PINECONE FAIRY ORNAMENT TUTORIAL

[charisstoma]

http://www.handimania.com/diy/pinecone-fairy-ornament.html



These are the materials used in the project. The pine cone is from a Fir tree, a Spruce cone or other kinds will also work. The cap is from an Oak acorn, the wings are dried White Oak leaves, the hair is wool roving, bits of felt and wool , small wood beads for hands, pipe cleaner, and wood bead for head.

This is a tutorial for making a basic Pine Cone Fairy ornament. It is meant to be a springboard for your own ideas and materials. Feel free to use different kinds of cones and caps. Wings can also be made from paper, felt, netting or many other things. Many variations of hair and dress can also be created. The dried leaves become fairly fragile with time and it helps to coat the front and back with a coating with glue. I also keep a little box of dried leaves and maple seed pods for wings, so I always have replacements. Leaves also vary and White oak leaves are sturdier than Black Oak. For my work with making wee folk, I always use bamboo fondu sticks or shish kabob sticks for applying glue. They are great for getting to hard to get places when working with small items.
The sequence of these steps may be altered if you choose, Some things I have done in a sequence that allows other parts to keep drying while you work. You may find a different way to do these steps also. If you do not want to use the cordless drill, you could make a hole with a hand tool, carefully so the cap does not crack.


Apply glue to the little stem at the top of the pine cone, this is a cone from a Douglas Fir tree. If there is not a stem on your cone, you can drill a little hole and put a tooth pick or twig in it that extends for enough out of the hole for the bead head to go over it. Make sure there is ample glue inside the bead hole , to adhere to the cone. The head bead size of this project is 20 mm.


Place wooden bead head over stem and onto glue. Hold a bit until the glue has set up. Carefully lie down pine cone with head to dry a bit while you start the other parts of the ornament. I also use rubber bands frequently to hold things while they dry.

Next are the hair, hands and hat!




Put string through the drilled holes, with long ends extending out the top to form hanging loop.

Add a drop of glue between the drilled holes. Tie a knot at the base of the string at the cap and also one at the end to form the loop that the ornament will hang by.
Let sit to dry.

Now for the hair attachment~

Glue is put onto the back of the head first (make sure it is the back!) On the front, the glue is put around an imaginary hairline, leaving the full face. The glue is spread with a bamboo stick used in the kitchen ( fondue stick) or tooth pick

Apply hair piece, The end for the "bangs" in the front, just to the top of the forehead. The long part can hang down the back, it will probably have to be parted around the wings, and brought forward, braided or put up. It is okay if the hair seems too full or fuzzy, as it can be trimmed as desired.

Next will be the arms

I usually cut the pipe cleaner about the length of the pinecone. This piece was 3" long. The beads are small, with a hole big enough for the pipe cleaner. The size is 7.5 mm. Attach a bead to each end of the pipe cleaner.

The pipe cleaner, with beads attached, is glued onto the upper part of the pinecone, about 1/8" lower than the neck. It is good to hold this long enough for the glue to set up enough to hold the arms in place while the glue dried. It is good to let the ornament rest long enough for glued arms to set up enough to stay in place as you continue to work.

A bit of colored wool (your choice!) is wrapped around the pipe cleaner to give the arms some fullness. I usually use a bit of glue under the wool, and also needle felt the wool to make it more compact if necessary.

Glue is placed in a ring on the top of the head, where the cap will sit. You will want enough glue to go down through the hair, but not be squishing out. Getting the right amount of glue comes with practice and experience!

A ring of glue on the inside of the cap is also good.

Carefully place the acorn with glue inside onto the hair and head, making sure to keep all the glue inside. This needs to be held until it will stay put and then let dry a while so that it will not move as you continue to work on the ornament.

Apply glue in a spot for where the wings will touch, this will be in the upper back about where the pipe cleaner is. You want to make sure that the each leaf will be touching glue when they are placed.

Take the two chosen leaves and place them carefully on the glue, trying to make them even and positioned right when looking from the front. Hold these carefully until the glue takes and then let dry enough that you can place the felt piece on the leaves without them moving.

Apply glue to the back of the green felt heart, just enough to cover the surface, you do not want glue oozing out the sides, if it does wipe with a sponge or cloth to remove excess.

The felt heart is placed over the spot where the leaves come together. It is good to hold it a bit until the glue is sticking and then gently lay it down on it's back to let the glue thoroughly dry.

I have added a painted face to the Pine Cone Fairy , it can also be left with out a face or just pink cheeks or eyes, it is entirely as you please.

Here are three versions, the Fairy on the left is made from a spruce pine cone and is larger, the center is an Elf with a handsewn cap and beard and the third is our little Fairy we just made. These ornaments are even cute with no arms or wings made out of paper or felt or other creative things you can think of.

This sweet little Wee one with her heart was made for the Heart Wreath
Tutorial, and gives you ideas of how you can change the appearance of
the Pinecone Fairies to suit different occasions. This one included painting
the pine cone first. The crown is a poppy seed pod cut in half.