Been busy and then got sick... (and still am) =3

Easter is just around the corner (and to make up for neglecting my blog :p), I’ve prepared this ballet bunny pattern for you^0^

Just look at those Bunny tails!

So here we go…

Step 1

Cut out the head (x2), body (x2) and legs (x4) using this pattern template here.
Only the smallest amount of fabrics are needed, this project is great for using up scraps!

You will also need some stuffing cotton, needle & threads for embroidery.

Step 2

I have provided the embroidery pattern for the face and arms in the pattern template. What you need to do is to trace the bunny face onto one of the head pieces and the arms onto one of the body pieces. I didn’t provide a pattern for the bunny tail, I’ll leave that to your creativity, you can embroider a swirl like me, or maybe try appliqué!?

Step 3

One of my friend asked me how I did the bunny face, so I would like to show it here for those who wants to know.

First do a running stitch along the outline.

Then fill the inside with random stitches – this is the padding to give it a bit of an embossed look.

Now satin stitch over the pattern.

Repeat for the other eye and the nose.

As for the arms and tail, either running stitch or back stitch would do.

NB! For detailed areas like the face, I think it’s a good idea not to use threads that are too thick. But for running stitches like the arms & tails, thicker threads are better!

Step 4

For bunny’s front, place head piece with the face embroidered and body with the arms embroidered right side together – align the bottom of head piece with top of body piece and stitch together. Press seam open.

Do the same for the back head piece and the body piece with the tail.

Step 5

For the two legs, stitch 2 leg pieces right side together respectively.

Stuff the legs with cotton (or rice). I also stitch the leg close, but this is optional.

Step 6

Pin legs onto the right side of the back body as shown in the picture above.

Place the front body piece over right side together and stitch around (shown by the orange line), leave a gap for turning right side out. I actually stitch the legs in place first before going around, I think it’s easier.

Step 7

Turn inside out and iron.

Step 8

Stuff with cotton, close the gap and you are DONE!

Please let me know if any of the instructions weren’t clear enough!

If you make one, I’d love to see it ^_^
I hope you like my first plush pattern!

Thank you for reading!!

:: FAQ ::

How much do I need to enlarge the pattern by?
There is no need to enlarge the pattern, it’s a small bunny!! The finished bunny measures about 26.5cm in length and 7.5cm in width. But in case you’d like a bigger bunny, you can of course enlarge accordingly!^^

Related posts:

1. Valentine’s Eye Pillow :: a tutorial
2. Bunny Love in My Creative Space
3. Passport cover tutorial

How about making something special for yourself to wear on the big day? ^0^
… Or for anyone who’s still searching for a Valentines Day surprise gift!

It’s quite easy to make, and I’ve included lots of photo to follow!
So here we go…

You’ll need:

• A piece of Washi (Japanese Origami Paper) 15cm x 15cm
• Beads (of your choice)
• 2 x Fish-hook earring findings
• 2 x Head Pins
• PVA Glue
• Water-based Polyurethane & brush to apply
• Pliers
• Pin & Needle
• Scissors
• Wire

Step 1

Have your washi ready on a cutting mat. I used a type of origami paper known as Yuzen Chiyogami – love the prints! I also chose pink/red because it’s Valentines!

Cut out two 1.5 cm strips.

Step 2

Take one strip, fold one end of the washi to form a triangle.
And then keep wrapping the washi around the triangle.

When you reach the end of the washi strip, it should look something like the picture above. Fold the bottom corner of the part of washi strip still sticking out.

Step 3

Use a toothpick to apply a tiny bit of glue.

Tuck “end bit” in.

Step 4

Use your finger, gently press from the top of the triangle. Squash the two sides a bit to form a rough heart shape.

Repeat step 2 to 4 for the other washi strip.

Step 5

Use a pair of sharp scissors, trim the two sides of both hearts to make them rounder.

Step 6

First poke with a pin, and then a real thick needle to make a decent size pinhole.

Insert a piece of wire through both hearts – you don’t want to be holding the hearts when you apply the coating!!!

Step 7

Use a small paint brush to apply a thin coat of polyurethane and let dry. Repeat 2-3 times. Patience is the key – let dry completely between applications.

I’ve made heaps more hearts while waiting for the coating to dry ^0^

Step 8

Your hearts are now sturdy and water-resistant!

Remove hearts from wire and insert a head pin into each.
Thread a few beads in to make the earrings a bit more interesting.

Step 9

Trim the head pin if it’s too long, leave a section of exposed length of pin to form a loop using a pair of pliers.

