annwood – ann wood handmade

All posts by annwood

get ready for stitch book 2026 – and community signups are open

January 9, 2026

by annwood

group of four textile books on a work table with art and sewing suplies

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working,”

Pablo Picasso

Boom. That’s it. That ‘s the reason for showing up for this (entirely doable) 100 day discipline.

Don’t wait for ideas. Don’t wait until you feel like it. Make the time, make the space and show up and listen to yourself.

Listening to yourself is a skill. Getting unstuck requires strategy. Ideas need a place to show up. Daily practice makes that space. Keeping the practice small puts it firmly in the doable zone. Your ability to listen to yourself grows in those conditions.

That is what this challenge is about: intentionally creating an environment for creative growth.

Committing to a do-able assignment and applying small consistent effort is as close to a magic formula as there is for growing creatively and getting unstuck.

will you join us for the 2026 challenge?

To set yourself up for success on day one- Jan 16th – take some easy actions now. Download your checklist here. Then begin with the overview here.

Community helps too. Accountability, feedback, support and fellowship. All that human stuff.

You don’t need to join stitch club to participate in the challenge but it does offer the aforementioned benefits plus:

New this year – optional page prompts! If you’re feeling unsure about getting started this can be the perfect approach. Your work will still be entirely self directed but the prompts can get your wheels turning. Also, it does not have to be either/or – you can choose which prompts to use and which to skip.

Also new this year – The membership will close on January 20th. It will remain closed for the duration of the challenge.

stitch club membership is open until 1/20

What happens in stitch club? It’s the private ann wood handmade community, a great place to get inspired, share what you’re working on and make sewy friends.

If you’ve visited here before you already know that I’m a cheerleader for daily practice. I’ve just begun year 8! of a painting everyday. My ideas show up in those paintings and in the stitch book. The stitch book form has been so productive that I added similar smaller challenges to stitch club: the summer scroll and fall stitch journal. We wrapped up the fall journal in December and I’m thinking about page order and assembly now.

I approached the stitching the same way I approach the 100 day book – improvisational, yes and, see what turns up.

stitch book challenge 2026 begins 1/16 and ends 4/25

Daily practice does not always feel good. For me it is the best of days and the worst of days. The bad days are part of the good days though and that is inescapable. It’s the habit I protect and this mantra gets me through the bad days:

“Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule “

James Clear

I protect the habit because it’s easier to keep going than to start. I protect it because it supports my momentum. And I protect it because I am most creative within structure.

I’ve gathered some ideas and lessons learned from the previous years to help you get ready.

thinking of the pages in pairs

Totally optional but I have loved having a second chance at compositions by treating 2 pages as one image/idea in previous book. I mostly did not work on the two pages consecutively. When I wasn’t happy with what I’d done, putting the idea aside and letting it percolate helped a lot.

I’m also leaning towards leaving my edges raw again.

Support the 100 day stitch book project and the always growing free pattern library.

Click here to add your support.

make it easy

Make it easy to show up. Have your materials accessible and transportable. 15 minutes is even more doable if everything is already set up.

plan for the bad days

This is so important. There will be some bad days. Some too busy or sick or too something days. The secret to those days is a predetermined, minimally acceptable effort.

Protect the habit

protect the momentum and do something.

and if you do miss a day?

Keep going. Maybe do an extra 15 minutes when you can.

warm up

Putting things in a box is a great way to begin.

I’m putting things in a box now and I’ll be back on the 16th with some ideas and encouragement.

Will you join me in 100 days of stitching? Are you a stitch book veteran or thinking about diving in for the first time? Let us know in the comments.

onward!

ann

happy goose ornament : sewing tutorial

December 12, 2025

by annwood

The feet are so happy! And because of how they are assembled the placement is a little bit of a surprise every time. The little differences are extra sweet when you’re making a whole flock. Which of course you should. Your people need happy geese.

Plus they are easy and quick. And kind of shockingly cute, if I do say so myself, and apparently I do.

let’s make a whole bunch of happy geese

You can sew by hand or machine- I’ve done both and prefer to hand stitch them. If you’re new to sewing find some tips for small hand stitching right here.

Please read through the steps before beginning.

download the pattern

You will also need:

fabric scraps – light cotton or linen
felt
embroidery thread
stuffing
a basic sewing kit
pencil

: 1.

: 2.

