I was able to get a few supplies for our Christmas decorations, but not everything I wanted. So I will just have to improvise, since I'm not willing to drive to the city to maybe, maybe not, find what I want there!
Since I was planning to make larger ornaments for the tree, I had hope to find some nice Christmas yarn but, alas, there was none to be had in town. Not even in embroidery thread or craft cord! Bizarre.
I did have plenty to choose from at home, though.
I have a small amount of gold crochet thread with a metallic strand for some sparkle. I also have most of a package of sparkly Lion Brand Bon Bons that I had to rescue from the cats a while ago.
I have other colours in the dollar store version, too.
Plus, some more crochet thread. The variegated one is left over from some some crochet covered Christmas ornaments I'd experimented with a while back, and there is still lots left.
Once I gathered up my materials, including pins and beads and other odds and ends I've got, I used a cereal box my daughters sacrificed for me to cut out some 3" x 9" strips, in the same manner I'd done before. Unfortunately, I somehow screwed up with the measurements on one of them and it went to waste.
One of the things I was looking for but had a hard time finding was plain double sided tape. You'd think that would be easy to find, but I kept finding double sided foam mounting tape, or glue dots, and so on. All things that are way too thick for what I had in mind. I did finally find some double sized adhesive in the dollar store, that I could use to adhere the tabs in the cardboard to make the shape, but...
... it turned out to be glue dots.
I double checked. There was nothing in the package that described them as glue dots. Only "double sided adhesive."
Sigh.
Thankfully, I'd picked up some glue sticks as well, just in case, and used that on the tabs to put the form together. Oddly, the glue sticks took longer to dry, and it had to be held together for much longer, before I could set it aside to finish drying.
So for the next one, I decided to try something different. I'd found this video...
It uses a more more compact way to make the shape's form.
Also, I like the idea of tucking a secret message inside the berlingot for the person it is meant to be given to.
I decided to give this method a try.
I started with a 4" square, then marked off the rest. When gathering my materials, I found my scoring tool, so I used that instead of a pen to mark the folds, then cut out the one unmarked corner.
As with the other method, all the folds are creased in the same direction.
Then I used ordinary tape to put it together.
Since I had the glue dots anyhow, I decided to use a couple at the more flattened points that I would be wrapping around, which also would hold in place my starting threads. The adhesive is quite malleable, so I was able to sort of wrap it around the point to cover all sides.
I chose a gold metallic to go with a plain red for this one.
When it was done, I was left with a problem.
A few of them, actually.
When it was time to sew in the thread ends, the glue dot made it very difficult. I had to really fight to get the needle under the strands, and ended up having to scrape adhesive off my needle, afterwards.
I had made a tassel for the bottom, but I have no way to attach it. I don't have needles long enough to go through, but even if I did, the glue dot adhesive ended up over the point, and I simply couldn't get a needle through it. It stuck to the needle to much.
At which point, my daughter brought up the "basket of berlingot" idea again!
I set that aside to think about it later. I still had the larger form I'd made, using the 3" x 9" strip of cardboard. Because of the size, I decided to use the purple and green crochet thread.
I was curious to see if a pattern would emerge, as happens with crochet, but not really. I kinda like it, but it's not very Christmassy. If I can figure out how to add a hanger and decorations at the points, that could easily be changed, though.
For the next one, I decided to start with a square again - I like this version, since it isn't as reliant on having an exact 1:3 ratio that the rectangle does. My daughter also came to my rescue. When I told her I couldn't find plain double sided tape, she told me she had some and offered it to me!
It was much appreciated!
For this next one, I changed things up.
The outer square for this one was 6", and the final result turned out to be very close in size to the 3" x 9" rectangle version.
I also made a hanger first, and taped it in place, on the inside, along with the starting strands of the yarn I chose. For this one, I went with three metallic colours, purple, blue and grey/silver.
Then the form was taped together with double sided tape, which served to help hold the strands in place while being wrapped.
Here is the final result.
When the wrapping was done, I was able to poke holes in the remaining points with a needle, then use a head pin and embellishment glue to add pearl beads.
Then I had to hang it in the tree (currently undecorated while the cats get used to it being there), so that the glue could dry without anything accidentally touching it. It will dry clear. I would have used silver head pins instead of gold, if I'd had any. 🤔
Which makes my third attempt today my first completed ornament!
For the next ones, I think I will stick to using squares to make the forms, instead of rectangles. It will be easier to have a variety of sizes. This finished one is definitely the largest I want to make for our tree. Any bigger would be just too much for it. Plus, smaller ones will need less yarn or thread to cover it, so those supplies will last longer, too.
I now also know that if I want to add a hanger to the top, or something like tassels to other points, those need to be added and affixed to the inside, before the form is folded and taped into place.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get back at it and more more of these, tomorrow.
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