Friday, October 23, 2009

how to: simple floral earmuff /headband

This week has been so full. Definitely lovely things to blog about: pumpkin patches, baking, school project making... but I chose not to for the first time... blog about it. Well, I guess I kind of just did. But you know what I mean... I took a break from chronicling it all. It was a good choice, and I feel refreshed. I also love that I'm all caught up in my shop orders, with the exception of some custom items that will begin next week. If you've bought something recently... know that it is traveling to you... might even be in your mailbox today!
So that opened the door for a little something fun and semi-frivolous today. Fun and frivolous is quite important to sprinkle in here and there. I'm growing out my hair a little bit. I'm in that in between stage and NEED headbands. Last weekend, right before I had a birthday party to attend, my headbands all vanished into the black hole that the spare socks reside in. The kids were in the car... waiting for mama. Collecting lots of odds and ends comes in handy. I ran to my studio... grabbed an already felted charcoal cashmere sweater to chop quickly... maybe a sleeve. What could do the trick? Ahhh... it was a turtleneck. Obvious. Perfect. Inspiration. Slice. Instant head band from the turtleneck. No sewing. Done! One edge is finished so folding it over makes the whole thing tidy. I've worn it all week and then decided to make it cozy and fancy... the fun & frivolous one.

I added flowers ala one of my favorite books: FABRiCATE and made the band a little wider. Now I have a new floral ear muff that has a little feeling of a fascinator.

There are a million wonderful felted and fabric flower tutorials. Just do a google search... or even better leave a link to your favorite one in the comment section and then we can all share. I'll start us off with:
Wisecraft's fabric flower
Betz' s felted flower brooch

Simple Floral Ear Muff or Headband
Need:
felted turtleneck sweater
scissors
thread
needle


Make:
-slice!
-adorn... or not!
-wear
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I'll see you all tomorrow to announce the winner of the custom give-away! It's going to be painful for me that it's only one of you wonderful friends... thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love! Pin It

24 comments:

  1. I loved it! I've just found your blog yesterday and I'll surely be following you from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!Congrats!

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  2. You made that running out the door? Fabulous. I have been known to cut up old tights into headbands. But the turtleneck with the little flowers is just far more fancy and less utilitarian than my black stretchy ex tights headband.

    Oh and I didn't enter your contest, because I feel so blessed to have won the WIP basket, I want other people to feel blessed, too. Someone will feel that way, I promise you.

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  3. jaja!! very funny with the kids in the car!!
    I hate turtlenecks so i always cut them and i use them as headbands, but never decorated any! good idea!!

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  4. Wow! I love the earmuff headband -- it's cute, yet very practical, especially for someone like me who has very chilly ears. Beautiful work as always Maya!

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  5. P.S. I was enjoying my regular routine of perusing your "enjoy" links and then clicked on one that led me to familiar bookends :) Thank you Maya for the enjoyment!

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  6. Thanks everyone!
    Rowena! I promise I didn't make the one in the photo while the kids were in the car... they're not that patient!:) I did a simple charcoal one... with nothing on it. I'll try to get a photo of it up on flickr. The cream ear muff took a little longer, but was fun!
    Grace- I always enjoy your ideas!

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  7. What a great idea, will definitely be using that one.

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  8. Oh Maya....I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE the floral ear muff. Fabulous idea and you are the perfect model for it!

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  9. *sigh* where do I begin? How awesome you are or how beautiful you look in this photograph? I adore this headband, adore that you just whipped it up and adore this photo of you! You are indeed magical!
    (as I always say)
    xo
    Melis

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  10. lovely. and wisecraft's flower tutorial is my favorite, although i do like these as well

    http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/2009/09/pa.html

    http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/09/poppy-boutonniere-tutorial-and-giveaway.html

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  11. You are your best model for sure!!
    Stay warm and have a wonderful weekend Maya.

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  12. You're all so good to me, because the act of taking a self-portrait with a timer... and then presenting it to the world is quite unnerving.

    Ana,sweet little sister,
    you'd be my perfect model if you were here. sigh.

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  13. I love it! And I just happen to have the remnants of a felted sweater lying around that includes a turtleneck...wonderful idea. Thank you Maya! And for an in between/growing out hairdo, you look so cute.

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  14. Great idea! Now I know what to do with those turtlenecks I don't wear anymore.

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  15. It looks so cute - now I'm wishing that I hadn't grown up with an aversion to turtlenecks (I think I was scarred for life by an itchy turtleneck or something), as I know that I don't have any lying about the place...

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  16. Oh it looks so cute and cozy!
    I don't care for turtlenecks (I always feel like I'm being choked to death) so I think my favorite part may be slicing up the neck of one, haha! And I bet it doesn't pull tight at your head and slip off at random moments either. I'll have to try it.

    I made a fabric flower once upon a time: http://mollythepirate.blogspot.com/2009/04/flowered-headband.html

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  17. what a great example of recharging yourself with a little fun project thrown into the mix. I just love it. I keep looking at that book, I think I should get it.

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  18. I posted this darling headband on Craft Gossip Felting ♥ it:

    http://felting.craftgossip.com/2009/10/24/how-to-simple-floral-earmuff-headband-from-a-felted-sweater/

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  19. Love the photo of you in front of the woodpile. It is terrific!
    amanda from txtwins.blogspot.com

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  20. FANTASTIC!
    Somply loves it.
    My BF got severeal cashmere turtlenecks in colors lika cream, oatmeal, wine-red, balck etc.
    -but he won't have them much longer.
    His wine red sweater har already list its turtleneck :-)
    Theay are so fantasticly soft :-)

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  21. Great idea! thanks for sharing it!

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  24. Why didnt I think of this!
    Aha moment! lol
    Thank-you!
    Great idea too!

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