Fun to skim through. Some designs are better than others. Showed it to my daughter and she expressed surprise that glue is used. Here is a warning for those of you with very young children. If you do something once, it becomes a tradition. And just try NOT doing it again next year.
Example - Many years ago, I took two drawings my boys had done, made stuffed-felt interpretations of said drawings, and served them up as Christmas presents. They were a huge hit. The next year, they both drew pictures and expected me to bring them to life again. And the following year. And so on, until last year. Suddenly, they were too busy playing video games and Facebookin' to draw pictures. They said, Surprise us. And so I did, and once again, the toys were a hit, but I'm fresh out of ideas, so this year...they're gettin' zombies.
Though some are rather bloody, the creatures in this book are more likely to make you go, Awww! rather than Ewww! Who could resist a zombie puppy, kitty, or dead duck? Or my personal favorite - the dead bunny whose abdomen is sliced open, allowing coils of red embroidery floss intestines to spill out. Awww!
The projects look fairly easy, and there is a rating system of 1 to 4 skulls to warn you of the difficulty. Patterns can be traced as is, or enlarged. Supplies seem readily available, though it would help if you already own a massive box, filled to the brim with buttons and beads.
I'm looking forward to my very zombie Christmas. (Plus this is a great way to use up those squares of weird avocado green felt I've had laying around for years.) Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead I'm not huge into zombies or crafts, but somehow the two joining together compelled me. So I've made two of these little guys- the zombie puppy (rated with 1 skull indicating it was easy) and the classic zombie, pictured on the cover (2 skulls).
While the basic materials to make the felties are cheap- felt was 29 cents a piece, and each skein of embroidery floss was 35 cents- and you don't need much of either of these things for each project. Since I am not particularly crafty, in the way of making crafts- ahem, I also had to buy needles and beads and toy stuffing. Beads are where it gets pricier. While you only need a few, you have to buy several different packs of beads to get the ones you want. At 3 or 4 bucks a pop x 5 or 6 different types of beads, it can get ridiculously pricey relative to the other materials. Luckily my good pack-rat mother still had the tub of beads my sister and I had when we were little, so I saved cash and took a jaunt down memory lane.
The instructions are fairly clear, but I would have appreciated more tips or alternative ideas, such as what to do when you can't find bugle beads (used satin stitches instead) or helpful advice such as using tape over the templates on the felt when cutting the pieces out. These are things I figured out for myself, and might have been apparent to someone with crafting experience outside her old Girl Scout troop, but still, it would have been helpful and earned another star.
These are fun to make and cute to look at; perhaps that's why all the improvising I had to do bothered me so- I wanted mine to look exactly like the pictures. :o( Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead A friend gave me this for my birthday this year as an attempt to break me away from only doing cross stitch designs.
It worked, I absolutely love this book. The instructions are easy to follow and the finished products are simply adorable. So far, I have made a zombie duck that I have kept for myself. I made a zombie bride and groom as a quirky wedding present for a friend last month (don't worry, I gave them a 'proper' present as well) - there isn’t a groom in the book but I adapted the undertaker to suit my purposes. They looked adorable in their little coffins I made them. In fact, another friend loved the bride and groom so much she has asked me to make some for her to give as a present, along with two dogs. I've also just finished making Pumpkinhead, which looks great. A friend asked me to make that one for him.
The felties make cute little gifts for people - only give to people with a kooky sense of humour though otherwise they'll just look at it and think 'what the fuck?!'
All in all an interesting, fun and unique craft book. Only problem I have is that I cannot find any leather cord anyway in order to make some of the other felties. I'm loathe to try to eBay but looks like that's where I'll have to go.
I hope this is part of a series of books. So far, all my friends are wanting me to make a feltie for them and 16 designs just isn’t enough!
English Own it English
When I spied this book a few weeks ago, I definitely knew that it was love at first sight. I like crafty things and had been looking for something fun and simple. I don't crochet, I forgot how to knit, I have an off-again/on-again relationship with cross-stitching - but when Zombie Felties boasted of not having any hard sewing involved, I signed myself up!
The designs presented are really hit-and-miss for me. I'm not sold on the idea of a Zombie Vampire or Undertaker - they almost look like what you typically expect of them. The Surfer is also really way in left-field that I'm not sure if I will ever make one. I think my favorite so far is The Classic. I really want to try the Pirate and Thrilla because they look awesome, but it seems a little beyond my skill set at the moment.
The Zombie Felties do not take too terribly long. It takes me longest to get all the pieces measured out and cut. After you do a couple Zombie Felties, the assembly of the rest do not take so long. There are loads of embellishments and variations - one pattern's details may be easily transferable to a different pattern. My favorite is the dangling eyeball - so awesome! :) Nicola Tedman I love this book! This is what got me started sewing felties and I’ve loved doing it ever since. Kindle Edition Just in time for Halloween, Tedman and Skeate bring us this collection of creative crafts. Never in the history of ever have zombies looked quite so gosh-darn cute! Page after page of this attractive volume feature full-color photographs of mini-zombie felt creations, including a zombie bride, zombie vampire duck, a zombie pirate and many more.
Readers will find the clearly-labeled instructions and a preface including hints and tips on basic stitches extremely helpful for getting started. Each project is rated by difficulty level: one skull for the easiest projects, and up to four skulls for challenging zombies. Japanese-inspired design with tiny bodies and wobbly oblong heads gives each feltie a very kawaii look despite the pink beads representing brains spilling out, or the red embroidery floss for oozing guts... leaving one unsure if you'd rather run screaming or snuggle these little guys.
Tiny, simple to make, and easy to completely hand-sew, making the zombie dolls from this book will be much easier if you are already a crafter with lots of scraps and notions to choose from. Still, I see no reason why an enterprising YA librarian couldn't acquire a few sheets of felt, some embroidery floss and an assortment of beads and turn the book into inspiration for a Halloween craft library program. Teens with a twisted sense of humor will love these undead felt dolls. 80 This cute little craft book has directions on creating little felt zombies. The best one? Michael Jackson and the duck. I'm not sure how many students would actually sit down and make these, but they could if directed to in art class or an after school program. There are directions on the basic stitches needed and the difficulty level of each project is noted by the number of skulls. Had a great time making one of the felties from this book...and looking forward to making more!! Kindle Edition
Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate awaken their inner George A. Romero and focus their creative attention on the malleable, fuzzy softness of felt inside Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead. Inside, crafters will find instructions for more than 15 zombie creatures, including a Romero-esque Day of the Dead Zombie. Additional Zombie Feltie projects include:
* Zombie Bride
* Zombie Puppy
* Vampire Zombie
* Zombie Bunny
* Folklore Zombie
* Zombie Surfer, and more!
With only the most basic of sewing skills, crafters can raise their own macabre multitude of Zombie Feltie creations from the undead with an average construction time of less than one hour per pattern. Each design includes a full-color photograph of the finished project, as well as an illustrated, instructional overview, pattern diagrams, and a convenient list of everything needed to complete the project.
Zombie Feltie friends can be customized with limitless embellishments and they make great Halloween decorations, party favors, finger puppets, key rings, and even mobile phone mascots. Get ready to shudder as you stitch!
Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead
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