Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

September 15, 2020 · 12:54 pm

How to Upcycle Cloth Tea Bags into Teabag Yarn

Ahhh, tea! One of life’s great pleasures!

Some teas come in cloth tea bags that can’t be composted, so instead of throwing them in the garbage,

here’s a great way to upcycle the bags into yarn that you can weave with (or knit or crochet).

I’ve made a video about how to cut the cloth tea bags into fabric yarn-

What can you do with upcycled tea bag yarn?

Weave with it as if it’s regular yarn… for instance, here are a Star , a Dragonfly and Heart woven on pin looms that I designed for Dewberry Ridge Looms

Or: Make upcycled brooches- here’s a video showing how:

More videos about weaving with teabag yarn –

How to Weave Using Upcycled Teabag Yarn 2 Nails at a Time on Pin Looms:

AND:

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Tagged as #smallloomweaving, #starloom, #teabagyarn, #wovendragonfly, how to make teabag yarn, tea bag yarn, upcycle tea bags, upcycling, weaving, woven dragonfly, woven heart, woven star

June 10, 2020 · 8:55 pm

Two Circular Tapestries by Noreen Crone-Findlay

I am working on a series of circular tapestries that are contemplations on the nature of healing, imagination, dreams, stories and the power of community.

These two tapestries: ‘Each Flower Has a Memory’

and ‘Mermaid Circle of Imagination and Hope’

were woven on many different looms, including peg looms, weaving sticks and a variety of pin looms.

There’s also quite a lot of tatting included because of the soothing nature of lace making.

The tapestries are each 28 inches in diameter (70 cm).

Here’s a little video that shows the new tapestries:

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Filed under lace making, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, mermaid, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, pin loom, tapestry, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Tagged as #mermaidtapestry, #pegloom, #pegloomweaving, #wovenflower, #wovenflowertapestry, Flower fairy tapestry, mermaid tapestry, peg loom, peg loom weaving, tapestry, tapestry weaving

May 13, 2020 · 12:27 pm

An Old Gnome got a new coat of paint and a view of my studio

Many years ago, I bought a vintage gnome at a garage sale.

Rather liked that he had weathered off all his paint, and yet was still steadfastly all in one piece.

Last month, when I was weaving hearts for the window, I decided to add gnomes to the window, and the old fellow didn’t look cheerful enough to add to the gaity.

So I painted him:

It struck me as being odd that he didn’t have a mustache, so I added one, using my much loved old ‘Gnomes’ book as a guide.

I tried to add the Bunny to the window, but he’s too big and floppy, so he’s sitting in a corner of the studio instead.

I designed him many years ago for Canadian Living magazine.

Here’s a link to the pattern for him and his sweetheart: KNITTED BUNNIES

And, then, I took pics of some of the other things in that corner of the studio.

Including a little video:

And then I totally forgot to blog about Gnomes and Bunnies and looms.

It’s a crazy time.

Hope you are well ❤

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Filed under free pattern, knitting, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, personal stuff

Tagged as #paintedgnome, #vintagegnome, Gnome, Gnomes, knitted bunny

March 29, 2020 · 8:38 am

How to Make a Simple Mermaid Doll with Yarn

Mermaids are a beautiful metaphor for staying afloat, no matter how hard the waves may crash upon the rocks.

This video tutorial shows how I took the idea of Yarn Baby (Tassle) dolls and created Mermaids with a little bit of yarn, a whole lot of love and a little bit of head scratching.

Oh, yes, also a few sneezes are included with love from our aged rescued Chihuahua mystery mix dear old dog who seems to respond to the making of video by coming into the studio and sneezing loudly whenever the video camera is turned on. Why? Who knows?

Anyhow, I hope that you will enjoy making Yarn Dolly Mermaids!

Here’s the video tutorial:

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, eco crafts & green projects, free pattern, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, mermaid, tutorial & how to, video tutorial

Tagged as #mermaiddolls, #tasseldoll, #upcycleyarn, #yarnbabydolls, #yarncraft, #yarndoll, easy to make yarn doll, mermaid, mermaid doll, upcycled yarn doll, yarn baby, yarn baby mermaid, yarn mermaid

March 22, 2020 · 8:36 pm

Upcycling old crochet cotton with potholder looms

For many years, I have adopted all the stray balls of crochet cotton that I have found at the thrift shop.

I have happily been using them in many different ways, but now they are coming together to be upcycled into lovely kitchen cloths to use instead of paper towels.

They are a pleasure to weave on potholder looms and are lovely and soft.

While we are all holding the fort at home, let’s create some beauty, and enjoy the sweet pleasure of weaving on simple looms!

Here’s the video I made about this very satisfying form of upcycling.

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Tagged as #potholderloomweaving, potholder loom, potholder loom kitchen cloths, potholder loom weaving, upcycling

March 21, 2020 · 8:20 pm

A Yarn Baby Doll that Hugs Your Finger

Today, I figured out how to make a Yarn Baby (Yarn Tassel Doll) that hugs your finger like the Comfort Bears.

We all need a little extra comfort these days, so having a small yarn doll in your pocket to give you a hug when ever you need it is a good idea!

Take good care of yourselves!

Here’s the how to video

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Filed under crafting for charity, doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, free pattern, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, tutorial & how to, video tutorial

Tagged as #yarnbabydolls, #yarndoll, doll, doll making, dollmaking, Yarn Crafts, yarn doll, yarn doll that hugs finger, yarn tassel doll

March 20, 2020 · 4:52 pm

How to Make Very Simple Yarn Dolls

I have loved making yarn dolls (aka ‘Yarn Babies’ or ‘Yarn Tassel Dolls’) ever since I was a little girl.

Since we are living in such challenging times these days of the pandemic, it struck me that making a video of how to take some scraps of yarn and turn them into a dear little doll would be a soothing and lovely thing to do.

These little yarn dolls are a simple and fun thing to make with children, or just as a way of calming and centering yourself.

They are a lovely little gift, and a lot of them will fit in a pocket, so they can be given away freely, or mailed, or hung in a tree with a note, perhaps, that says: ‘I wish you well, so I made this for you’.

Here’s the video of how to make Simple Yarn Dollies:

Take good care my friends! Hugs all round. ❤

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Tagged as #homeschoolingproject, #howtomakeyarndoll, #kidscrafts, #yarncraft, #yarndoll, crafting with kids, how to make simple yarn doll, how to make yarn doll, kids crafts, tassel doll, yarn babies, yarn doll

March 18, 2020 · 9:44 pm

Color weaving on the potholder loom- Hounds Tooth Checks

Here’s another installment in my series of video tutorials on weaving with yarn on the potholder loom, using colorwork techniques. I hope that these videos will bring you some respite from the challenges of the pandemic!

The Houndstooth Check is a timeless classic pattern that can be woven on any size potholder loom.

I’ve figured out a way of warping the potholder loom that makes colorwork with yarn much easier- there are some tricks to it. This video reveals them all 🙂

Houndstooth Check is woven slightly differently on the 18 and 36 peg potholder loom than on the 9 and 27 peg potholder looms.

Here’s the video tutorial: