Chalkboard Buddies
The younger
generations are accustomed to read, play and interact with all new electronic
devices but they also get excited when they receive a hand-written card from a
loved one. That's why I came up with the idea to make these "chalkboard
buddies", which are soft and cuddly, and where you have a "chalkboard" surface to write your own message. Best of all, the recipient can erase and rewrite another message to send it
back or use it as a reminder board!
Materials needed:
. white cotton
fabric, high quality, smooth surface (the tighter the weave the easier to
write with chalk sticks)
. felt squares, any color.
. 1/4 yard
of stretch polyester velvet (any color)
. chalk and disappearing ink for marking
. black
chalkboard paint
. foam brush
. sewing
machine
. pieces of
yarn for the hair and a big eyed needle to sew the yarn on the head
. dark piece of construction paper for the
eyes
. black and
red permanent markers
. scraps of
fabric for the scarves
. buttons,
big and small, paper flowers
. scissors
and rotary cut
. a small
box of children chalk sticks
. doll
stuffing
. pink paint pattern:
1. Cut a 7
inch long piece of your white cotton fabric and draw a horizontal line with
your chalk or disappearing ink at 4 inches height. Now you will have the long strip divided in two,
a wide part of 4 inches and a narrow one of 3 inches. Paint the 4 inches
wide part with the black chalkboard paint.
2. Let it
dry completely, for at least three hours, and paint it over again. Wait 24 hours.
3. Mark the
doll pattern, being careful to trace the head on the white part and the body on
the black part. Cut them apart.
4. With the
rotary cutter, use the stretch velvet to cut two strips of 2 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches.Put the felt square on your table and
cover one of the shorter ends with the strip
of velvet facing up. Then sew 1/4 inch from the bottom border. Repeat on the opposite end. Cut the felt square in
half. You end up with two pieces of felt 5 1/2 inches by 9
inches with a piece of stretch velvet sewn to one of the longer sides.
5. Put the half felt square on the table with the stretch velvet facing down. Put on top
two of the doll shapes, side by side, facing up, matching the black part of
the doll on top of the velvet. Pin and sew around with a 1/4 inch seam,
starting at the dot and finishing in the other dot. Use scissors to cut around
the doll shapes. Fill the dolls with stuffing while being careful not to overstuff them at the straight end. This will make sewing easier. Pin the bottom and then sew the straight edge with a 1/4 inch seam.
6. To make
the face, cut small circles from dark construction paper and paste it in place
with a little liquid matte medium. With black permanent marker draw the eye
lashes and nose and with the red marker the mouth. With pink paint color the
cheeks.
7. Make the hair out of colored yarn and sew it in place with a big-eyed needle and the same
colored yarn.
8. Now it is
time to decorate your doll. Use all those decorations you have been collecting
and saving. In this case I cut a piece of a scrap of fabric and put it around
the neck. Then I sewed a paper flower with a small button on top of the
scarf.
9. Divide a felt square into 9
equal pieces. Roll up one piece and insert it in the doll's back pocket to add
a chalk stick. Write a message and send a "Chalkboard Buddy" to a
loved one.
Tip:
.if you have
a "walking foot" use it to sew the stretch velvet.
.when you
trace the pattern of the doll use chalk instead of a water soluble marker.
How cute are these!!! I especially like the little red head.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda, I enjoyed making them.
ReplyDelete