Month: March 2023

exciting developments in tiny curtain hardware for the cardboard doll house

What’s more luxurious than a little wood stove in your bedroom on a cold spring morning? #lifegoals  There has been major work on the cardboard house for the tiny doll. Decisions have been made and actions have been taken.

doll house made from corrugated cardboard with diy furniture

miniature curtains

The big news is an exciting development in tiny curtain hardware, such a break through, let’s start with that. The original plan was to just tack up little bits of fabric and lace but the idea of hardware and removable rods would not leave me alone.

The twig solution is just right for a cardboard house and super easy to do. All you need are some twigs and hot glue. Snip off sections with a little limb and glue to the wall.

Stitch or tie on fabric or weave a little twig through the lace.

*this post contains an affiliate link highlighted and marked with an asterisk

bedroom walls and floor

The upstairs walls got one more coat of paint in warm white and a border with a carved rubber stamp. I made the downstairs and upstairs stamps with this easy block kit (*this is an affiliate link – meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link). It really is easy and I want to make lot’s more.

There is a closer look at the stamped downstairs walls here.

The bedroom floor needed to be super simple and playful in scale. The removable cardboard floor  is painted a reddish brown and simple planks were added with darker colored pencil.

wood stove and hearth pad

The wood stove for the bedroom needed a hearth. It’s a matte board (on the wall) and a half circle of foam core for the floor. The stones are made using this tutorial. The little stove (made with this DIY) also got a roaring fire. Cut the door on three sides with an xacto knife and bend it open. I painted the inside black and orange and yellow tissue paper was added.

It’s the coziest room ever. I want to live in it.

Checkout the miss thistle society for more tiny world tutorials. Are there twig curtain brackets in your future? Are you working on a world for somebody tiny? Let us know in the comments.

the sailboat sew-along and the 100 day stitch book – homestretch

owl and sailboat

April is regatta month! The sailboat sew-along begins tomorrow. Get the pattern here. To participate just make your boat in April and post your progress photos in the stitch club community, on instagram or the in facebook sew-along group using this hashtag: #annwoodregatta . There will be a blog post on the 14th. Shoot for having the boat pieces ready to be assembled by then.  We’ll talk more about passengers and embellishments then too.

owl and sailboat

The little owl (smallest size) and merry wobblers make perfect passengers for the fabric boat.

owl and sailboat

merry wobbler

the hundred day stitch book

Page 14! was finished on Thursday and we are on the first day of page 15 as of today (3/31) This is the homestretch.

A couple frequently asked questions:

Do I start my pages with a plan?

Mostly no. Occasionally there is a color combination or shape I want to work with  but it is mostly an improvisational process, one thing leads to another. For me that’s the whole point – start without knowing, experiment, let go of outcome.

I just heard about the book. Can I start now?

Absolutely! And feel free to share your progress. Lot’s of people are working faster or slower or just getting started. You can find all the details for beginning here.

You can checkout pages from thousands of participants in the stitch club community, in the facebook sew-along group and on instagram #annwodstitchbook.

 

cardinals and other reader projects and the 17th anniversary of the blog

A lot of what I do in life starts with “I wonder what happens if I do this…” That’s how this blog started 17 years ago and that’s what keeps it going. Curiosity, imagination and the joy in making things remain the driving forces here.

doll house with tiny dishes in a green wood plate rack on the wall. The house is made from cardboard and has a rustic feel.

Some things that got invented in the 17th year of the blog experiment:

sew-alongs and the winning cardinal

We had our first ever sew-along in October – the crow followed by the owl and currently the cardinal sew-along.  The cardinals are made from the songbird sewing pattern with these alterations. Let’s start with the winner of the cardinal sew-along.

It was hard to choose! The cardinal sew-along winner is @flora.twigg (I’ll dm you regarding your prize- a bundle of fabulous scraps spanning continents and centuries!)

Check out more awesome cardinals and other projects made by readers below.  I’ve added links to the maker wherever possible, you will find a pinterest level of rabbit hole fun exploring them. If you see your photo but I missed your link please let me know – I’m happy to add it.

This is not a real mushroom! Wow. It was made with the mushroom sewing pattern and  stitched by @ana.montesdemiguel

1. @littlepostcards   2. Mary Kelly   3. and 4. annika.   5. @astitchwhimsy. 6. @peaceandcraft    7. Nancy    8. @Elisabew

crow by @jillthereckless

1. @kezwilson.3       2.@sarahblankstudios.     3.@revedesouris       4. @lucindawalkerart     5. @smith_cuts_sews     6. @tumblingblocks      7. @jo_broz

owl by Terry Wilson

community

The most significant milestone of the 17th year is the stitch club community.  The glorious pink owl by Terry Wilson was posted in the owl sew-along. Currently over 3000 creative members are sharing their work, trying stuff and finding friends.

Thanks so much for showing up and happy anniversary!

PS – I’m rolling around ideas for an april sew-along – how about sailboats for a spring regatta? Let us know in the comments and a happy March to you!