1. Pin the body pattern to 2 layers of fabric with the right sides together and cut out.

2. Mark the wings, eye, and the two small dots on the bottom on the right side of the fabric. You can also skip the wings if you like- it’s cute without them too.

: 3.

: 4.

3. Mark your seam allowance on the wrong side of one piece. Note where to leave open. Your seam line should be precisely at 1/4 inch for the best result.

4. Cut out one beak and two feet from felt.

5. On the piece without the seam line place the beak and feet as shown on the right side of the fabric. The feet go between the dots, they can overlap a little. Make a couple little stitches very close to the edge to tack the beak and feet to the fabric.

: 6.

: 7.

6. Pin the other piece over- right sides together. Catch the beak and tips of the feet with the pins.

7. Stitch around the goose with small straight stitches. Leave open as indicated.

Support free patterns like happy geese! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left… Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

: 8.

: 9.

8. Clip little triangles from the seam allowance around the curves.

9. Use your chopstick to turn the goose right side out.

: 10.

: 11.

10. Stuff- start with very little bits- all the way up into the head.

11. Fold the edges of the body opening in and whipstitch closed.

12. Use this method for hiding your knots for adding the details. I added a couple little stitches on each side for eyes.

: 13.

: 14.

13. These details are so optional- it’s cute with or without. The wing line is back stitched with a light tan embroidery thread.

14. For the tail I stitched through both sides with straight stitches. The last stitch is knotted at the seam.

handmade christmas 2025

December 12, 2025

by annwood

I like my christmas with extra christmas on it. There are 5 “trees” this year. Let’s start with the kitchen tree. Orange slices and ceramic ornaments. This was a pretty spontaneous assemblage and I love it so much.

The little norfolk pine has mini, neutral colored glass ornaments (estate sale find) so pretty.

I decorated and then knocked this stick tree over twice. Adequately weighting the base is so key. I added a bunch more ballast (pennies, nickels and dimes) to the vase and it’s solid now. Another Pro Tip for stick trees – don’t look for one perfect stick- bundle a couple excellent sticks together. Packing tape works really well and you can cover it with fabric or ribbon.

The tree garland was knitted by my sister- i love taking it out every year.

The cardinal is made from the merry wobbler pattern with these modifications.

If some is good then more is better does apply to christmas decorations. I added another little stick tree for overflow – and it can hold the silly amount of happy geese I’m making now.

And the big guy. All my Mom’s antique ornaments. So twinkly. It’s got a new base this year – an antique cast iron mini tree stand. I’ve been looking for one for ages, it’s brilliant. The star on top is made using this method but with paper and foil.

I’m basking in all the christmas and making plans for 2026. The first big event of the year will be the 100 day stitch book. If you plan on doing it now is a great time to join the (totally optional) stitch club community. You’ll have a chance to get oriented and you get the remainder of the 2025 for free.

I’m also shipping lots of calendars, making gifts and working on a couple top secret projects I’ll share in the new year.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got one more blog post in me before we close out 2025 – I want to share one of my favorite projects from this year and some more percolating ideas for next.

Merry Christmas to you! I hope your season is peaceful and bright,

ann

christmas project ideas

November 29, 2025

by annwood

hand painted brown paper and tags and ornament extras

Crows are definitely Christmasy! The stitched crow was heavily featured in my 2023 holiday decor- it’s one of my all time favorites.

little holiday project ideas

I love a sweet package and painted brown paper and bakers twine is my all time favorite gift wrap. There are so many possibilities for a little stitched extra on top to finish it off. Some favorites are : woebegone pines, stitched fish, minimalist chickens and little owl ornaments.

The cardinals above are made from the merry wobbler pattern using these modifications.

This post contains an affiliate link- meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link – it’s marker with an *asterisk.

Make a batch of jingle stars (free pattern) for your tree. *I got the bells here.

The lace spout is everything. Find the whale ornament pattern here.

Like an elf on the shelf but way judgier – find the free frog pattern here.

Just wax paper and a few craft supplies make these “crystal” snowflake ornaments. The result is truly magical.

The mini size from the mushroom pattern makes a perfect ornament or gift. It’s available as a downloadable pdf or a booklet.

The mouse pattern is free and he sails in a little felt boat – pattern.