Open the loop of a fish-hook finding and attach it to the head pin. Then close the loop again.

I don’t have a picture for this step, because I couldn’t take one><

Step 10

No more steps!! You are DONE! ^3^

I really like how the Origami Heart Earrings turned out! Hope my instructions are easy enough to follow. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment!!

Thank you for reading!!

:: FAQ ::

Can I use coating/varnish other than polyurethane?
I can’t say 100% for sure, but it’s relatively easy to test if your coating/varnish will work. Basically, the coating is to protect the washi from water/moisture as well as give it strength and durability. So brush a layer (or 2) of coating onto a small piece of washi, let dry, and if the washi does not become brittle and won’t break when bend (be gentle!) then it is probably good for this purpose!! Just a note though, I used water-based polyurethane (easier to clean up^^) so I’m not sure how oil-based ones will perform! But doesn’t hurt to try!:D

Related posts:

1. My Creative Space – Origami Earrings
2. Snail Wrist Pincushion (Felting) tutorial
3. Valentine’s Eye Pillow :: a tutorial

So I was thinking something pampering – an eye pillow would make a nice Valentine’s gift, I’ve also chosen more earthy colours and patterns – to show LOVE but not overwhelming!!

Materials for the (washable) Eye Pillow Slipcover:

• Fabrics:
  • Piece A – 4 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ – linen
  • Piece B – *** – any fabric of your choice
  • Piece C – *** – linen
  • Piece D – *** – any fabric of your choice (I chose one with hearts on it!)
  • Piece E – *** – linen
  • Piece F – 20 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ – lining fabric of your choice
  • Piece G – 10″ x 4 1/4″ – any fabric of your choice (this is the panel that will be in contact with the eyes, choose a fabric that feels soft to the touch! I used 100% Cotton.)
• A piece of string 4″ long
• 1 cute button (I used one made out of coconut shell – gotta choose one that can go into the microwave!)

*** For pieces B, C, D and E – please cut fabrics according to this template here.

Materials for the Eye Pillow:

• Fabrics:
  • 2 pieces – 9 3/4″ x 3 3/4″ – any fabric of your choice (I used homespun.)
  • flaxseed (linseed) approx. 150g

Seam allowance: 1/4″

Step 1: Let’s start with the eye pillow slipcover!

First of all, I would like to personalise the front panel a little bit using hand carved stamps. I carved 2 different size rubber heart stamps (you can find the stamp carving tutorial here).

Take piece C, use a fabric marker to mark the 1/4″ seam allowance. Use fabric ink of you choice stamp randomly within the marked lines. This brand of fabric ink that I use require me to iron afterwards to set the colour.

Full of HEARTS and LOVE! ^_^

Step 2: Patchwork

Now sew pieces B, C, D and E together and press seam open. This is what you should get, a patchwork panel measuring 6 1/2″ x 4 1/4″.

Step 3: Getting there…

Sew pieces A, G and the patchwork panel together according to the order shown in the picture below. Now you should have a long fabric panel same size as the lining. Press seams open.

Step 4: Make things more interesting!

Now let’s decorate the fabrics a bit with some stitches!! Use a fabric marker to mark the 1/4″ seam allowance.

Use different colour threads to decorate the fabrics with some stitching. This is what I’ve come up with, you can stitch more or less according to what you fancy, possibilities are endless!

Step 5: Putting the eye pillow slipcover together!

Pin the fabric panel and lining (Piece F) RIGHT side together – don’t forget to pin the string in place. Stitch along the 2 SHORT sides.

Turn RIGHT side out and iron.

Using the folding line (shown by the 2 arrows in the picture above) – first fold the RIGHT flap in and then the LEFT. This is how it should look like now.

Pin in place and stitch along the 2 LONG sides. Trim the seam allowances with a pair of pinking shears (optional), or apply fray-check glue if you have any (also optional). If you used fray-check glue, remember to let dry completely before turning out.

Yes, you can turn RIGHT side out now!! Don’t forget to sew the button in place and here’s your slipcover DONE!!

Step 6: Sew the eye pillow

There’s no point of a slipcover without the actual eye pillow, so here we go. Pin the two pieces of homespun together (If you use a different kind of fabric – RIGHT side together please!) and stitch around leaving an opening on one of the short sides, backstitching at each end. I double stitched – just in case the seeds find their way out!!

Trim corners, turn RIGHT side out and fill the pillow with approximate 150g of flaxseed (a funnel would make things easier here!), you can add more or less seeds according to your liking, I personally don’t want it too bulky, otherwise it wouldn’t be comfortable on the eyes!

