Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Le Hoots

Recently, my long time friend and felting queen, Becca Jo, made these adorable owl ornaments. Of course I immediately saw them as having learning tool potential, so I emailed her for a tutorial which she graciously provided here.

I should note that I ended up modifying the design a bit (using felt backing instead of paper, using buttons, sequins and brads for eyes, and omitting the ornament aspect), but the patterns are generally the same. Here are my lovely Le Hoots:

I'm SO happy with how they turned out and I plan on making several more. I'm glad to have finished them in time for Christmas and I'll add them to the rest of my homemade gifts.

I also had the best time making these last week... each night after James fell asleep I threw a log on the fireplace, turned on some Christmas tunes, and with a warm kitty sleeping next to me and the twinkling glow of the Christmas tree, I sewed to my hearts content into the wee hours of the morning.

I plan on using these cuties for all sorts of learning activities. They are really easy to make and if you decide to create some of your own, please link back to this post.

{Why Le Hoot? Well, in 2001 I went on a Euro study in Ireland and it was there I was nicknamed Le Hoot by my goofy (and much-missed) friend, Shannon. Ever since then whenever I see an owl, I think of her. :)}

Update: click here to see how I ended up using these for a learning activity.

15 comments:

Susan-Chasing Marcus said...

I love the owls! Can you please share how you made them? Also, I hope to video the blanket stitch today while Sophie is in her nap and up load it tonight. I will send you the link!

Quixotic said...

Oh my Gosh, I LOOOOVE owls, and these little ones are just gorgeous! I bought my daughter a gorgeous knitted owl with felt eyes and wings for Xmas this yrar, I so wish I was clever enough to make one! Actually, that's my New Years resolution - get more crafty!!

Cara said...

What cute little owls! I'm sure James will love them!

becca jo said...

OMG they turned out so great!!!! thank you for asking for the pattern :)

Paul said...

great owls, they're pretty cool!

Counting Coconuts said...

Thank you thank you!!! I am soo new to this sewing thing and I get nervous about showing my projects. Your kind words and feedback are so helpful!
Susan, I'd be more than happy to show how I made these, and will put together a tutorial-ish type post after the new year. :)

Jen said...

Oh these are really, really CUTE! You did a fantastic job!

Susan said...

OMG I'm so in love with all things felt right now. Your little Le Hoots are precious!

Le Hoot sounds like a great nickname for you! You're so much fun in blog world - imagine you're a 'hoot' in person!

Sheri said...

These are quite cute, and simple! I've posted a link to this one and a couple of other posts on childmade.com. Thanks for sharing!

silly eagle books said...

I love owls and these are particularly cute! Great job. Do you know the book Good Night Owl by Pat Hutchins? It's one of my daughter's favorites.

Angie - treasuresfortots@gmail.com said...

Thank you for sharing at Thursday's Treasures!

Come share again this week!

Hope Sure said...

Hi Mari-Ann,
I just stumbled across your blog today, and it is lovely, and the ideas are great! I am a stay at home with 2 boys, one is 4 and the other 18 months. I plan on homeschooling and am always trying to add more fun ways of learning into our lives! I was just wondering if I am missing something, because I can't seem to find the links that show how you have made things, or what you have used them for. Am I totally missing something?
thanks so much
Rachael

Counting Coconuts said...

Hi Rachael,

I'm so glad to "meet" you out here in the blogosphere, and I'm thrilled to know you found some useful ideas on my blog. :)

I try to provide links whenever possible - for example, in this post there are 4 links and they are embedded in certain words. (The first word that's also a link in this post is: Becca Jo.) Simply click the word and it should send you to the appropriate location. In some cases the word is a different color than the rest of the text and in some cases it's underlined. The inconsistency has to do with the number of times I've changed my page settings. :)

Anyway, hope that helps - please email me directly if you still have trouble and I can send you a link directly.

Warmly,
Mari-Ann

TwigandToadstool said...

What a splendid craft!!! I think I'm going to have to whip up some owls this weekend!!!
beautiful!
xo maureen
http://www.twigandtoadstool.blogspot.com

Henry said...

I know this is not a recent post, but I thought I'd share with you that I made this and my son LOVES it. He counts them out and puts them in the tree and is so content to repeat it over and over. He says the owls are all friends! Thank you for sharing this. Because you took the time to share it, my son is enjoying it right now.

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