penny carnival

Felt food source roundup

I'm amazed by how many Google hits I'm getting on my posts about felt food. I wish I had more felt food to show for it! Maybe by Christmas. There are some yet-to-be photographed yummies in my craft room, but I thought I'd also write a roundup of other felt food sources.

By the way, I also feel badly when people Google "penny carnival game ideas" and stumble on me. My explanation for why I named my blog this is here. I really should write a roundup of penny carnival games, though. Oh, great. I just typed penny carnival games so many times even more people will be led astray. Oops. Did it again.

This list is in no way exhaustive (do you see that it's being posted at 3:30 4 a.m.?), so please leave comments with your favorite links.

Free tutorials:

Fried eggs and orange slices from One Crafty Mumma

Ravioli, also from One Crafty Mumma

Fortune cookies from Hilary Seabolt, via Craftsanity

One type of Icing for cupcakes

Donut, from Cut Out and Keep

Patterns to purchase:

Japanese craft book about making felt food (thanks for the heads up, Klay)

Bugga Bugs

Ume Crafts

(fruit slice photo from Ume Crafts:)

Just buy it already made, dammit:

Lilly Bean 

Etsy, including this one (thanks Klay)

Nico & Zoe

Mahar Dry Goods

(Carnival cake and gingerbread house are from Mahar Dry Goods:)

(sushi photo from Lilly Bean:)

Sources for buying wool felt:

Prairie Point Junction

Inspiration (aka, how to burn an hour on the Internet):

Flickr play food group

Softies Central's cupcake wars

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's Craftsanity interview with Hilary Seabolt of Lilly Bean

(photo by Itty Bitty Birdy)

Skill tutorials:

How to tie a French knot (good for seeds, like strawberry seeds)

News flash: sewing patterns work!

Hi, I'm Megan.

(Hi, Megan.) 

And I've got a problem. I like to reinvent the wheel. For whatever reason, a project doesn't feel truly my own unless I've created it from scratch. The result is often wasted fabric, frustration and regret that I didn't pay closer attention in geometry class.

So my 3/4-year resolution is to get over myself. Here is my latest round of therapy: felt food following Bugga Bugs patterns purchased via Etsy. 

I shouldn't have used such a dark crust on the bread, but I think it still looks like bread, right?

Is the banana cracking you up too? 

Stay tuned ... cupcakes and strawberries are coming soon ...

My first attempt at felt food

You're probably not a true craft blogger until you've made two things: a birthday bunting/banner (check) and felt food (check, sort of).

I've been thinking that the subject of my next HomeMaker column for the Spokesman should be about making felt food. The perfect inspiration came my way last weekend when Bo and her buddy MK ate up some gorgeous cupcakes from Madeleine's bakery.

I've long admired the felt food of other crafters including Lilly Bean and sellers on Etsy, like Bugga Bugs.

So I followed a basic tutorial online tonight for a cupcake (I'm not even going to link to it because I don't want anyone blaming her for my rotten work) and failed miserably. If I hadn't placed the thing in a muffin tin in the photo below, there's no way you could even guess what it was.

I'll try again another day. It was just practice--I used craft felt (icky scratchy non-wool craft felt) and I didn't even worry about using matching thread. I was just trying to get the basic form down. I shouldn't have added the frosting flower--just makes it look like a flower not a cupcake. And I have some thoughts on the size of the circles that should be cut for the cupcake and its holder.

Anyone have a favorite tutorial for making felt food, cupcakes or otherwise?

The first photo below is my attempt--obviously. The rest are from Bugga Bugs. Isn't her stuff amazing?! Make sure you see that she's offering a free tutorial on her blog for felt strawberries.