Handmade: Bespoke baubles |
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Christmas is a time for magical settings and putting up the decorations brings on that feeling of excitement like nothing else. Much hilarity with the kids can be had making your own decorations around a kitchen table splattered with sequins, glue and silver paint. But, cheerful as they are, crêpe paper, popcorn chains and spray-painted pine cones don’t lend a lot of sophistication to the festive decor. We want to show you how to make something beautiful, personal and completely individual to grace your home this Christmas: a handmade Christmas for grown-ups.
First, gather your materials. There’s a quiet craft revolution going on all over the world. Its fervent disciples ransack their own attics, basements and garages – and everybody else’s – for anything old, antique, vintage and retro. Blemishes and the tell-tale marks of time are at a premium because these add character and character is the watchword. Natural fabrics, however humble, are the best to work with – think wool, cotton, felt, linen and hessian.
Seek natural forms and inspirations as well: twigs, leaves, feathers and seeds. Modern Japanese craft, with its emphasis on natural textiles and intricate yet spare work, is a powerful influence. The palette is neutral, subtle and faded, in chalky, dusty shades straight from nature – though if you want to go 1960s teals and cobalt blues, why not? Bright is beautiful too.
And you needn’t stop at vintage fabrics. Fossick for beautiful handmade and vintage papers, old photographs, mother-of-pearl buttons, embroidery silks, doilies, tray cloths and laces in true thrift-to-fantasy fashion.
These materials are the stuff of memories and what could be more akin to the spirit of Christmas? If you don’t have time to haunt op shops, haunt fabric stores instead; there will be plenty of natural fibres to choose from. And, if you feel it just isn’t Christmas without a bit of glitter, don’t despair. We haven’t done away with sequins altogether – there are plenty on our glamorous beaded bauble.
We asked craft artist Alison Norris-Baber to help us turn this medley of materials into enchanting and very personal Christmas decorations. She is convinced the old crafts are coming back. “I think a lot of women are wanting to go back to basics and create beautiful heirloom pieces – and to recycle as well. I use a lot of old vintage blankets in my work and old doilies and buttons. It’s all about creating something beautiful that may otherwise have just been thrown away.”
There’s only one precious commodity you need for these stylish creations: time. And time, says Alison, “is about putting love into whatever you’re making. That’s what’s inspiring – rather than going down to the shops and picking something up off the shelf that’s going to disintegrate in a couple of years. This is about making quality pieces with lots and lots of love.”
How to make an embroidered pohutukawa stocking
You’ll need: wool or felt fabric, embroidery floss, paua shell buttons (try Paua World), mother-of-pearl buttons, ribbon, transfer pencil (try craft shops; we got ours from Crafters Heaven), tracing paper and an iron. Other items from Spotlight, fabric and craft shops and art suppliers.
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1 Cut out two stocking shapes in the felt, using the pattern (see the download at the end of this article). With the transfer pencil, trace the pohutukawa motif on to the tracing paper. |
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2 Place the traced motif on to the right side of one of the stocking cut-outs. Iron over the tracing paper for fifteen seconds on a warm setting. Your motif should transfer on to the fabric. |
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3 Using a stem stitch and French knots, embroider over the transferred motif. Decorate the stocking with buttons. Place the stocking cut-outs wrong side together and blanket-stitch together. |
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4 Add a doubled length of ribbon to the top of the stocking to create a loop for hanging. |
How to make a beaded bauble
You’ll need: a polystyrene ball, a length of ribbon, dressmaking pins, sequins and selection of beads (available from Spotlight, fabric and craft shops and art suppliers).
1 Cut ribbon to the desired length, fold it into two to create a loop for hanging and pin it on to the polystyrene ball.
2 Select your beads and a sequin and thread them on to a dressmaking pin.
3 Push the pin into the polystyrene ball. Continue until the ball is entirely covered.
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How to make a memory ornament
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You’ll need: a photograph, PVA glue, glitter, a length of ribbon, sequins, beads, decorative paper and a two-inch “memory” frame plus two pieces of “memory” glass to fit the frame (all available from www.artchixstudio.com). Other items from Spotlight, fabric and craft shops and art suppliers. |
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1 Cut out a two-inch square photograph. You can scan and print it if you don’t want to cut the original. |
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2 Embellish your photo with glitter and, if you like, a printed Christmas message. Cut out a two-inch square of decorative paper and glue it to the back of the photo. |
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3 Place your embellished photo between the two pieces of glass and insert it into the frame. |
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4 Cut a length of ribbon and thread it through the loop at the top of the frame. You can tie a knot or, as we did here, stitch a sequin and bead on to the ribbon. |
Downloads:
Story: Jane Hurley
Photographs: Sharise Eberlein
Stylist: Alison Norris-Baber
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