Happy thanks giving and stay tuned for the 2026 Christmas tree! Do you have a favorite little holiday project? Signature giftwrap? Let us know in the comments.

acorn pouch sewing tutorial

November 21, 2025

by annwood

I’ve made you something! Stitch little acorn pouches from scraps. For little folks you could add a face or string a name tag on the ties for extra special thanksgiving table place cards. The truly ambitious could embroider names.

You probably already have everything you need to get started.

A couple notes:

Acorns can be sewn by hand or machine – if you’re machine sewing they only take about 20 minutes to make.

They work well in batches- sew up a bunch.

Please read through the steps before beginning.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN

you will need

- the template
- cotton scraps – for the cap and bottom
- twill tape or ribbon – about 30 inches
- a basic sewing kit
- optional – pinking shears

: 1

: 2

1. Pin the acorn top and bottom templates to 2 layers of fabric- right sides together – and cut out. Also cut a strip of the acorn top fabric that is 2 inches wide and 12 and 1/4 inched long.

2. Pin each acorn top to each acorn bottom – right sides together. Stitch a seam across the top with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

: 3

: 4

3. Press the seams open.

4. Pin the acorn pieces- right sides together – and mark the seam line and sew one side – highlighted above in white.

Support free patterns like acorn pouches! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left… Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

: 5

: 6

5. Press the acorn top seam open.

6. Fold over one edge of the strip 1/4 inch.

: 7

: 8

7. Fold again- 1/4 inch and stitch the fold in place.

8. Fold the strip in half the long way- wrong sides together.

: 9

: 10

9. Open the acorn with the right side facing you. Pin the short stitched and folded end of the strip on the acorn side (1/4 inch in from the edge).

10. Pin the strip along the edge – fold and stitch the other short end (2 small folds- same as step 7 above) so it lands 1/4 inch from the edge.

: 11

: 12

11. Sew the seam- highlighted in white above – at 1/4 inch. Optional- trim the seam allowance with pinking shears.

12. Fold over and press flat.

: 13

: 14

13. Fold the acorn with the right sides together and sew the other side seam.

14. Clip little notches around the curves and tip.

: 15

: 16

15. Turn right side out and run a chopstick or similar around the inside of the seam to push out the curve.

16. Put a large safety pin on the end of your twill tape and push it through the top folded edge.

Finished! Fill with treats or treasures. I hope you make lots of acorn pouches! And a happy almost Thanksgiving to you!

an embroidery download to try, what’s on my worktable, and calendar pre-orders

October 29, 2025

by annwood

Let’s start with the embroidery template. It started as a drawing, become a daily painting and then my first embroidery pattern.

You can download the fleeing hen template here.

And a guide to some basic embroidery stitches here.

I used backstitch for the little hen scene. This would be so sweet on a tea towel – super gifty…

*this post contains an affiliate link – meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link – it’s marked with an asterisk

How can you transfer the template to your fabric? You can trace it- use a window or a light box – or- I have been using *transfer paper.

The paper comes with little ball headed styluses in a variety of sizes that work beautifully. My plan is to have templates available in the shop as pdf and iron transfers soon.

If you try it I’d love to see! You can tag me on instagram @annwood or email an image to ann at ann wood handmade dot com.

crow progress

My wings and tail are pinned and ready to stitch. You can hand or machine stitch the feathers, I’m going to machine stitch. I did use a vintage tie for some shiny black accents with my dark blue striped crow.

Check out a couple sew-along crows below – the winner (1 year of stitch club membership) will be announced right here on Friday!

UPDATE 10/31: The winner of the up cycled crow contest is – Ruth!

Counter clock wise from top – wings with hand written text by Ana, crow by Ruth and crow by Kelsey

on my work table

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it- I love the calendar. I love it hard. I love thinking about it, choosing the collection and seeing it come together. It’s a mysterious and intuitive feeling around process. I change my mind a thousand times but when it’s just right I know it for sure.

PRE-ORDER YOU 2026 CALENDAR HERE

I’ve already started the 2027 calendar. This year’s addition is in the shop now for pre-order. As of this moment it’s about to sell through the first printing. I will be doing a second (probably shipping 11/19-ish).

I’m also working on the stitch club autumn journal project. For me it’s an improvisational, yes and process. I cut some blank pages and play with a pile of scraps. You can check out last years here.

and ornaments

One of the things that attracted me to ceramics was the idea of forcing myself into more simple and gestural painting. Immediate and loose – these ornaments are headed for the kiln this week. Stoneware also involves a lot of letting go – fingers crossed for a good firing.