Shook all the flaxseed to one end and then stitch (double-stitch!!) the opening closed.

Now to the exciting part, place the eye pillow into the slipcover!!!^^
TADA!! There’s your Valentines gift ready!!

Eye Pillow – Front View.

Eye Pillow – Back View

Oh! In case you want to do some “safety testing” before giving it away – Put it in the microwave for 45 secs or chill it in the freezer – place over eyes and relax!! You deserve some reward after all the hard work!!

I enjoyed making this eye pillow very much! This project is also great for using up scraps!
I hope the instructions are easy enough to follow for you!^^ There will be another Valentines tutorial coming – a matching gift to go with the eye pillow, so hang in there, I won’t be long!!^_^

Thank you very much for reading!!!

Related posts:

1. Passport cover tutorial
2. Mini Market Tote :: a tutorial
3. Ballet Bunny Plush :: Tutorial

You’ll need:

• hand carved rubber stamp – trim closer to image if necessary
• wooden block*** – sanded
• double-sided adhesive foam tape

*** If you can’t find any at your local craft shop, buy a piece of wood from a hardware store, and cut to desire size according to the size of the rubber stamp you are mounting – your husband/boyfriend might come in handy!! ^0^

Step 1

Stamp the image onto the top-side of the wooden block.

Step 2

Peel back one side of the protective paper and place the flat side of the rubber stamp onto the foam tape.

Step 3

Peel back the other side of the protective paper and adhere to the bottom-side of the wooden block.

Step 4

TAH DAH!! DONE!!

Don’t they look good?! ^0^

Related posts:

1. New hand carved stamps!
2. Hand Carved Stamp :: a tutorial
3. Valentine’s Eye Pillow :: a tutorial

Materials:

• Fabrics:
  • Outer fabric I (I used a bicycle fabric, cotton & linen blend)
  • Outer fabric II (I used red, purple and cream coloured stripes)
  • Lining fabric (I used sky blue and white checks)
• Sew-in interfacing (I used bamboo batting)- you can use iron-on interfacing if you prefer
• Twill tape, 2 strips, 15″ each
• 2 small buttons

Fabric cutting instructions:

Take note when using directional prints – all measurements read height x width

• Outer fabric I:
  • Cut 2 pieces 9″ x 10 3/4″ (Piece A & B in the photo below) for body
• Outer fabric II:
  • Cut 1 piece 8.5″ x 10 3/4″ (Piece C) for body
  • Cut 2 strips 15″ x 1 1/4″ for straps (Strip F & G)
  • Cut 1 piece 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ (Piece D) for pocket
• Lining fabric:
  • Cut 1 piece 25 1/2″ x 10 3/4″ for lining
• Sew-in interfacing:
  • Cut 1 piece 4″ x 5″ (Piece H) for pocket
  • Cut 1 piece 25″ x 10 1/4″ (Piece I) for body

Seam allowance: 1/4″

Step 1: Strap

Fold the fabric strips (F & G) like the picture below.

Pin each fabric strip on to a piece of twill tape of the same length.

Top stitch.

Step 2: Pocket

Place interfacing (Piece H) over pocket fabric (Piece D) wrong side up, like the picture below.

Stitch along the top, middle and bottom of interfacing as shown in the picture, you can baste the interfacing onto the fabric first. And if preferred, you can use iron-on interfacing instead.

Fold pocket fabric, right side together and pin.

Sew around the 3 edges, leaving an opening to turn over.

Turn the right side out and close the gap using ladder (blind) stitch.

Step 3: Outer fabrics

Pin fabric piece A and C right side together and stitch the width edge (shown by the brown line). Do the same with fabric B and the other edge of fabric C. If you are using directional prints, note that C is the bottom of the tote.

Press seam open. Now you should have a piece of fabric same size as the lining (Piece E), now refer to as the outer fabric.

Step 4: Lining

Pin and baste interfacing (Piece I) onto lining (Piece E) using a contrasting thread. Do 3 straight stitches running the length of lining, equal distance apart.

Use a seam ripper to remove basting. Do another 3 straight stitches running the length of the lining as the picture below. Again, it is perfectly fine if you wish to use iron-on interfacing.

Pin and stitch (shown by the black line in the picture below) pocket onto the right side of lining – 3 3/4″ below the shorter edge.

Step 5: Putting things together

Pin lining and outer fabric right side together (don’t forget the straps* – see next picture), stitch the two shorter edges (shown by the brown line – sorry I couldn’t fit both ends into the picture).

