skip to main |
skip to sidebar
These are my balls....
When I was a student at the teacher training college I had to make a lesson for little ones. It was observed by my teachers and classmates.
The children were 7-8-year-olds so I wanted to play games or rather teach through games. I had nearly a week to make my lesson plan but that time it wasn't easy at all. Half of the week was brain storming then I started to make my plans come true.
When I finished my lesson plan I felt something was missing. I needed a 'something' which is interesting, useful and make children happy. I thought about balls. It would not be much fun to go shopping around the city trying to find a suitable ball, so I decided to sew one.
At that time I wasn't an expert but I knew the English paper piecing. I asked a friend to borrow me a football and then I drew a hexagon and a pentagon. Finally I had my first plush ball. It was heavy enough so it is easy to throw. But if it hits that doesn't hurt. It is good to touch and it was colourful, red, green and blue. I used some striped fabrics as well. Since then I made lots of balls to friends and colleagues. Unfortunately I don't have a pic about the first ball. It is an old one, I have used it for 9 years, but it is still the favourite of the children. (This pic is about other balls I made later.)
Last year I went to a patchwork camp. I was excited as in the programme I read about teddy bear making. I planned to make a teddy in Australia (2nd post I think in my blog), and I got a bear making kit, but I was not brave enough to start with the fur and the other magic things which I found inside the box.
So I went to the camp and waited for the first programme: the teddy. As my train was late I could not reach the second one, so I had to wait an hour at the station for the next one. Then the only taxi of the small town went away just in front of my eyes. So I asked the bus driver and after travelling by 2 buses I reached the place. I was very late for my course, but luckily the teacher was so kind and nice (one of the nicest ones I have learnt patchwork from). She helped me a lot, and finally at the end of the day I have the little teddy with me.
I was so proud to make this cute one. He was a perfect present for my B from the camp. He was very happy to have him, and from that moment he is sitting next to the computer screen. After a while (I think a couple of weeks later) he got the name Karamella, which means Caramel in English.
He is a poetical teddy... Not very cheerful, he likes thinking and writing poems. He is happy but not that forever-smiling one.
Soon he had two cousins (made for our friends, a sweet couple, their names are Pung and Ám) and later he had two brothers, Menta (Mint) and Málna (Raspberry).
I love making bears, they are all different even if you use the same template for them. They have a bit of your heart and soul. I can't imagine a person who doesn't like them.
Ah, I must tell you Karamella says hello and cheers for you!
I have to introduce my first soft toy. I made him with a pattern of a magazine. He is a tricky one. He is a bunny, but can hide and then he seems an egg. It is very good, as he is a bit shy...(He was very kind to let me take this picture about him)
He is absolutely handmade... It was a big project for me that time, as I have never tried to make soft toys before.... In fact the only difficult part is the fabric. I used plush for him, which I got from my mother-in-law. I had small pieces only but that is a good thing about patchwork, you can use everything, even really very small pieces....
His eyes are made of beads and he is filled with lentil (or something like lentil...).
And I have to tell you his story... Once he went on a big journey. He travelled to Australia with a friend. You have to know there are very strict rules in Australia... You mustn't take any food or plant to the country. At the customs they look for these things (too). So poor bunny was picked out of the huge suitcase he travelled in, and X-rayed alone.... (Can you imagine this small one in that huge X-ray? he is about 10-15 cm only) I think they found out something because my friend was asked about his filling. My friend didn't know anything about it as he got the bunny as a present, so bunny was examined again and again. He went through the X-ray 3 times (!). After a while one of the officers wanted to cut bunny's stomach and look at the filling. Poor bunny was frightened, you know, nobody wants his stomach to be cut and emptied.... And just before the huge knife reaches his skin..... the other officer spared him and let him go through....
Poor one was trembling for one or two hours. Since then he is a bit more careful with travelling. Anyway he enjoyed the holiday as I heard, he liked the country and the huge mountains. He didn't met any friends (hmmmm strange... Australia is told to be the home of the rabbits...), but still....he was happy to be there...
This is a picture of him in a shy moment...He is hiding...