What’s on your worktable this October- are you making ornaments? Is there an embroidered hen in your future? Let us know in the comments.

happy cozy season!

ann

new embroidery work and an upcycled crow sew-along

October 10, 2025

by annwood

textile book with heirloom scrap and folio for scraps

Happy October! We’ve got a lot to talk about : a crow sew-along, embroidery designs, and the French General retreat in Vermont.

I took this crow to Vermont with me for an autumnal portrait. If you look closely you can see how I’ve discreetly attached him to the tree with black ribbon wrapped around his ankle and then anchored to a branch behind.

Jump down to the bottom for the crow sew-along details (there’s a prize and everything). And let’s get into Vermont and embroidery.

For the past few weeks I’ve been turning imagery from my daily paintings into embroidery designs. In a couple weeks I’ll share some tips I’ve picked up along the way and a design for you to try. Serendipitously, French General offered me a last minute opportunity to teach at their Vermont retreat. I almost never rush for anything but the stars aligned and it was the perfect opportunity to teach my first embroidery focused project.

It’s a little stitch workbook and also has places for collecting textile treasures.

The students made beautiful, personal and imaginative stitched books with their own designs and the templates I brought. The stitch club community is also test driving designs with great results. It has left me feeling like this is going to be a thing.

Check out some more textile books from the retreat below

the crow sew along

What’s a sew-along? It could be many things, in this case it’s lots of people working on the same project at once and sharing their work.

The project is – a crow – with a focus on using thrifted materials. I’ve started a one made from a XL men’s shirt I got at goodwill. The striped shirt is darker on the inside and I’m using that side. I’ll mix in some of the lighter side too and play with the angle of the stripes for feathers. My crow might be made entirely of the shirt, or, I’m going to look around this weekend for ties to incorporate in the feathers. I’ll be posting progress in the facebook sew-along group, insta stories and in stitch club.

Where can you share? In the face book sew-along group, on instagram and the stitch club community. Or you can email an image of your finished crow to me at – ann @ ann wood handmade dot com

And to make it interesting there is a prize for best crow – a one year membership to the aforementioned stitch club community. Please post your finished crow by October 29th and the winner will be announced on Halloween.

When you share on instagram please tag @annwood and use the hashtag #annwoodpattern (The hashtag by itself is not enough – you gotta be sure to tag me please.)

For some extra crow sewing tips check out the 2022 crow sew-along – all posts are linked at the bottom.

in other news

Look for an email next week for new cards, stickers and the 2026 calendar.

Save the date- there will be a large daily painting sale Thursday October 23rd – noon-ish eastern time.

I’m about halfway through Lonesome Dove and don’t want it to end.

I’ll leave you with a late bouquet for the little garden. and some embroidery in progress.

Will you join us in the crow sew-along? Are you an embroidery addict? (I’m surprised at how much I enjoy it.)

Let us know in the comments.

onward!

ann

the squam report, perfect tetras and 2026 retreat registration

September 26, 2025

by annwood

stitch book with applique of forest scenes

Note- pre registration for next year is open now- go straight to that or scroll to the bottom for more about my 2026 class (squam stitch book).

I’ve been teaching at the Squam Art Retreat in NH almost every year since 2012. This was the first time I attended as a camper. I don’t recreate, I don’t vacation, I came out of the womb with a couple side hustles. This was a new situation.

I did all the things.

That’s me (in my new/very old beloved army pants – major thrift score) by the lake with my friend Katy on picture day.

Summer camp is the perfect life situation for me. I like some structure, love being in the forest and responding to a bell for all meals is glorious.

I learned to machine embroider on a Bernina. The instruction was excellent and the machine is astounding. It was way less intimidating than expected. It also made me start thinking hard about embroidery – machine and hand.

And you know- one thing leads to another… Expect to see some hand embroidery templates soon. We’ll be test driving designs in Stitch Club and I’m bringing some to the French General Retreat in VT next week.

And I took Zine Magic with Tona Bell. You know I find tiny publishing and book form magic. Tona is a fantastic teacher and she opened up a whole new world of intriguing possibilities.

kz stevens round bottom bag with tetra charm

supplies for making stitched tetras on a table

On Saturday I offered a 1 hour sew-along on (I can’t help myself). We made Tetra Charms. It was so much fun I might do it again next year. FYI if you want to make one used a fabric rectangle that is 3 inches by 1 and 5/8th inches and find a tutorial here.

