would. But apparently that is because this kit was for a Wood duck which has a squeakier, whistlier sound than the typical quacking noise. 

Bird Note/Photo Holders

These are the first of the projects that I was working on in February as they've arrived to their new owners now. They are a pair of cute little bird note/photo holders. I got the pattern from a recent issue of Stitch Magazine. It's actually my favourite sewing magazine. It has the right combination of fun and useful projects, with full patterns and great instructions and lots of tips and stuff. I'd recommend it highly if you're looking for something different. They come out quarterly and you can get them at bookstores or Joann's - especially good if you wait for a coupon!


I made these for my Mum who's developed a liking for little sewn birdies recently. So when I saw the pattern, I thought of making them right away.

This is the small one. The feet and head swirl are made from those coated paperclips.

I had some neat fabric in two colours that I thought would make a really cute pair.

You're supposed to be able to put photos or notes in the top swirl.
Hopefully my hand stitching will stand up to the test! 

There was a big and a small one, so I tried one of each.

I also lined them with the opposite fabrics to give a nice surprise if you see into them!

Leather Jack!

Well I've been rather absent in posting, but that's because I've been making stuff! I had a goal to complete 4 projects in February and I did. Several of those items are gifts and will make their debut once they've been delivered to their recipients!

At Halloween I posted the paper Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas that I'd made, and how I'd really wanted to make him out of leather to get the textures and depth. Well since I first had that idea over a year ago, I enlisted my Mum to keep her eye out for some white leather, which I wasn't having any luck with. Low and behold for Christmas there was a nice big piece in my stocking! So I dug out my pattern and got to it!


He looks much more like I had envisioned now. 

You can see the textures, and the depth of the layers coming out of the frame.  

The leather stitching also looks a lot better than the string had. 

Zelda Marquetry Frame Completed!

Well you may remember mid last year when I posted about a marquetry project I had done of the Zelda crest. The frame got put on the back burner a bit, but I finally got it all sorted out and finished this past weekend! Yay! 

Here it is with the frame installed

I added a layer of the dark veneer in the corners of the frame for an accent. 

I rabetted out the back so that the picture could sit flush with the back of the frame. This way I could use the removable hardware you see (from Lee Valley of course!), so that if I need to re-wax the picture, or decide I want to make a different frame, I can do it easily. I also drilled two holes to allow for screws to hold it to the wall.

With the final coats of wax on it, the neat grain pattern of the crest really shines out.


Finally after all the work of finishing and hanging it, I decided to relax the best way I could think of. Playing Zelda!! 

Giraffe Stuffed Toys

I love these stuffed giraffes! I've made a total of 6 of them now, and I still love them! Pretty much the hardest part is finding fuzzy giraffe print fabric. The patterns are from Carol's Zoo who makes a whole bunch of easy patterns for various animals. I've also made the penguin, and have the pattern for several others, but haven't gotten to them yet. You can check them all out here: http://www.carolszoo.com/patterns/index.htm.


The last pair I made were especially cute as I found red and blue giraffe print which was perfect as I had a friend and cousin who were both having babies, one boy one girl! For these ones, I simple took a few tight stitches for the eyes so there would be no risk of choking or anything.


This was the original set that I made, I started with one but couldn't stop. They worked out nicely as the print I found was more to scale for the size. I've only made the "Baby" giraffe, but he sits about 12" tall, so he doesn't seem too small. The pattern also comes with a "Mama" version. These ones I bought plastic safety lock eyes in different colours to finish them off since I was giving them to more grown up types.


The patterns are really straight forward and simple to follow. Only two pattern pieces. The sewing is pretty easy. The only trick I've found is to pin alot! Maybe this was just necessary as my fabrics were a bit stretchy. But I found if I took the extra few minutes to pin the heck out of them, then sewing took a fraction of the time. They look kind of funny all pinned up too! Anyways, if you're looking for a cute, easy, fun stuffed animal project, these are a fun place to start! 

E-book Reader Cover

A while ago we got an E-Reader and I've been wanting to bring it to work to read at lunch, but have been hesitant without some sort of case to protect it. We could have bought one, but of course I thought making one would be better, and more fun. Here's how it went!


This is my design/pattern/notes and instructions that I made up.
Very high tech as you can see!

   
I've been on a stripey fabric kick lately, so I picked one of my favourites and a complementary fabric to make the cover. 

I decided to use an elastic to keep it closed - like a Moleskine. 

   
An after several attempts and much figuring out, I got all the layers and elastic pinned together inside out.

I made the inside in two halves with another strip of fabric in the middle so that I could slip in some hardboard and padding to protect the Reader. Once the layers were all cut to size and inserted, I sewed it in place which secured everything, as well as closed the pocket and the elastic to hold down the Reader. 

And here is the finished product!!

I was pretty happy with how it turned out considering I didn't have a real pattern or anything to go off of. 

Now I just have to get some E-books...