Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

January 3, 2021 · 3:27 pm

Spoons carved at the end of December 2020 and beginning of January 2021

I have been happily carving more spoons…

I carved a large crochet hook with an owl on it few years ago.

I never used it as a crochet hook, so have turned it into an Owlie spoon….

I did the same thing with a large ‘Fairy Door’ crochet hook that I carved and then didn’t use:

This Cedar Star Sisterspoon had an ooops-

I was tweaking her face and her head popped off! EEgads!

Luckily, I was able to rescue her 🙂 I just couldn’t throw her into the firewood pile after all the hours I spent lovingly carving her!

She will be wearing her blue sweater as long as she exists 🙂

I love this little Goddess spoon that I carved from a blank that my son made for me from a birch log from a dead tree in their neighbour’s yard.

I love having her in my pocket and carrying her around like a friendly pebble.

I carved the Forest Gratitude Spoon as a song of thanks to all the trees and all that do for for us, but even more for them for just being perfectly arboreally themselves.

I love the trees….

My son cut me a lovely piece of wood from what he thinks is Manitoba Maple.

This is what I do to get started with my carving: I draw on the blank piece of wood and sketch in a way that takes into account the checks and splits in the wood.

This one piece of wood has 2 spoons in it…. The Forest Gratitude Spoon, and another one that I am hard at work on, and will show you later when it’s done.

I also made myself some leather thumb protectors after I skewered my thumb with a very sharp pointy rasp.

Ow.

All in all, a fine week’s carving, with a few spoons that became firewood, and one that didn’t and happiness in the ones that are now prompting me to make a shelf for them…

So much fun.

I hope that you are having lovely times, too.

Happy New Year ❤

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Tagged as #carvedspoon, #spooncarving, carved spoons, spoon carving, woodwork

January 2, 2021 · 6:17 pm

A Dragon tapestry for my husband

My husband really likes the dragon that I designed for my ‘Innovative Frame Loom Weaving’ book.

He asked me to weave him a dragon tapestry for Christmas, so I did.

I went a bit overboard on the beads, but he likes it, so that’s okay.

He hung it on the beam between the kitchen and the dining room to be the Guardian of the Hearth.

I am so glad that he likes it.

Woven with love in every stitch.

And, yup, I designed and made the frame for it.

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December 29, 2020 · 4:34 pm

Carving Wooden Spoons is delightful

Oh my goodness! Carving wooden spoons is just wonderful!

Hard work, yes. but…. ohhhh….

I have been a wood carver for decades, but have just discovered the joy of carving spoons.

The picture above is the first spoon I carved…. for our grandson.

My husband loved it, so I secretly carved one for him for Christmas, too.

I asked my family if they would like spoons, and the response was an enthusiastic yes!

So…

and

And, then….

I couldn’t resist combining one of my other great delights, which is carving wooden dolls, with spoon carving.

The inspiration that poured out kept me out of bed for a couple of nights as I had to sit and draw and draw and draw

all the ideas that were just pouring out….

I have tied in a few metaphors that have been weaving their way around in my heart…

On Facebook, I learned about stardust that has been discovered in Antarctica and then having a long time friend

sent me a poem about how the trees are full of stardust (as we all are) just enchanted me!

I am now carving what I call: ‘Storyteller Spoons’ – hand carved spoons that are meant to stir up STORIES, not soup.

After, stories are food for the Soul 🙂

Oooh! I had to carve a Star Baby spoon from walnut:

And, I have started a series of ‘Stardust Sisters Spoons’- articulated dolls with moving arms,

This one is carved from a blank that my son made for me from a birch tree that died and was cut down

in his neighbor’s yard:

I carved this Stardust Sister from the bass wood blank that came with the kit:

I love the metaphor of hearts and hands working together, so I went back to

the drawings that I did for the first scoop that I carved for my daughter.

But, I added a hand to the spoon, and carved out a bowl in the palm of the hand

as well as in the scoop of the heart.

While I was carving it, it came to me that spoons are meant to gather things,

but also to offer them, which is the perfect metaphor for this spoon:

I will be working with Hearts and Hands together a whole lot!

I made a video showing some of the carving that I have done over the last 30 odd years,

as well as the very very first beginnings of getting started in spoon carving.

These are just the first spoons that I have carved, and now that I have worked out

a pattern language for myself with this, there will be many, many more!

(I hope!) 😀

And, I hope that you are finding things that bring you joy, too!

Be kind, be safe, be well! ❤

Here’s the video:

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December 5, 2020 · 10:52 am

Tiny Woven Snowmen are so much fun

One of my most favorite things to do at Christmas time is to make ‘the ornament of the year’ to give to family and friends. I usually end up making a LOT of them and it’s totally delightful.

This year, I have been weaving up a ton of tiny Snowmen- I designed them last year and made a video so other people can make them too.

Here’s the link to the ‘how to’ video:

https://youtu.be/a-9cfTzd4QI

Woven Needle Books instead of Pin Cushions

One of my favorite projects in my new book, Innovative Frame Loom Weaving, is an extremely useful tool.

It’s a woven Needle Book that holds sewing needles.

Pin cushions are good for pins, but needles can get buried in them too easily.

Needle books hold sewing, darning and other craft needles safely and handily.

This video shows variations on the Needle book that I designed for the frame loom, including ones woven on the potholder loom and Weave It style pin loom.

And, also, a relative asked for a brooch that she could stick pins and needles in while mending, so there’s one of those in the video, too!

Wow… Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom reviewed in Publishers Weekly

Oh my goodness! I am thrilled!

My editor just sent me a note of congratulations, saying that it is very special to be reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly….. wow…..

Here’s the link:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780811738729

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October 30, 2020 · 12:55 pm

Innovative Frame Loom Weaving book- Clothing

Here’s a peek at the clothing that you can weave using frame looms- all the instructions are in Innovative Frame Loom Weaving 🙂

The book is available worldwide on all the usual internet book sellers, and can also be ordered from your local bookshop.

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October 22, 2020 · 1:06 pm

Box of Frame Loom Weaving books has arrived!

I am so thrilled to have received the box of my copies of my new book:

Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom.

It’s such a delight to hold this book in my hands- what with the pandemic and all it’s awfulness, I didn’t know if it would actually make it out into the world.

Welcome to the world, book!

It’s available worldwide on online booksellers and can be ordered from local booksellers.

I’ll do some videos to show you what’s inside….

But first, a cup of tea is needed and a moment to savor the happiness of all the hard work bearing its fruit! 🙂

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October 21, 2020 · 2:39 pm

Embroidering on Hand Woven Fabric

If you would like to embellish your hand woven (or knitted or crocheted) fabric with embroidery, but aren’t quite sure how to do it, then I have some suggestions for you.

I have made a video showing one of the ways that I have figured out how to embroider on hand woven fabric- this technique will work just as well on crocheted or knitted fabric. Here’s the link to the video: