In Springtime, we watch for the return of the migrating birds with anticipation and delight.
I have been hard at work, designing and weaving Tiny Birds of Hope (and other good things) on the Kindness Loom. These tiny birds are very small- in fact they fit into a chicken’s eggshell.
You can order the PDF instructions from my etsy shop at this L I N K
Here’s a closer look at the flock:
In celebration of Springtime, there is the Tiny Chick.
And in hopes of Peace, there is the Dove of Peace and Harmony:
Since life is a dance between the Birds of Sorrow and the Blue Birds of Happiness… here they are:
And speaking of the dance, we all need to dance as wildly as we can manage at times, so here’s a little Flamingo with awkward legs to trip along in a small, but hopeful dance:
Pigeons have a lot to teach us about unexpected beauty (look closely at their iridescence!) and their clever persistence.
And, on a personal note, my daughter’s beloved Quaker Parrot was almost 25 years old when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge a couple of weeks ago. So, it was really important to me to weave my daughter and grandson each a Comfort Tiny Quaker Parrot in homage to and memory of a dear little Feather Friend that we all loved so much! (yes, I did shed tears in the weavings of this Tiny Feather Friend)…
Feel free to weave up Tiny Birds of Hope in homage to your favorite birds, real or imaginary. The Tiny Birds of Hope can hold things in their Hugging Wings or hang out on the end of your pen or pencil or on a houseplant or in a pocket and give you a hug whenever you need one.
Happy Weaving!
The Tiny Birds of Hope are part of my Weaving Kindness Project that is all about saying to yourself and to everyone in your life:
“You matter! I wish you well! Take and give care!”
May the Weaving Kindness project be like a lovely cup of tea ,that brings refreshment and healing and restoration to all concerned. Hugs all round!!!!
All the links for the Weaving Kindness Project are at:
The Wise Little Mouse woven on the Kindness Loom is an homage to a fable told long ago by Aesop. It’s a story about kindness and how important it is to be kind to one another. Sometimes, we are the Lion and sometimes we are the Mouse. Sometimes we need help and sometimes give help. That changes, but what is essential is that we remember to be kind to everyone, and also to ourselves!
Aesop’s story about the Lion and the Mouse tells how a brave and wise little Mouse knew that even though she was small, she was mighty. The Wise Little Mouse convinced a Lion to spare her life, because she knew that her capabilities were equal to, even though different from, those of the Lion. This amused the Lion, who spared her life because she made him laugh.
When the Lion was trapped in a net that he could not escape from, the brave little Mouse chose to return his act of kindness by chewing through the net that had trapped him. She kept her promise to be kind to the Lion when he needed that kindness.
That was courageous, and very wise, too because she knew that sometimes we can give help, sometimes we need to be helped and it is all about kindness.
EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, MATTERS-
More than we can ever know, and NOW, more than ever…
Kindness is essential because we are all in this together and
sometimes we need to receive kind help and sometimes we can choose to give kind help.
There is enormous wisdom in knowing our strengths and in choosing to be kind,
even when it’s daunting and challenging.
And, so, I have designed and woven a Wise Little Mouse as part of the Weaving Kindness Project.
You can weave a Wise Little Mouse, too, as I have uploaded the pdf to my etsy shop.
This charming cluster of woven Kindness Kittens is part of the Weaving Kindness Project in which I hope to inspire love, creativity, kindness and healing through the gentle art of small loom weaving.
The Kindness Kitten is an homage to all the cats and kittens that have been our beloved companions.
They have hugging arms to give you a hug whenever you need one.
They are small enough to carry in a pocket, bag or backpack but big enough to bring a whole lot of comfort.
The Kindness Kittens have wings that are in fact, the Kindness Butterfly – the link to the video tutorial on YouTube is in the pattern and here on my blog.
As I have been working on the Kindness Kittens, they have been galloping about in my dreams.
In fact, I had to update the pattern to include the Tuxedo Kitten as there was no way Tuxedo Kittens were going to allow me to get away with NOT including them in the patterns and so they frolicked through my dreams, insisting that they be part of the Kindness Kitten crowd!
Oh my- Our feline friends capture our dreams as well as our hearts!
