Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.

(Robot Costume Part 1: the robot body)
(Robot Costume Part 2: the helmet & limbs)
(Robot Costume Part 3: the Feet)
(Robot Costume Part 4: Girl Version)


Today's the day.  The day I finally share THE Halloween costume tutorial.  It's been forever since I left you that teaser (like 2 years???) and for some reason, the tutorials just never got written.  But I'm ready.

You may remember from past posts that I actually kind of love making costumes.  

And I especially like it when our family matches.  Like the Batman themed costumes when the kids were little. 

And the Mario themed costumes from about 3 years ago.  Though the best was probably before bug even turned 2 and I was pregnant with mini.  That kid looked awesome.  

So when bug requested a robot costume I was actually pretty stoked.  I was positive that if I started early enough, frequented the thrift store, brainstormed and took my time I could come up with something crazy awesome.  I even sketched out some designs, patterns and specific ideas.  Now, something I want to warn you about is that these pictures are not stellar.  This was before the awesome camera and it is impossible to take good pictures AS I am sewing since I sew in a dungeon.  (No, literally.  There's chains and shackles and everything...)

I'll be sharing this costume in bits and pieces - we'll tackle the main body, helmet, accessories and then the girl version I made for mini.

Here we go!

First off, for the main body, you'll need:
1 mattress pad (I used a queen and got two robot costumes out of it)
fabric for lining
batting (like for a quilt)
1 long zipper (coat zipper is best)
1 small square of tulle or mesh
12 metal grommets 
1 mini Christmas tree light necklace, tiny battery operated with a small on/off switch
3 small (thick) glow sticks
6 large buttons
3 extra large buttons
felt scraps in multiple colors
embroidery floss
needle and thread

First off, let's talk about the separate pieces you'll need to cut:

Top picture: two large rectangles for the body, two skinny rectangles with a curve cut out of one end for the sides, two small rectangles for shoulder straps.
Middle picture: These pieces are for "robot shoes".  Two rectangles with a small curve for the ankle, 4 skinny rectangles for the sides of the shoes, 4 small rectangles for the fronts and backs.
Bottom picture: Felt "gauges" to embellish the body.  I actually looked up pictures of vintage robots to get an idea about how the gauges used to look.  (I know, I'm ridiculous.) 
For the circle gauge: I placed the white circle on top of the aqua circle and used gray embroidery floss to sew the marks around kind of like a clock face.  That was the only thing holding the two together, but it worked out great.  I placed the tiny green felt circle in the middle, used red embroidery floss to sew it on with an "x" and then sewed a small arrow with a line on the back.  
For the rectangle gauge: I used black embroidery floss to sew the tiny red felt strip to the white felt trapezoidal piece at the edges, using small stitches that chained together, and continued that stitch to the edges of the white piece - making a black box to indicate the number window of the gauge.  I used the same floss to make the small and longer markings all through the window area, and a long arrow coming from the bottom of the white piece to the marks.  I sewed the white trapezoid piece to the yellow rectangle with white embroidery floss, then the aqua circle to the bottom with aqua floss.  In both cases I just hand stitched around the edge.

I'm not sharing a pattern or anything, because you have different sized kids than I do, so I'll share how I measured my kids and you'll be able to customize your robot pieces!

Piece 1. A - from shoulder to shoulder
              B - From shoulder to however long you want it to be... I chose upper thigh.
              Cut two pieces.
Piece 2. C - from the front of the shoulder, around the arm to the back of the shoulder.  
              D - from armpit to however long you want it to be... for me, upper thigh.  (same 
                    length as B above)
              Cut two pieces.
Piece 3. E - from next to the neck to the shoulder
              F - from the end of the collarbone over the top of the shoulder to the back of the
                   shoulder at the top of the shoulder blade.
FOR 4-6 USE A SHOE to measure, NOT A FOOT.  These are made to wear OVER SHOES.
Piece 4. G - from left side of shoe to right side - straight, not curved. Add a half inch.
              H - from heel to toe. Add a half inch.  For the curve - center it and cut enough for
                    ankle to comfortably fit through.
Piece 5. I - from top of shoe to bottom of sole.  Add 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch.
              J - from heel to toe. Add a half inch.
Piece 6. K - from top of heel to bottom of sole.  Add 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch.  (should be the 
                    same as I)
              L - from left side of shoe to right side - as with G above - then Add AN INCH.
Piece 7. M - the aqua circle is about 3.5 - 4 inches in diameter.
              N - White circle is about 3 - 3.5 inches in diameter.
Piece 8. P - Height of rectangle is about 3 - 4 inches.
              O - Length of rectangle is about 5-6 inches.