PS – the yellow bag above is made from the KZ Stevens Round Bottom Bag Pattern.

Another favorite camp tradition is running into the Sock’s cousins and their annual family photo.

And My friend Ginny’s perfect tiny ragdoll.

I have always undervalued breaks. I feel like things are slipping past me if I’m not pushing onward. The change of pace and place and thinking and the no pressure situation had an effect I can’t deny. Also people. I connected and reconnected with all sorts of interesting people. Since the retreat I’ve been super productive and had tons of new ideas.

I’m teaching next September and I’m excited about the class

We’ll be making a mini stitch book.

What will your stitch book be?

Look for inspiration in the materials we’re working with (mountains of scrap fabric) our surroundings – the squam environment and experience and our imaginations. This is a playful and process driven day. The little book is a place to experiment and generate ideas, one thing leads to another if you let it. Ann will share tools to get you moving creatively, generate ideas and access deeper parts of your imagination. What do you see? What do you hear and feel? How can you translate your experience into stitch.

Your work can be abstract, representational or in the shimmering space between…

In addition to fabric, shape templates, rubber stamps, buttons, lace and other vintage notions will be available to work with.

click here for squam registration

PS- I’m postponing some new shop items until I get back from teaching in VT (around 10/7)- look for an email then on all that and 2026 Calendar pre-orders and a long overdue daily painting sale – stay tuned!

wool on my worktable and a sneak peek

September 12, 2025

by annwood

Stitching vessels is a pretty satisfying and addictive process. Adding wool to the mix takes it next level. It surprised me. The form is so perfect. The edge trim is a pretty heavy cotton that gives even more structure. I used scrap from menswear mostly, pants, suit jackets etc.

There is also a lot of straight stitching through everything after it was assembled. I like the way it looks and it helps compress the layers of wool together.

I like it so much I took way too many pictures and I’m pulling out the big box of wool scraps to make more. I think this will be a wool stitched vessel winter for me. #thriftysewingchallenge

I’m also making little owls- this guy is made from a suit jacket and thrifted curtains. He’s the smallest from the little owls sewing pattern. This little fellow took about 2 hours to make. I did leave off one pattern piece because I liked his white breast showing. Pro tip – I put three nickels in his bottom when stuffing to help him stand on his own.

I’ll use the same wool for a larger owl. I love an owl with a bold head to toe look like this houndstooth guy (dastardly owl sewing pattern).

sneak peek

Check out some new things coming to the shop soon. Including the 2026 Calendar! So excited to offer it in a more timely fashion this year. I’m also hoping to have enough ( but not too many – it’s expensive to produce) It will be available for pre-order soon and they will start shipping before November.

There are also some new cards and little items including journal stickers. I’ll let you know when it’s all listed in the shop.

And I’m looking forward to little bramble pots from the kiln soon. More about those and last week’s Squam Art Retreat in the next post.

Happy National Sewing Month!

ann

PS – thanks for all the great book recommendations and I am loving Lonesome Dove – it’ really takes off around page 100.

PPS – Checkout Meg’s (Sew Liberated) beautiful fleet of paper mache ships

fall thrifted fabric sewing challenge

August 22, 2025

by annwood

basket of laundered thrifted clothing for sewing - mostly menswear

I’ve been picking things up all summer from the local thrifts and yard sales. It all gets laundered. All of it- suit jackets too – but I don’t put them in the dryer.

When I hit a thrift store hunting for fabric my first stop is always the xl men’s long-sleeve shirt section. Men’s wear in general is rich with possibilities.

Feel is important. This pin stripe shirt is worn to perfection but not falling apart. The cotton is excellent. There are a few stains and little holes but that’s easy to work around. My first project was an elephant rag doll. The sleeves were more than enough for one doll.

I used a bit of another striped shirt for her cap and a mr. socks’s doll.

I love this wool but I’m not seasonally prepared to work with wool just yet. I am planning on owls and owl ornaments and something for the tiny rag doll. And definitely some vessels. Stay tuned – I’ll be posting more finished projects through autumn.

Are you up for a thrifty challenge this fall? It’s super simple. Just take a photo of what you made, and let us know (or even take a photo of) what you made it from. And you don’t have to buy anything – you’ve probably got stuff lying around. Tag your post with #thriftysewingchallenge – you can also tag @annwood in your caption on instagram.

