Happy Easter!

Happy Easter dear friends!  I hope you're enjoying this special time with loved ones and friends!  To celebrate the holiday, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop, so if you've been wanting to stock up on patterns and supplies, now's the perfect time to get everything you need!  Please enter Coupon Code HAPPYEASTER at the checkout to receive 20% off your entire order!  Sale starts Sunday, 27 March, 12:00am Eastern time and goes till Monday, 28th, 11.59pm Eastern time.

 Have a wonderful weekend!!

My Felt Doll Knitted Outfit Patterns

Hey there everyone!  I have some lovely news to share!  My wonderful Mum has designed three new knitted outfit patterns to fit the dolls from my new book - My Felt Doll.  There's a cute little wrap cardigan which is perfect for the Prima Ballerina, an adorable dressing gown to compliment the Bedtime Doll and a fun little Summer romper to wear on a sunny day!

Mum is busily working on the next design - the sweetest little dress ever!!  I cannot wait to show it to you, it is absolutely gorgeous!!  Anyway, for those of you who like to knit, these patterns are now available in my Mum's Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/myfairdolly.  And by the way, she'd love to knit one for you if you're not a knitter (like me:)!
Here are a few more pics of the outfits..

I just wanted to say a very big Thank You to everyone who has purchased my book!  I've had such wonderful feedback from so many of you and I'm so glad that you like it!!
hugs,

My Sweet Pony Pattern Release!

Hi there!  It's been such a while since my last post and I'm hoping that you've all been keeping well and busily crafting!  I've got such a wonderful surprise to share today - the little pony pattern that I've been working on forever is finally ready! lol!  The pattern for these little ponies has been in the works for months and I can honestly say that it's been the hardest one to try and complete, not only because of all the different options I chose to include, but also because the last couple of months have been extremely busy in other ways as well.  But, it's finally done and I'm so happy to be able to share it with you!

 This pattern includes many options for creating a customized little pony.  You can choose from three different styles of manes - faux fur, curvy felt mane or a rainbow mane; the tail can be made from felt or faux fur and there are lots of fun accessories too, such as Pegasus wings, a Unicorn horn, Flutterby wings and all sorts of cute designs that you can applique onto the flank, mane or tails.
Here's a few sneak peeks at the details:

Tiny cut-out hearts shaped into a flower with bead detail at the center.

Sparkly seed and straight beads look so pretty when they catch the light!

I think the two above are my faves - the Rainbow Ponies!

For the apricot and pink pony, I stitched a tiny glittered heart charm onto a felt collar and embellished her mane and tail with polka dot hearts.  The little Pegasus pony has sparkly glittered wings and collar.

 A beaded star necklace is perfect for the finishing touch!

And who could resist a sweet little Unicorn, complete with a shimmery horn?

The pattern is now available in my shops!

Holiday Special - 12 Days Of Gifts!!

Season's Greetings dear friends!!  
 
Dust off your scissors and hunt for your pincushion and get ready for a crafting frenzy!  There's still time to make something special for your family and friends!  

To help inspire you, I'm having my 4th annual 12 Days Of Gifts Special in my Etsy Shop and beginning tomorrow, Monday Dec 7th, I'll be offering a different pattern or pattern set for each of the following 12 days which will be on sale for 50% off the regular price!  

So, if there's a particular pattern you've had your eye on, please be sure to check my Facebook Page each morning as I'll post an announcement with each day's Gift of the Day.

Please don't miss this special as it will only be on for a limited time!
 Happy crafting everyone!
 

New for the Holidays - Snowbies Pattern!

Hello there!  Just wanted to share my newest Holiday pattern with you all - it's the Snowbies!  These adorable little snowpeople are sure to add a big dose of charm to your holiday decor and would make wonderful gifts for family and friends!

Snowbies have a firm bottom base and are able to stand upright on their own. They're super easy to make and the pattern includes lots of fun options for accessories such as a top hat trimmed with holly, pompom earmuffs, little mittens with embroidered details, a candy cane, a star garland and a simple wreath. Finished Snowbies measure about 4 inches tall.

 Don't you just want to squish the daylights out of him??
Pattern and pattern kits are now available in my shop.

Happy Holidays Sale!

Hello lovelies!  Happy Holidays everyone, especially to my friends across the border - hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  To celebrate the Season, I'm having a SUPER SALE this weekend, with 20% off everything in my ETSY shop!!

 To take advantage of the sale, please enter Coupon Code SUPERSALE2015 at the checkout to receive your discount.  The coupon will be valid now through Cyber Monday!

Happy shopping!

Free Tutorial - Sparkle Kitty

Hi!  Do you like teeny tiny cute things?  If so, I've created a wonderful little tutorial specially for you!  These super sweet Sparkle Kitties are fun and easy to make and can be worn as brooch pins or hair barrettes and can easily be made into ornaments, key chains or as tiny pets for your dolls.

 Sparkle Kitties measure just under 2 inches tall and are completely hand sewn.  

They make the dearest little pets!