*When pinning strap in place, the two ends should be 3 3/4″ apart. Also note that the the right side of the strap is to face the right side of the outer fabric. Please leave about 3/4″ of the strap extruding like the picture below.

Press seam open and place it like the picture below. Stitch the side edges(shown by the brown lines) leaving a 4″ opening to turn out.

Pinch the corner out (only the lining fabric) – much like origami!!^0^
Draw a line 2″ from the corner and stitch! Do the same for the other corner.

Trim off the corner.

Turn the bag right side out and close the opening using ladder (blind) stitch.

Similar to the lining, pinch the corner out, fold up and pin in place. Sew the corner “point” with a cute button – see the small picture below.

Lastly, we need to strengthen the bag handle. Draw a mark like the one in the picture.

Stitch!

Step 6: DONE!!!

Quite a long post! I hope these instructions are clear!
And I hope you like this tutorial!! ^_^

Thank you very much for reading!!!

:: FAQ ::

Where do you get that beautiful linen/cotton bicycle fabric?
I got mine from Pink Chalk Fabrics, but looks like they ran out! However you can also get it from Cotton Blue on Etsy.

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I am not an organise person, in terms of “stuff”, and especially dangerous when I sew, pins are everywhere!!! Mainly ‘cos I only have one pincushion, and I kinda need it in several locations at the same time!!! So I thought it’s time for a wearable pincushion – the first person who came up with this idea is a genius!

My new creation – a Snail Pincushion Bracelet!!

This tutorial uses a combination of wet and needle felting techniques. It’s a fun and practical project yet simple enough for beginners! It also makes a great gift for sewers – who doesn’t need one?

You need:

• Grey wool top (also known as wool fibre or roving)
• Yellow wool top
• Moss green wool top (Or choose any 3 colours you like!)
• Soapy water (room temperature is fine)
• 2 pieces of bubble wrap
• a sushi mat
• a section of floating noodle roller
• a dry towel – big enough to cover work area
• velcro

Lay the towel over the work area, put the sushi mat on top, follow with a layer of bubble wrap.

Step 1 :: Make a felt strip

Hold the grey wool roving loosely with one hand and gently pull small tufts of wool from the end with the other hand. Lay the tufts of wool over the bubble wrap – all in the same direction. This is the first layer.

Place a second layer of wool over the first but with the wool fibres perpendicular to the first layer.

Wet the wool with soapy water – make sure there are enough water to saturate the wool, but not too much so it leaks everywhere!

Place a second bubble wrap over the wool layers.

Roll up the sushi place with the floating noodle roller in the middle. With both hands, keep rolling back and forth for a good 3 minutes.

Unroll, turn the wool layers horizontal, and roll for another 3 minutes.
This is to make sure that fibres are felted evenly in both directions

Now, carefully fold in the ends of the wool fibres on all sides to give straight edges. You should get a rectangle piece like the picture below.

Continue rolling, alternating between the 2 directions for another 3 minutes. Note that you should add more soapy water to keep the wool saturated if you feel it’s drying out.

Step 2 :: Repeat Step one with yellow wool

If you only have a small sushi mat like me, you can wrap the sushi mat with the towel to make rolling easier. The towel helps to keep the sushi mat in place.

Now you should have two strips of wool, my strips measure about 3.5cm x 19cm.

Step 3 :: Felt the two strips together

Layer the two wool strips on top of each other.

It is easier to felt the two strips together using needle felting techniques. This is because the two strips tends to dislocate with rolling.

Keep poking on both sides until the two layers are “kind of” stuck together. I used the words “kind of” here, because you will continue felting in the later steps, if you over-felt here, you will have trouble later.

Step 4 :: Make a roll

Roll up the strips like how you roll sushi.

Use felt needles and poke in all directions so that the layers felt together and form the roll.

Saturate the roll with soapy water. Go to the sink, rinse with hot tap water, continue to work the felt by rubber and rolling. Add more soap if necessary. The roll should continue to shrink.

Once you are happy that the roll is dense enough, rinse out all the soap, squeeze and let it air dry. This is your pincushion, but it’s not done yet, you need to attach it to a cuff!

Step 5 :: Make the cuff

Repeat step one with green wool to make the cuff, and let dry. Felt to desire length according to your wrist. My strip measures about 3.5cm x 18.5cm. I have very small wrist, so yours might not be the same as mine. Note that the direction of rolling is the direction of felting (i.e. shrinking), so be sure that the length of the strip is long enough to wrap around your wrist!