Phew!  Now that that's done...

Cut a mattress pad piece, a batting piece AND a lining piece for every single part of the robot body and shoe.
I used a thick mattress pad for two reasons.  1, I liked the quilting detail.  I thought it would look like imprinted metal.  2. I needed something thick and able to keep its shape well.  This way the robot would be soft and pliable for kids' movement, but also boxy and stiff looking.  This is also why I added batting to every piece.  3. It was free.  I got it from someone who didn't need it anymore... and free is the best price for fabric!

FRONT.

1. Cut a small square of tulle (or mesh).  This is a pocket for the glow sticks (or fluid/fuel indicators, if you will) so make it tall enough for the glow sticks and wide enough to fit three across.
2. Pin the felt pieces to the front body mattress pad piece.  I lined them up vertically, but you can do it however you want.
3. Pin the tulle rectangle to the same piece of mattress pad.  I pinned it across from the circle gauge horizontally, but it's your choice.  Each glow stick will have it's own little compartment, so place pins to mark where you will sew down the tulle for pockets.
4. Sew around the outer edge of the two felt gauges.
5. Sew from the top left corner, down, across the bottom, up to the right corner.  Then sew straight down in two spots to make the three see-through pockets.

Now your font piece is ready, and we can start construction!

1. Cut out your lining pieces and batting pieces.
2. Place your front mattress pad piece and front lining piece right sides together and sew up one side,
3. Across the TOP, and down the other side.
4. Leave the bottom open.  Turn right side out.  Insert your batting.
5. Sew across the bottom.  (I was careful to use selvaged edges so I didn't need to hem this.

NOW - I didn't take pictures of this entire process, but you need to do that with every single piece.  Just put right sides together, sew, turn right side out.  Insert the batting.  Sew the opening closed.  For EVERY PIECE.

Some notes:

 1.  Cut the back piece in half FIRST, before lining and stuffing it.  Just cut up the back - halving it vertically.  Line and stuff and sew up the two halves.  Then sew on the exposed zipper.  Just pin the zipped up zipper to one half, sew it on, then pin along the other half and sew.
2.  Topstitch anything that won't be sewn directly to another piece for added stability and a more finished look.  So, top stitch the long sides of the shoulders, 
3 and 4. and topstitch the curves of the side pieces, but leave the side edges.

 Here's a closer look at the zipper functionality.  If you are sure to cut the back in half and line, stuff and sew up the halves separately BEFORE adding the zipper, there will be finished edges inside and the zipper won't get caught on any unfinished batting and threads hanging out (see pic. 3)  I love the look of the exposed zipper - more industrial, I guess.  If you have a coat zipper, that is awesome because the whole back will open then.  I didn't have one, so I just added a normal zipper that stops at the bottom.  It opens all the way down to the bottom, which is more than enough space for bug's shoulders and arms to get through.

Once you've sewed your details to the front piece and your zipper to the two halves of the back piece, then lined, stuffed and sewed every single piece, you can put everything together!

1. Pin the shoulder piece to the top corner of the front piece.  Place the short end against the top edge of the front piece and the long edge along the side edge of the front piece with right sides together.  Sew straight across the TOP.
2. Do this with the other shoulder piece on the other top corner of the front.
3. Pin the side piece to the front piece.  Place the long edge of the side piece against the long edge of the front piece with right sides together and sew it down.  Then repeat with the other side piece on the other edge of the front piece.
You should have a front piece with two rectangles flopping off of the top and two long rectangles flopping off the sides.
4. Now connect the side pieces to the back piece.  Just line up the long edges and make sure to sew right sides together.  Do this with both sides.
5. Sew the shoulder straps to the back piece at the corners.
6. The back will look like this when unzipped.

A few detail shots:

1. Once everything is sewn together, the whole body should be able to practically support itself since you used thick mattress pad PLUS batting AND lining for every single piece individually.
2. I sewed a "vent" to the bottom of the front mattress pad piece.  I thought it added detail and it also made the front stiffer and boxier.  I just sewed parallel lines about 3-4 inches long and about 1/2 inch apart.
3. I sewed the points of the side pieces - the pointy parts of the curve for the arms - to the body at the front and back at an angle after sewing up the sides.  This reinforced the connection there which added some stability, but it's not entirely necessary.

Now, let's give it some color!