What you'll need to make one:

::  2.5 x 4 inch felt for main body                            ::  1 x 1 inch glitter felt or coloured felt for bow

::  2 x 7.5mm safety eyes                                       ::  4 - 5 tiny flat backed Swarovski crystals

::  Embroidery thread/floss                                     ::  Metallic embroidery thread (optional)                          ::  Disappearing ink marker                                    ::  Ruler                                                                      

::  Clear drying craft glue                                        ::  Flat toothpick

::  Embroidery scissors                                           ::  Sewing needles and pins

::  Pink coloured pencil                                           ::  Tweezers

::  Polyfil                                                                ::  Orange stick or chopstick for stuffing

::  Optional:  awl, wire cutters, sticky-back googly eyes (1 each of 7.5mm and 10mm), brooch pin post, key chain, barrette with holes.   

Download the pattern here.

.: Print pattern onto regular printer paper - no need to re-size the pieces.

.: Cut out pattern pieces and pin each piece onto your chosen felts.  You can choose which way you'd like your kitty to face - tail on the left or right. 
.: Carefully cut around patterns - you'll need to cut one front and one back, and one bow.
.: To mark the grid onto the felt, keep the paper pattern piece pinned in place and gently lift its outer edges, using your disappearing ink marker to mark the beginning of the lines onto the felt. Then remove the pattern piece and use the ruler to connect the lines. The grid will help with the placement of facial features in later steps.  (It's only necessary to mark the grid lines onto the front piece of felt.)

 

.:  Using one strand of embroidery thread, embroider the little snout, whiskers, paws, and ear tufts.  I used metallic thread to add a bit of sparkle, but that's totally up to you.

.: Being very careful, use the tip of your embroidery scissors or an awl to make two tiny holes for the eyes at the center of the X, where the vertical and horizontal lines meet.

.: Insert safety eyes with connectors at the back, making sure you slide the connector firmly down onto each post as far as it will go.

 ✿ Optional, but highly recommended:  Once you've connected the eye parts, trim the back plastic posts of the safety eyes with your wire cutters, leaving about an 1/8 of an inch beyond the washers. 

.: Embroider eyelashes at the outer corners of the eyes.

.:  Whip stitch darts on front and back of head, making sure to sew them from the back of the felt.

.:  Place front onto back, wrong sides facing and pin.  Using one strand of embroidery thread and starting at the top of the head at one of the marked lines just off center, whip stitch all the way around to the other marked line on the opposite side of the head.  The tail area is a little finicky, but take your time and go around it carefully.  Keep your stitches small, neat and evenly spaced as this helps to prevent the stuffing from escaping from the seams and gives a lovely finish to your work.

.:  Stuff the kitty, gently pushing the stuffing down into the body area and then working your way up to fill the head and ears.  Don't bother stuffing the little tail - it's impossible!!

.:  As you get nearer to the opening at the top, start whip stitching the opening closed, adding a bit more stuffing as you go to round out the top of the head before you fully close the hole.

.:  Dip the tip of a flat toothpick into the glue and draw it along the front neck area, creating a thin line of glue from one side to the other.  Use your pair of tweezers to position the flat backed Swarovski crystals onto the glue.  Try and keep them nice and straight and close together so that it looks like a tiny jeweled collar.  Allow to dry.

.:  Position the bow just below the ear, above an eye and sew in place using tiny stitches in the center of the bow.  Add a bit of colour to the cheeks by using your pink coloured pencil.  

Alternatively, you can position and sew the bow on at the neck instead of making a collar.

 .:  If you'd like to make the googly-eyed kitty, simply omit the steps of making eye holes and inserting them with safety eyes and instead, glue the googly eyes on after you've finished stuffing your kitty.  Use the grid to help with placement of the eyes.

  ✿ Optional:  To make a key chain pendant, stitch the loop of the key chain directly onto the top of the head, keeping your stitches hidden within the dart stitches.

.:  For a brooch, pin the brooch post onto the back of the kitty and stitch in place.  You can do the same with a hair barrette if you'd like.

So that's it! I hope you'll feel inspired to make one or two of these for yourself or for someone you know :) You're also welcome to sell your little creations, I just ask that you offer GINGERMELON design credit in any written description please.  And I'd love to see how they turn out so please share your pics on my facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/gingermelondolls?ref=hl

Happy sewing everyone!! 

Chibi Angels and Mermaids

Hello there!  I'm very excited to share some photos of the little Chibi dolls I've been working on lately.  'Chibi' is an endearing Japanese term for extremely cute, baby-like characters with over-sized heads and tiny bodies.

 These tiny angels and mermaids measure just under 5 inches tall, which makes them the perfect size for little hands to hold or for turning into ornaments!

 The mermaids...

The angels.

I just love how dainty they are!! 

 I'm hoping to have the patterns for these little sweeties ready very soon!

 As most of you know, my new book - 'My Felt Doll' has recently been published and is now available for purchase on-line at Amazon, Kobo and Indigo.  I believe it is also due for release in stores at the end of October.  If you'd like to find out what people are saying about it, please pop over and visit Abby Glassenberg's blog to read her review on my book.  I just want to say a big Thank You to Abby for taking the time to share her thoughts about it! 

Here are a few photos I took of the dolls I made for the book..

The mermaids.

The princess.

And the Woodland Girl.  Take a boo inside her little basket and you'll see a teensy, weensy hedgehog peeking out!

These are just a few of the many themes that are included inside the book!

Have an awesome week!