Clifford Costume-Book Character Day

As Charlie gets older (9 months now!), I'm able to do a little more creative stuff other than just watching Quilting related TV and reading my stacks of Quilting and Art related magazines and books. My latest creation was Claire's Clifford costume. I plan on using the felt scraps to make something new that is more Art Quilt related;but, for now, Clifford will have to do! (good to sew and Claire even helped!)


Claire's school celebrated book character day and she wanted to be Clifford the Big Red Dog. I made an easy Clifford Costume for Book Character Day.





I just needed...
3 pcs. red craft felt
1 pc black craft felt
snap or other closure
stuffing (I used plasitc shopping bags)
headband
red bottoms (I used shorts and tights)
red top
sewing machine(or you could hot glue)
craft glue
pins
needle and thread


The only things I had to buy were the pieces of craft felt which were about 20 cents each from Wal-Mart. I had the other items already. This could easily be adapted for other dogs or other animals by changing the color and shapes. Two girls in her class were the book character Biscuit by doing a similar thing with yellow felt and brown felt.


Used 3 pieces of craft felt for the ears and tail...






After tracing the shapes w/ a Sharpie, sew along the line then cut out a little bit from the stitching. Clip the curves and turn.







I cut a rectangle piece from the black felt and attached a closure for the collar.



The ears were attached to the headband with craft glue and pins. After the glue dries, I removed the pins. I stuffed the tail a little with plastic shopping bags and stitched it to the waist of the shorts. You could easily pin with safety pins.









For the bottoms I used tights under her shorts. I used adult sized red tights and cut the feet off at the right length for my daughter. I then used the feet on the hands as paws.









She had a lot of fun and the costume was easy and turned out really cute!

Swap Entries

While I haven't had a lot of creative time lately, I did manage to create two new piece for a recent swaps sponsored by Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine.

One is for their Art Affirmation Postcard Swap....




And another is for their Mixed Media Pendant Swap...





In several weeks, I will get a postcard and a pendant in the mail created by another artist. I'm excited to see what arrives and I'm happy to have accomplished something creative!

Willingness and Warly

Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 35

The willingness to give up my pride and self-will to a Power greater than myself has proved to be the only ingredient absolutely necessary to solve all of my problems today. Even the smallest amount of willingness, if sincere, is sufficient to allow God to enter and take control over my problem, pain, or obsession. My level of comfort is in direct relation to the degree of willingness I possess at any given moment to give up my self-will, and allow God’s will to be manifested in my life. With the key of willingness, my worries and fears are powerfully transformed into serenity.


This was the topic at a recent meeting. While it was being read, I instantly thought of my son, Charlie "Warly" who is seven months old. Shortly before he came into our lives I told God that I was willing to do whatever He wanted in regards to me having more childern or not. I told Him that I had no idea what His will was for me and I would do whatever it was. If that was to have more children that would be great;but, I was going to need a lot of help from Him and if I was to be the mom of sweet little Claire and she was to be an only child that that was OK too and that I’d still need a lot of help from Him. I really had no idea what I was to do. I’m a planner and I never have been able to plan children. I know God is funny that way!


With my daughter we tried all kinds of things including infertility treatments and adoption applications and had decided that God wanted us to be happy without children and then…SURPRISE! A sweet baby girl!


After her birth, I wasn’t sure if I could have more children and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to or should. Part of me was afraid to get my hopes up again and part of me was afraid of beeing greedy or messing up what I already had. There also was an unexpected brain tumor and surgery thrown in there as well. So after years of thinking and figuring and praying and wondering I got to the point where after a yoga class one day I was lying on my back on the floor feeling the sun on my body looking at the clouds and I just said, “I’m willing! Whatever it is Lord, I’ll do it;but, please help me out as you know more than I that I have no idea what I’m doing and I will need a lot of help!”


A few months and one miscarraige later, I was pregnant again and my baby boy was born in July of this past year. So Charlie is all about willingness to me. My worries and fears were powerfully transformed allowing God’s will to be manifested in my life.