Where to post? Instagram, facebook and in the stitch club community.

fall approaches

I’ve got ambitious late summer/early fall reading plans. First up, Lonesome Dove. It’s giant.

try this

Edward Gorey House is hosting an all ages envelope decorating contest! They’ve just announced the theme – Evil Garden.

So good. Find all the details here.

Are you a thrift store fabric hunter? Are you reading anything great? Let us know in the comments and happy remainder of summer!

ann

the finished stitched scroll

August 8, 2025

by annwood

The sides of the linen strip are unfinished and frayed, when it’s rolled up it has a plush, carpet feel I like.

And the size of this scroll project was magic for me. It was such a low pressure, pleasure to stitch. The small, consistent effort kept my hands moving and ideas flowing. You know the rule:

“A middle aged craft lady in motion tends to stay in motion and a middle aged craft lady at rest tends to stay at rest.”

Don’t see a video above? Click here to view.

I approached it improvisationally and the imagery evolved in a fabley direction I like. It could have gone on forever but I felt like the ideal size was reached at about 4 feet.

Another has already begun, this time experimenting with staying abstract. I usually fail at this (some image creeps in…) but that does not matter, the shift in thinking is valuable, it wakes up different parts of my imagination. This would be a great kid/beginner project to start a little stitcher.

The scroll was inspired by Artist Aitor Saraiba. If you don’t already know of his work please go have a look- you will be enchanted.

Check out some scrolls from Stitch Club members – so energetic, personal and imaginative. Excellent work.

Barbara

Heather

Roberta

Laine

whats next

Get ready for the fall thrifted fabric challenge. It’s less about what you make and more about what you make it with. Stay tuned for details in the next newsletter. For now have your eyes open for thrifted clothing (menswear is rich territory) you could transform into owls or crows or elephants or vessels etc.

Did you make a summer scroll? Are you up for a thrifty challenge? Let us know in the comments.

mini wheelbarrow tutorial and template

July 18, 2025

by annwood

miniature red wheelbarrow made from cardboard with a crepe paper mini chicken

You think it’s easy being a tiny doll? You need all sorts of equipment. Ideas for a mini wheelbarrow have been rolling around forever.

What made it difficult is committing to no drilling and the question of the wheel. I wanted this tutorial to use stuff you mostly already have around or that’s easily gettable at the grocery store. No specialty items or power tools…

I tried buttons, wire, string and all sorts of attachments and nothing worked. Hours and hours of failure. The answer came to me in a flash while walking to the post office and not thinking about tiny wheelbarrows at all. A gift from my subconscious (I love it when that happens):

ditalini

Pasta wheel hubs.

It worked perfectly. And it also led me to a not pasta alternative in case you don’t have any ditalini or are spiritually opposed to using a macaroni product in your work.

The answer for the wheel is cardboard. Laminating cardboard together makes a perfect antiquey, hand-tooled feeling wheel.

I guarantee there is someone in your life who needs a tiny cardboard wheelbarrow, they just don’t know it yet.

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link. Links are highlighted and marked with an asterisk.

download the template here

tools and materials

**Please read through all the instructions before beginning**

the pdf template
wood coffee stirrers (mine are 5.5 by about 1/4 inch and have rounded ends)
wood toothpicks
plain light weight cardboard (no printing on it- not glossy)
black or brown paper (or the secret ingredient)
xacto knife
clothespins – for clamping
bamboo skewer (thinner kind)
large embroidery needle
glue (I’m using *clear tacky craft glue)
gluestick (any glue stick is fine but I’m loving *this rice paste stick)
fine sand paper (or emery board)
craft paints and brushes
colored pencils
black markers- fine and basic sharpy

1. Cut out the templates (cut the dotted black lines) and trace onto the chipboard. Trace one wheelbarrow, 4 wheels and 2 inner wheels. Mark the score lines (the gray lines on the templates) on the wheelbarrow. Score the lines with the back of your xacto knife. Poke a hole in the wheel template and mark the center of each wheel piece.

: 2

: 3

2. Cut out your pieces.

3. Use your large embroidery needle to poke a hole in each wheel and then use the skewer to enlarge the holes.

: 4

: 5

4. Apply glue to one of the wheels – you want good coverage around the edge especially. Glue all the wheels together. Press firmly and laminate them together.

5. Push the skewer through to make sure the hole is clear and lined up. Remove the skewer and let the wheel dry.