 Yes, I realize that if I had painted it first and THEN sewed the stuff on the front, I wouldn't have had to tape them off, but I wasn't thrilled about shoving painted fabric through my machine at the time, though now I realize it probably would have been ok.  Ah well.
So, tape off anything you don't want silver - the two felt pieces and the zipper in my case.
Then spray away!  
The bottom picture is after one coat - I did three total.

One last important note.  And I mean super duper duper important.  Use normal, indoor/outdoor spray paint.  Like Krylon.  READ THE LABEL.
Do NOT - NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT - use ENAMEL spray paint.  Right now you're thinking DUH.  Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, a mom made a robot costume.  She put a lot of thought, time and effort into it, and because she was only a moderately good sewer, she was very excited for how it came out, despite the amount of time and deep thought that went into every decision and every stitch.  Finally, the day came to make the costume silver.  She had silver spray paint in the garage, ready and waiting, and it was a beautiful, shiny, sparkly silver she had meticulously picked out - not realizing there was a difference between types of spray paint (you see, she may have been a moderate sewer, but was a spray paint novice.)  She sprayed and sprayed that robot costume until it shone and she was very happy.  An hour later, she went to check the costume, which she had finished a week ahead of schedule!  Curiously, it was still wet with paint.  Perplexed, the mom figured spray paint would simply take longer to dry on fabric and left it overnight.  In the morning, she check it again, and it was STILL wet!  Confused, the mom read the spray paint can and in horror realized she had bought ENAMEL spray paint, instead of the normal stuff.  Being completely unsure if the enamel paint would EVER dry on fabric, she nearly collapsed in despair upon realizing that she had ruined her lovingly created costume.  A day later, when it still was not dry, she set to work making a new one - which involved buying a new mattress pad, re-creating the felt gauges and other hand-sewn details, lining, stuffing, sewing, zippering, sewing, detailing, and FINALLY painting the costume once again - this time with NORMAL EVERYDAY SPRAY PAINT in normal silver.

Can I tell you the worst part of that story?  Yes, it's true.  But that's not the worst part.  The worst part is that I decided to sew up both bug's and mini's costumes and THEN spray them all at once.  Which means I ruined not one, but TWO costumes and had to re-create not one, but TWO costumes.  In a week.  AHHHHH!!!

Now, you will understand why the costume looks a little different from here on out... I changed the positions of the details and gauges on the front and was a little more careful with sewing the details - plus I had to use a different lining fabric, since I was all out of that awesome polyester I inherited from my grandma.

On the upside, I think I'm forever an expert on making robot costumes.

Ah, yes, to finish the body, all you have to do is:

Use a scissors, hammer and the grommet tool that comes in the grommet package to place 12 grommets in a grid on the front of the robot suit.  Cut a little hole through ALL LAYERS (easier said than done...), stick the grommet pieces through, use the tool and smack with a hammer.  DONE.
Use the little Christmas Tree Lights necklace to light up the grommet holes.  Place the necklace inside the suit, then make sure to stick lights out of the grommet holes.  There will be more lights than holes, that's ok.  Just makes sure all the holes are filled.  Then hand-sew the necklace into place with embroidery floss.  Secure it to the suit in many places - I sewed the necklace to the suit at each grommet to make sure the lights would stay in the holes - and I only sewed into the back layer - the lining fabric - not all the way through.

A note: I realize the Christmas Tree Lights Necklace may not be so easy to find.  I happened upon mine at Menard's - a local hardware store.  If you can't find one, THIS is the EXACT necklace I used and it's only $5.99 on Amazon.  Also, I was planning on using normal white battery operated Christmas tree lights.  I would have sewn a little pocket to the inside of the suit to accommodate the bulky battery pack.  So that's an option too.

Tomorrow: The helmet!

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

Frames. And what they hold.

This is not a post about frames.  

I repeat, this is not a post about frames - despite the title and the first photos.

I was "commissioned" by a friend to help with photos at her son's wedding reception/open house.  I went to church with her until she and her family moved away last year, but since they still have family and tons of friends in this area, they planned an open house here for just after the wedding and reception.  She needed help with decorations, setting up, the cake, and photos.  She also wanted a photo booth set up, and that's where my "expertise" came in.  As you know, I'm no good with cakes, so we left that to my sister in law.  My sister is an artist/photographer, so most of the photography was in her hands.  I helped making centerpieces and setting up, but I also did a bunch of stuff for the photo booth.  I'll share more about that a little later, but first up, these frames:

because although this isn't a post about frames, they are crucial to the story.  
I spray painted frames.  Spray paint and I have a long history together.  I hated it.  I loved it.  I made mistakes that turned out pretty cool.  So I decided to return the old standby for this project.
I scored some FREE art (yes free!) at a rummage sale with these giant frames.  There are actually 8 frames total, and to match the wedding colors, I painted some lavender ish and one lime green ish.  That one had me worried.  I painted it once and it wasn't quite right, so painted over it which was worse, then painted it lightly again with the first color and suddenly it was perfect.  So it was a totally custom spray paint color, a la me.  I also did a silver one, a black one, left one wooden and one white one which I don't recommend doing if your backdrop is also white - ahem.