Attach velcro tabs. Take one piece of velcro and sew it to the top side of one end. Sew the second piece to the bottom of the other end.

Try the cuff on to make sure it fits!

Step 6 :: Stitch pincushion and cuff together

Hand stitch the pincushion to the cuff like the picture below – on both sides. I used sashiko threads, because of its “heavier” look.

Step 7 :: No more steps! You are done!

I’m really like how the design turned out – so stylish people might think it’s an accessory^0^

This is quite a long post. Please let me know if the instructions weren’t clear enough!
And I hope you like this tutorial!!

Thank you for reading!!

Related posts:

1. First time felting
2. Finally, a pincushion!
3. Origami Heart Earrings :: a tutorial

This passport cover is not like the normal journal or paperback cover, it’s more like a passport carry case and you can fit two passports in it. It also has slots for things like driver licence, mileage cards… etc. I think it would be very useful for traveling

Anyone who sew would have a lot of scraps, big pieces, small pieces, thin or fat… Hopefully, this tutorial will help to to turn those scraps into something useful^_^ Enjoy!!

Fabrics:

• Piece A: Cover fabric I (8″ x 6″)
• Piece B: Cover II (1.25″ x 6″)
• Piece C: Pocket I (8.75″ x 10″)
• Piece D: Lining (8.75″ x 6″)
• Piece E: Pocket II (8.75″ x 5.5″)
• Piece F: Interfacing I (8.25″ x 4.75″)
• Piece G: Interfacing II (8.25″ x 5.5″)
• Piece H: Interfacing III (8.25″ x 2.5″)

Other materials:

• Item I: Cotton tag (optional)
• Item J: Elastic (I used a broken hair band:p)
• Item K: Button

Seam allowance: 0.25″

Step 1:

Iron the interfacing onto the inner fabrics as shown in the diagram above. Fold both pocket fabrics in half and iron.

Step 2:

Stitch the cotton tag (Item I) onto pocket II (Piece E) where an X is marked in the diagram. (This step is optional, I just love my hand carved stamp tags – and this one has my initial on it!!)

Step 3:

Pin and stitch the two cover pieces together (Piece A & B) right side together.

Press seam open. Now you should have a piece of fabric measuring 8.75″ x 6″ (now refer to as Piece A+B).

Top stitch on both side of seam.

Step 4

Top stitch the folded edges of both pocket fabrics (Piece C & E) as shown by the red line in the diagram.

Step 5

Stack the layers in the order shown as shown in the photo below. Note the following:

• Lining (Piece D) is right side up.
• Cover (Piece A+B) is wrong side up.
• Pockets (Piece C & E) are arranged so that the fraying edges are towards the bottom.
• Make sure the bottom edges of piece C, D and E are aligned, shown by the green line in the photo.

Step 6

Pin layers together and stitch the edge shown by the green line.

Step 7

Remove pins and open up cover (Piece A+B), sew button (Item K) on the right side of cover. We stitched before sewing the button so that the button won’t get in the way of sewing:D

Step 8

Stitch around leaving a 3″ gap to turn the right side out. Don’t forget to pin the elastic (Item J) in place (shown in blue in the photo below) before stitching, the elastic would go between the cover and the rest of the layers.

Step 9

Turn right side out, use ladder stitch to close the gap.

Step 10

Carefully press the cover and draw a line marking the center of the passport cover.

Step 11

Finally, stitch over the marked line and you are DONE!!!^0^

Please let me know if the instructions weren’t clear enough!

If you make one, I’d love to see it ^_^
I hope you like this tutorial!!

Thank you for reading!!

:: FAQ ::

What type of interfacing didyou use?
The interfacing i used in this project is a fusible wadding (a.k.a. pellon).

Related posts:

1. Mini Market Tote :: a tutorial
2. Sewing machine cover how-to
3. Valentine’s Eye Pillow :: a tutorial

There are a lot of different sewing machine cover tutorials out there, but my one here is specifically for Janome’s DC3018 sewing machine, well to be precise, a softcover for the sewing machine’s hardcover – it’s made to fit!

So let’s get started*v*

Step 1:

First of all, you’ll need the width and entire front to back measurement, and for my Janome DC3018, it is 74cm x 46cm including 1cm of seam allowance. And for the two side pieces, I drew a pattern because it is not a rectangular shape, you can download the pattern here.

