Day 17
Question: Do you sew functional forms for the home, or do you like to create whimsical additions?
Phat Matt and Friends by Christen Brown
Phat Matt and Friends is a PDF lesson that I offer on the website. This is a fun project that uses felt, perle cotton and buttons.
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
Many of you know that I love hearts! I love the shapes and all of the possibilities. Pictured here are two friends of mine that share my work space. Lizbeth is a doll that I created using a felt body and wire arms and legs, her clothing is attached almost like a paper doll. She was part of a blog challenge series called Dress-UP, check out the details of her dress for the month of February here. Rose Marie is a mixed media doll that I made from an old paint brush, cardboard packaging, plastic roses, paper mache lady bugs, vine trim, ribbonwork leaves, paper leaves, and crocheted roses that my mom made.
Happy February to you!
~Christen
Many of you know that I love hearts! I love the shapes and all of the possibilities. I present to you, Lady Rose, she is a felt cloth doll made with love. The center of her body is an embroidered heart ornament that my mom made. She is adorned with buttons, ribbons and trims.
Happy February to you!
~Christen
Many of you know that I love hearts! I love the shapes and all of the possibilities. This is a version of my Phat Matt and Friends on-line class. This version has lots of patched hearts and a few heart shaped buttons, with fun colors, and she is filled with so much love! The stitches are simple ones: blanket, chain, lazy daisy, straight, back stitch, whipped, and French knot.
Happy February to you!
~Christen
If you are a cat lover, this cuddly felt cat is your guy! Matt is made from three or four colors of felt, adorned with a few embroidery stitches and buttons. This is a great simple project that can be completed in a few days, or over a weekend. The colors that you choose can be life-like or more contemporary, matching a theme or your décor. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong with this friendly guy.
Skill Level Intermediate: hand sewing and embroidery knowledge needed.
Lesson 1: In this class you will choose your colors for the different body components, and then cut out the pattern pieces. Directions for the embroidery stitches will be covered. Then you will embroider the face of your cat, adding in the all-important whiskers.
Lesson 2: In this class you will embroider the small body components such as the ears, paws and tail. Then you will attach the face to the body, and finish off the body with buttons and more embroidery. Directions for final assembly will follow, and then you can cuddle your cat to your hearts desire.
Class InformationThese classes can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.
Once the class is paid for, the supply list will be sent out. The lessons will begin one week after the purchase of the class, unless otherwise stated. You will receive an email with the lesson attached. The following lesson/s will arrive one week after the previous lesson.
A high speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it and print out a copy.
You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.
Class fees will not be refunded.
What a hoot! Do you love owls if you do then Oliver is definitely your man! He is made from felt, hand pieced and embroidered with a few simple stitches. He stands 7” tall and is 7” wide, and wears a beret that resembles a sunflower. He is the perfect addition to any aviary and autumn mantel.
Skill Level Intermediate: some hand sewing and embroidery knowledge needed
Lesson 1: In this lesson you will choose your colors, and then cut out the pattern pieces. The basic embroidery stitches will be covered. Then you will begin by giving him some personality and embroidering his eyes.
Lesson 2: In this lesson you will assemble the face to the body, and embroider around his eyes, beak and forehead. The chest and wings are added to the body, and these will be further embroidered with stitches. The body will be stitched, and partially assembled.
Lesson 3: In this lesson you will embroider the feet, and assemble the legs. The body will stuffed, and then the legs inserted. Lastly the sunflower beret is embroidered and assembled, and your dapper gent is done!
These classes can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.
Once the class is paid for, the supply list will be sent out. The lessons will begin one week after the purchase of the class, unless otherwise stated. You will receive an email with the lesson attached. The following lesson/s will arrive one week after the previous lesson.
A high speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it and print out a copy.
You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.
Class fees will not be refunded.
OMG!!!!! I am having way, I mean way too much fun. I was working away in my room, THE room, and I found these glass eyes, and decided that they looked like the eyes of my cat Butch. So I made a pattern, and created this small face of him, and I take him when I am off on a trip, that way he is with me always.
Then I started to play around with bodies, and shapes and well it got really, really fun! I created these three examples of what kind of trouble you can get into when the creative muse goes wild.
Here are the Kitten Kaboodles, I am teaching them for Joggles.com starting April 11, 2014.
Chester: 4″ tall x 3 3/4″ wide (not including hat)
Charlie: 3 3/4″ tall x 4″ wide
Felix: 2 3/4″ tall x 2 3/8″ wide
This is a class that I am teaching at Joggles.com. The class started today, and runs for two weeks. There are three different styles to chose from for the body embellishment, and many different color ways to choose from for the face and other parts.
Meet Phat Matt, he is sleek and black, and loves his white buttons!
Here is Patches n’ Pockets, she loves her vintage buttons!
And lastly, here is Scrappy Pete. He has definitely seen some action, and loves his colorful appearance!
Hope to see you in class!
Happy Stitching ~Christen
Aubrianna in Fall Fashion
I decided to create a doll sporting “Fall Fashion” with pumpkins and acorns adorning her skirt. I added a few of the pumpkins that I made last week, along with other fall items such as the pine cones, pheasant feather and leaves.
Enjoy- Christen
Sorry that this post is late, I have been busy and have not had the time to take proper pictures of my favorites. So to make up for the past two weeks, I have posted one before this, and will be on time for tomorrow!
old friends
Dolls, I think that all of us have a favorite or two, some may even have been around as long as we have, longer in some cases. This is a group photograph of my oldest friends. They have all been with me these many years, some have faired better than others, but no matter because they certainly don’t mention the pieces and parts of me that have not faired well!
The little Swedish girl actually was handed down to me by my grandmother Ellen Matilda. It was a gift given to her by my dad when he went on a holiday to Europe. My teddy was a crib gift from my other grandmother Evelyn. The little boy was a gift from my godmother Aunt Murt (her middle name was given to me as my middle name). The troll doll came to me much later, perhaps I was eight or nine. I tried out some of my very first fashion designs on her, and she is why I decided to go to school for fashion design.
Pretty good friends wouldn’t you say?
new friends
This is a group of a few of my new friends, they can all be seen here in my gallery “Dolls of Distinction”. These are all dolls that I have designed and created with a pillow or two peeping out from here and there. The dolls as shown are:
If you love to make dolls and are interested in a unique and fun doll, I have just designed a doll CuddleNots for Joggles.com which is on the schedule for the end of September.
Hope that you too can count your old and new friends, and recall warm memories! Good wishes and thoughts to you, Christen.
Christen's Creations 