More info about the photo booth itself later on.  

Now, to the real point of this post.

Bad art.  Due to the frames I needed and received (for free!) I became the proud owner of some pretty awesome bad art.  The kind of bad art you can't even turn into something cool.

I was taking the frames apart for painting purposes when Zoe wandered into the garage.

"What are you going to do with those?" She asked, pointing at the, ahem, ART.
"Throw them in the garbage." I said without even thinking.
GASP!! "You can't do that!!!" She exclaimed, "THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

And then she rescued them.
Later, in her bedroom, I saw them on display:

With some of her more "beautiful" stuffed animals.

Which left me with some questions.  

1. Who decides what is beautiful and what is not?  Who decides what will be tossed away in the garbage and what is worth saving?  To my "experienced" eyes, these weren't worth keeping even for painting practice, but from a 4 year old perspective they were full of emotion.  They had stories.  They needed to be seen.
2. What else do I carelessly discard without a second thought?  Cards and letters that my daughter has "hoarded" for years have gone into the trash pile, only to be saved again and again with tear-filled eyes.  Who am I to say they aren't worth it?  Are there other things?  People I haven't given a full chance?  Someone who needs help that I've walked past without glancing?  My own kids when they vie for my attention but I'm "too busy right this second"?  What am I discarding without thinking of the actual value?
3. How do I get rid of something horrible and ugly that my child has latched onto with her heart and soul?  No, really, this is an honest to goodness question.  How can I sneak these out?  Will there be irreparable harm done if I do?  What have you done in similar situations?  Give me some advice.  Really.  

Because while I love that she sees beauty in nearly everything, I still don't want nearly everything in my house.  Know what I mean?

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

I'm a one man band on the wagon.

I know you've seen all those jar herb gardens floating around pinterest - don't pretend like you haven't.  They're everywhere!  And if you know me, you know I'm likely to jump on a bandwagon like a trumpet blowing, drum stomping, cymbal crashing one man band!

Just kidding.

Kind of.

Here's the first one I saw and immediately wanted to copy: (but I don't know where it came from)

And here's one from Not Just A Housewife that's actually houseplants, but you could easily do herbs.

I've been wanting an herb garden like crazy.  Herbs are kind of pricey at the grocery store when you're buying them ALL THE TIME.  And then half of them go bad because you only use a tablespoon or two in each recipe.  Arg!  Anyway, I decided to do an indoor herb garden, hoping that 1) if it was inside I'd see it all the time and therefore be less likely to ignore and then ultimately kill it and also 2) space saving, you know.  

I made mine a little different because I wanted to use things I had on hand.

So, here's my version!

Mason jars.  I used two pint sized jars and 4 half-pint jars.  It's completely up to you what size and how many.  You need one jar for each herb plant.
Chain.  I just bought a pack of (smallish gauge) long silver chain at the hardware store.
Screw in hooks.  Self explanatory.  You need one for each jar.
Pliers.  Also self explanatory. 
Chalkboard stickers.  I used oval ones.  I got them at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook/sticker section.
Chalk Pen.  Got it at Michaels when I made the huge map/cork board gallery wall.
Ruler.  Average, wooden variety.  But you can use any ruler.  Obviously.
Spray paint.  I used Valspar in turquoise and white.  You can do whatever you want.
Wood board.  Mine was about 27 inches by almost 12 inches.  The size doesn't matter a ton, just so it's big enough to fit as many jars as you'd like.
Painter's tape is optional.  You can use it to tape off your board before painting.  I used the chevron frog tape which I got at Lowe's.
Also, not pictured, a drill.  You know what that is, so it's ok I forgot it in the picture, right?

Start with your jars:

1. Write your labels - one per jar - with your chalk pen.  I made two jars for cilantro since that's the herb we use the most.
2. Place your labels on the jars.
3. Wrap the end of the chain around the jar under the lip to measure how much you need per jar.
4. Use the pliers to lift the link after up.
5. Remove the measured out length of chain from the rest at the broken link.
6. Use this chain to measure out the rest of the chain lengths and break a link to separate them.  
You need one chain per jar.