They also are wonderful to weave as Comfort Companions for people whose precious cats have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
I hope that making the Kindness Kitten will bring you delight and that sharing them is also a joy!
All the links for the Weaving Kindness project are at: L I N K
Ooops! When I wrote the instructions for the pdf for making the Kindness Pin Loom I recommended using a specific kind of quilting pin for it, and arghhhh!
Those pins seem to be unavailable now.
So, I did a whole lot of test weaving using different kinds of pins and have recommendations for pins that will work (and one style that really really doesn’t work).
I made a YouTube video that explains which pins work fine, so all is well.
We all need ‘joy bursts’ that cause us to suddenly laugh in a way that dissolves the bubble of misery that has been puffed up all over the place these days.
Laughter is good medicine! And sure enough, when I show people the Flying Joy Pig, their first response is usually a hoot of laughter followed by an ‘oooh so cute’.
These little piggies really are adorable and they do their job of making people laugh and smile very well! AND they are a lot of fun to make, so I highly recommend these little sweeties as Kindness Critters!
When I say that the Flying Joy Pig is small…. I mean it! They are only 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) from tip of nose to curly tail.
They are so satisfying to make. I hope you will enjoy them and make lots and lots of them to merrily fly out into the world and spread their sweet joyful kindness and delight wherever they flutter!
PS: If you want to wear the Flying Joy Pig as a pin, then stitch a pin back to it. They would also make delightful earrings. A jump ring with a tiny brass safety pin attached to one of the wings allows the Flying Joy Pig to be pinned to a lapel, bag or hat. A loop of yarn makes it easy to hang the Flying Joy Pig on a push pin or in a plant or from the rear view mirror.
When I was a little girl, I remember when my parents saw a penny on the ground, they would say:
“Find a Penny, Pick it Up, and on that day, you’ll have good luck!”
Then, they would offer it to someone, saying: “Here’s a Lucky Penny for you! Good Luck!”.
I love making little gifts to brighten the day of someone (friend, family. acquaintance or stranger) and
I decided to make a new little Kindness gift.
It seems to me that right now, everyone we know (and don’t know) all need to feel like some Good Luck will come their way,
so that’s why I have come up with the Lucky Penny Pouches.
I have made this step by step video tutorial to show how to weave and make a Lucky Penny Pouch (for good luck!) using the Kindness Loom that I designed for my ‘Weaving Kindness Project’.
The Lucky Penny Pouches turn ‘lost and found’ pennies into little Good Luck treasures that say to people: You matter! I wish you well! and Good Luck!
The Lucky Penny Pouches are quick and easy and fun to make and to give away. You’ll need the Kindness Loom and to weave one square on it. The video tutorial is available on my youtube channel.
When we offer a tiny handmade gift that shows another person that we care about them and that they matter, it is a small act but an essential one.
It’s so lovely to brighten another person’s day by delighting them with a tiny handmade comfort gift.
Amazingly enough, that makes your day so much better, too! What a good way to help to create connection, community and hope.
That is why I have designed a whole bunch of charming little woven ‘Kindness Gifts’ and a small simple, eco friendly pin loom, the Kindness loom, that people can make for themselves using just a few household tools and upcycled materials.
The Kindness looms are perfect for weaving all manner of petite, simple and sweet Kindness gifts that are easy to make. They are a lovely a way to say: “I wish you well”.
The Kindness Pin Loom is all about weaving small tokens of caring, kindness, comfort, wishes for good luck, sweet peace and blessings! From the tiniest flying pigs, Lucky Penny pouches, Comfort Bears, Vasilisa Dolls, Angels, Goddesses to ‘Portrait’ Dolls in homage to family and friends, the Kindness Pin Loom can weave them all, because I am designing them with love and best wishes!
Making things that embody joy and whimsy in small things can add up to great goodness, can’t it? Yup. ❤
As I make the pdf’s for the Kindness projects that I have designed to weave on the Kindness Loom and load them up to my etsy shop, where they will be for sale for a modest fee, I’ll post the links to an all links page LINK And, as I make youtube videos on how to weave on the Kindness Loom as well as some freebie projects, I’ll post those links on the same page, too.
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 