Hi, it's Tracey here to share a new family Christmas tradition I started last year.
Now that all of our children are out on their own, I thought it would be nice to create a special ornament for them to help decorate their trees. A friend taught me how to read a pattern to create a lovely crocheted snowflake and a tradition was born. I plan to find a new snowflake to handcraft each year. Of course they must be blocked and stiffened. Helmar Fabric Stiffener and Draping Fluid is the perfect product for that job. If you don't crochet, you can still create a similar ornament by using the Helmar Fabric Stiffener on a small crochet doily.
Handcrafted Snowflake Ornaments
Tips and Techniques
As you can see with the snowflake right next to the Fabric Stiffener, before stiffening, they are quite soft and crumpled.
The first thing I did was to block the ornaments. I have lots of padding on my ironing board, so I laid a dish cloth over the padded board, then a layer of wax paper to keep the stiffener off of the ironing board. Any kind of foam or padded board would also work. Pin the ornament into shape.
The stiffener is thick, so I thinned it with 50% water and 50% Helmar Fabric Stiffener. I used a stiff paint brush to apply it to the snowflakes. Be sure to completely saturate.
Allow to completely dry. I left mine overnight.
Here's a close-up shot.
Helmar Products
Other Products
Crochet Pattern by Better Homes and Garden can be found here.
** (Please note H 3 in the pattern means chain 3) **
Size 10 Crochet Cotton Thread
Size 7 Steel Crochet Hook
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you've been inspired to created wintry snowflakes for your holiday decorating.
~ Blessings ~