Prepare your board:

1. Tape off your board (if you want.)

2. Spray it with your spray paint.  I sprayed turquoise from the top down and white from the bottom up to create an ombre effect.

3. Use your ruler and one jar measure the spacing between jars.  

4. Make a mark using the pointy end of a hook where you want each jar to go.

5. Once your board is all marked,

6. Screw in your hooks.

Let's make it hang:

1. Using a drill bit that is big enough for your chain to fit through, drill two holes making sure they are even and centered.

2. Pull the rest of your chain through the holes, putting one end through each hole so you can see the chain on the front of the board.

3. Use your pliers to open a link.

4. Place the opened link through the other end of chain.

5. Close it up with your pliers.

6. And you've got a chain to hang it from!

And... plants!

 2. To prepare your jars, you'll need to put a layer or two of small to mediumish stones in the bottom (don't forget these, they're needed for drainage).  Then put some potting soil in.
3. Plant your herbs!  
4. Wrap a chain around a jar under the lip.
5. Place the ends together and slide the end links over the hook to hang.
6. Do this with each jar.
7. And never mind my wilty cilantro.

 I tried it with the jars straight up and down and with them at an angle.  I think I like it at an angle best.

 Now.  I just have to do my best not to kill them all.  Which, for me, will be quite the feat.

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

The whole enchilada. And burrito. And taco. Nachos, too.

So, here's where we pull it all together!  It's an a-DORA-ble Party!  This could also be called "party on a budget" since I'm pretty sure I spent like $50 bucks on the whole thing - decor, food, gifts, favors, etc.

Here's the invitation I made on picmonkey:

For the green bush I used one of the fancy pants flourishes and modified it.  Ignore the black lines, obviously.

The decorations were fairly simple:

On the "treat table" I placed our piano bench in front and covered both with a white vinyl tablecloth.  Then I covered that with purple and white striped fabric and put some purple and white tulle all around the very top of the table.  I bought some super bright, happy flowers and put them in matching vases on the sides.  I borrowed the ferris wheel cupcake holder from my sister and made a "cake stand" from a glass jar and a plate.  I put out Zoe's hand me down plastic backpack backpack as well.  Then I used the cute, colorful alphabet rocks the kids and I made a long time ago and just placed them around in groups.  

There was a jar of them on the food counter, and I spelled out Zoe's name in a cheese dome.  Here's a tutorial for the alphabet rocks.  The food counter also had a "striped" tablecloth which I made by layering vinyl tablecloths that I got at the dollar store.

I also reused the pom pom garlands that I originally made for El's golden birthday.

I decided not to make any of the treats/food.  I didn't need the stress:

I bought two small cakes and put one on top of the other to make a small tiered cake (white and chocolate so everyone would be happy).  I topped it with a candelabra birthday candle holder that I got at Walmart.  It looks a little ghetto, but it worked well!

I bought cupcake as well.  They didn't have Dora cupcakes, but I wanted to make colorful toothpick flags anyway, so I bought My Little Pony cupcakes (since they were purple) and took the ring toppers off.  I made the toothpick flags with my every growing collection of washi tape.  On the food counter, there were glass vases: one with grape jelly flavored licorice (weird, huh?), one with gold Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and one with Dora fruit snacks. 

I also filled a large jar with animal crackers (she helps animals right?) and one with oranges because the counter needed a little color.  Zoe and I made our own rock candy in varying shades of purple.  (You can see my other rock candy creation here and get the recipe.)

On those gold platters we put tacos and burritos (both from Taco Bell - told you I didn't want to make anything...) We also set out tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.  

After everyone ate, we opened presents:

Then we played games and pulled the pinatas.  

And then we ate cake!

Zoe was thrilled with the whole thing, the kids had fun, mr saved dough, and, well, I chocked the whole thing up to a win!

You can see the presents I made Zoe here - Backpack Backpack, and Map!
Check out the Party Favor Cinch Bags (Dora Style) here!
And get Dora Party activity ideas here, including a Dora style Treasure Hunt and Pull-String, Paper Lantern Pinatas!


And that's how you do Dora on the cheap and easy!

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

just in time for Easter. Barely.

You know no yarn series would be complete without a yarn wreath!  Come on, I'm the wreath lady, right?  I've had this idea in my head for a few years now and never got it done before Easter, like that would surprise you.  This year I just barely busted it out and got it on the door in time.  Phew.  It was supposed to go up yesterday - oops - so you have one less day to make it yourself, sorry.  You can always make it next year!