Step 2:

Choose your fabric!! You’ll need to choose an outer fabric, an inner fabric (I just used homespun, I like the fact that it matches well with any fabrics), and wadding (I used bamboo here, but any will do). If you want to skip the wadding, then use a stiffer fabric so the cover will holds its shape. I just like wadding for extra softness, it just feels more cozy!

Step 3:

Using the pattern and the measurements, cut out the fabric pieces.

Sarubobo is my assistant!

I didn’t measure each fabric individually, I was a bit lazy:p I only did the measurement once and used the outer fabric as the pattern for the the inner fabric and bamboo wadding. You can see from the photo that I pinned the outer fabric onto the inner fabric. I think it is faster than measure each piece individually and it might not be accurate, probably because I don’t have a very long ruler.

This is what you should have now. Remember that the side pieces of the outer fabric should be direct mirror image of each other, they are NOT the same! And the same applies to the inner fabric, but I am only using homespun, so it doesn’t matter in my case.

Step 4:

Start with the outer fabric, pin them together to form the bag shape allowing 1cm seam allowance. Remember you should have the right sides facing each other. Try the cover on the sewing machine and make sure it fits. Now sew up the sides.

Step 5:

If you have a Janome sewing machine, you’ll notice that the hardcover has a different front and back. The pattern I drew allows for the rounder front but not the less rounded corner at the back.

And because I want the cozy to fit better, so after I sew the pieces together, I try the cover on again and pin the place (the two back corners) where I want to sew the gusset.

Mark a line with a some fabric chalk.

Sew along the line.

Step 6:

Pin bamboo wadding onto inner fabric.

Step 7:

Pin inner fabric into a bag shape and try it on the sewing machine cover.

Sew up the sides.

Step 8:

Create the gusset for the inner fabric (see step 5).

Step 9:

Place the outer fabric inside the inner fabric, right sides together. Pin the seam as shown in the picture.
Stitch around leaving enough space to turn the right side out.

Step 10:

Turn right side out and stitch up the gap using ladder stitch (also known as blind stitch).

Step 11:

Done!

Obviously it needs some ironing= =

Sorry that the photos are a bit dark>< I was working till late at night.
But I hope you enjoyed my first sewing tutorial ^0^

10-10-2009 Update:

I realised that the sewing machine cover also works without the hardcover. Sometimes, when I know I am going to use the sewing machine the next day and don’t wanna unplug the cord and stuff, I just use the cozy to cover up the sewing machine (see photo below), and still looks pretty good!:D

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I bought three types of carving blocks to try, in this tutorial, I used Renoir’s Ezy carve block (the white one on the right). It is very soft, its texture is similar to erasers. The Speedball carving block feels similar to the Ezy carve block, but I have yet to try it out. The grey piece up the top is lino, it feels quite hard, I would imagine it to be harder to carve.

I am using Speedball’s lino cutter to do the carving. I bought four different type of blades. If you don’t want to buy so many, the most important of all would be the V-shaped no. 1 blade, because it allows you to carve small details. However, it would be quite time-consuming carving large areas with such a small blade.

Now we’ve got all the tools ready – time to get started^0^

Firstly, draw your pattern on the carving block. I like frogs so I used a frog design – it’s from a fabric that I like. You can draw anything, but if it’s your first time, don’t make it too complicated. Also, remember not to press too hard while drawing on the block, it’s very soft so a pencil can scratch it quite easily. And then cut out the design from the carving block, a normal cutter will do here.

I used a very thin knife blade to begin tracing around the edge lines. This step is optional, you can jump straight into carving if you are confident enough.

It’s very important that you cut at an angle away from the edge. This helps the stamp to be sturdy and the stamp will last longer! And also, I think it is easier if you carve away from yourself.

After tracing, I switched to the V-shaped no. 1 blade to carve around the edge lines.

Switch to a large size blade to carve the areas away from the edge lines. I find the U-shaped no. 4 blade very good for this task.

It looks 90% done, it’s time to test the stamp with ink and paper!

Looks like the edges are a bit ragged. I would recommend that you test the stamp out earlier in the carving process (probably when it’s about 70% done), because the ink helps to see exactly how thick the edge lines are. I tested my stamp a bit too late, some lines are now too thin.

I tried to smooth out the ragged edge lines a bit. It’s time to test again!

I am very happy with my frog stamp^^

So that’s it, it’s done! Carving stamp wasn’t all that hard, I enjoyed the process very much. Next time I will try out the other two carving material and will let you know how I go with them. I bet you can’t wait to carve some stamps too!

Related posts:

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3. Printing by Hand