harry potter | Sewhooked

Livejournal user lady_whitehaven turned on the Way Back Machine for me today when I found this post over at the Livejournal community quilting.

The dragon is an old design that I came up with way back in 2006 for a project that never quite made it to fruition. That was probably a year after I started designing. When I look at the original pattern, I can really see how much my design skill has evolved.

Sometime in 2007, when I had finally tested the dragon and realized how complicated it was, I pulled it off of sewhooked to be redesigned and then (apparently!) forgot about it. I have since tried to be more careful about what patterns I post untested. If I’m even a little unsure of the pattern design, I’ll hold onto it until I’ve had the chance to test it myself.

New, cleaned up and simplified version:

“Green Dragon” Pattern

The original version looks okay, but the pattern is scary, messy & has too many pieces!

First scary dragon pattern

When I woke up this morning, I had no intention of redrawing or reworking a pattern. I had kids to get to school (done!), a hubby to drop off at the airport (done!) and groceries to buy (um…not so done!). Thank you, lady_whitehaven, for inspiring me to have a second look and give the “Green Dragon” a second life.

“Green Dragon” is now housed on the Paper Pieced Pattern page at sewhooked. If you give it a try, or any of my other patterns or projects a try, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the Friends of Sewhooked flickr group.

Have a happy weekend!

coming soon – Guest Designer profiles!

This is part of my “Way Back Craft” series’; patterns, crafts, tutorials and general crafty memories before the days of this craft blog.

I’ve been crafting Harry Potter-themed items since my first reading of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Philospher’s Stone for those outside the U.S.).

When I turn back my brain to 1999, I’m quite sure one of the very first things I made was a Golden Snitch. That first Snitch was not an antennae ball, but a soft version with actual feathered wings that my kids played with during their enthusiastic quidditch matches!

You can find many of my Harry Potter craft ideas both on sewhooked and in the Harry Potter Crafts section of The Leaky Cauldron.

Snitch Antenna Ball
by Jennifer Ofenstein
http://www.sewhooked.org

1 ball-shaped antenna ball
spay primer
gold paint (either spray or oil based in a can)
2 gold brads
white craft foam
Wing Pattern
a skewer or chopstick
old box or piece of Styrofoam
box cutter or Exacto Knife
hot melt glue OR Tacky Glue

***Please Note: When using spray paint work outside or in a well ventilated area***

Place the antenna ball on the skewer.

Poke the skewer into the box or Styrofoam. This will hold the ball in place for painting and give it a place to dry.

Prime the antenna ball. Follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions for drying.

Use gold paint to paint the ball. If using spray, follow manufacturer’s directions.

For brush on, if you have enough, dip the ball in the paint and allow most of the paint to drip back in the can before carefully placing it back in the drying area. Allow to dry overnight.

Cut two wing shapes out of the craft foam.

Using the Exacto knife, cut a small hole in the base of each wing and on either side of the ball where you want to place the wings. Do this by gently pushing the blade into the ball. It does not have to be very deep, just enough to poke the brad in.

Use the tip of the scissors to score the center of the wing (as shown on pattern). Do not cut, just create a gentle groove. This will help with the feathery shape of the wing.

Snip along the wing to create a feather shape (as shown on pattern). Stop 1/4″ from the scoring line.

Poke the brad through the hole in the wing. Place a dab of glue on the cut in the hole cut earlier in the ball and then push the brad into it, positioning the wing how you want it as you do so.

Repeat for the second wing.

Finishing touch – tack the wings together to keep them from drooping while they are on the antenna of your car.