Apparently I really like taking random food items and turning them into sunbursts.  Candy  corn anyone?

So:

First, let's focus on the carrots.  They are so easy and you probably have everything you need at home already.

1. Take a piece of card stock and lay it diagonally in front of you.
2. Take the corner and begin rolling it, making sure to keep one end skinny and one end wider.
3. Continue to roll it up across the paper, you'll begin to kind of curve a little.
4. Stop rolling when the opposite corner is just barely sticking out.
5. Put hot glue on the corner.
6. Roll that corner up and hold it for a second.
7. And you have a stiff paper cone!
8. The cone will have a point or two on the top from the other corners.  Just leave these there.
9. Repeat about a million times.

10. Put hot glue on the point of the cone and around the point.

11. Leaving a little tail, take your orange yarn and place it across the point, then wind it around the point over the hot glue to hide the opening.

12. Hold the little tail down against the cone.

13. Start winding the yarn around the point of the cone, over the tail.

14. Continue winding the yarn around the cone, working your way to the other end.

15. When you reach the straight edge of the opposite end, stop.

16. Put a little bit of hot glue on the inside of the cone and push your yarn down.

17. Snip off the yarn.

18. This part is optional, but you can use a different orange yarn and wrap it sporadically around the carrot, not covering the whole thing, just adding a little detail.

19. Repeat this like a million times.

A note about winding your yarn: I didn't do this all sleek and smooth like.  I just quickly wrapped the yarn around and however it landed it stayed that way.  The only requirement is that you pretty much cover up the paper - but even if there are spots showing the paper orange, so it's ok!

20. Make a bunch of pom pons with your green yarn.  I used two greens for added interest.   I also used the easy version of pom pom making - kind of like this, but not with a fork.  If you want to do the "real way" you can use my tutorial here.

21. Spread a bunch of hot glue around on the inside of the top of the cone.

22. Fold your pom pom in half.

23. Stick it down in the cone with the folded part down.  Make sure it is sticking to the sides.

24. You can bend the pointy parts of the paper down if you would like.

25. Trim off the long strands from the pom pom, and any other yarn that looks too long.

26. And repeat a million times.

So you've got some yarn carrots!  Cute!  After I made them into a wreath, I wished I'd made more to just put in a basket for decor inside.

Let's make us a wreath!

1. Cut a loooong piece of yarn, thread your doll needle, fold the yarn in half and tie the ends in a knot.
2. Lay your carrots down (right side facing down) and lay your wire wreath form or wire trivet on top.  Lay four carrots first, cutting the circle in fourths essentially.
3. Continue to fill your carrots in, getting an idea of the layout.
4. Once you know how you want your carrots, you can begin sewing them to the wreath form.  Tie your yarn onto the form near the center.  Make sure to leave the VERY middle free, since this will be seen from the front.
5. Now, wrapping your yarn around the first wire, stick your needle through the yarn on the carrot right under the wire, then pull it all the way through (so you've caught the wire in the stitch you made)
6. Move up to the next wire and do the same thing, wrapping the yarn, pulling the needle through the yarn on the carrot and pulling tightly.
7. Continue to make stitches around the wire and through the yarn on the carrot.
8. Go all the way up the wreath form until you are at the outer circle.
9. Once you make your stitch over that wire, put your needle into the stitch itself,
10. pull the needle through and pull the yarn until there is a little loop.
11. Then stick your needle back through the loop and pull it tightly, thus making a knot.
12. See, your carrot is nice and secure to the wreath form!

13. Now you can snip off the yarn at the knot and move onto the next carrot.
14. Just tie the ends in a new knot.
15. I sewed my four centered carrots first.  Then I went back around to do the other carrots that filled in the sunburst.  When I did those carrots, I didn't snip the yarn at the knot, rather I just kept one continuous piece of yarn and just moved from the top of one carrot to the bottom of the next carrot.  The carrots are close enough together that you can't see the long pieces of yarn from the front.
16.  Cut a long piece of yarn and attach it to the top of the wreath somehow.  I braided it first, then tied the ends of the braid to the wreath form.  I hung it from the top loop in the braid.
Voila!

So, the metal wreath form I used was actually a wire trivet I got at the thrift store a while ago.  I spray painted it white before I used it.

So now you've got two cute Easter yarn ideas...
Carrots!

And wreath!

My kids think I made this wreath so the Easter bunny has something to eat on his rounds...

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*