Hello. Last week for my Weekly Creative Challenge, I made these carrots for the fun of it. I’ve seen cute fabric carrots for sale in the shops for the past several years, to be used for Springtime and Easter decorating, but I never picked any up because I kept telling myself that I’d try to make my own. Well, this was the year that I did that!
To make them you need some orange plain, plaid or printed fabric. The cotton I used was part of a placemat I repurposed. And, although you could use green ribbons, strips of felt or plastic greenery, I used some yarn and wire and made some bendable pieces to mimic the greens. You also need some stuffing and a needle and thread.
Here’s how to make them :
Each was made from an 8 inch long isometric triangle. With the good side inside, machine stitch or hand stitch into a cone. (I just hand stitched mine). Knot the thread and cut. Turn right-side out.
To make the crocheted greens, cut a piece of thin wire to be between 3 and 4 times as long as you want the piece to be. Mine were about 16 1/2 inches long. For each carrot you need three of these.
Fold the wire in half. Leaving a tail of about 4 inches, attach your yarn and make a row of single crochet stitches along the folded wire, moving toward the folded end. Mine ended up being 5 inches long when straight, and took 21 stitches. When you get to the folded end of the wire, change to making single crochet stitches to only 1 thickness of wire, making 5 stitches that slide around and cover the curve of the fold. Go back down the other side with single crochet stitches between the ones from the first side, encasing both thicknesses of folded wire within the stitches. Finish and leave a tail of 4 inches before cutting the yarn. You don’t have to weave in the ends because they’ll be hidden within the carrot. You’ll be left with several inches of both ends of exposed wire, about 5 inches of crochet covered wire, and the 4 inch pieces of yarn tails.
Stuff your carrot cone. You might find a chopstick helpful to get the stuffing into the end.
Twist the bare wire of 3 pieces of “greens” together to make a bundle, wrapping the ends of yarn around them. Stick the greens into the stuffing.
Thread the needle again, and do a running stitch along the open edge of the carrot cone. Leave the needle on the thread, grasp the other end of the thread and gently pull to gather the opening shut around the “greens”, tucking the raw edge of fabric down inside the carrot. Stitch a few times to make sure the greens can’t be pulled out. Knot your thread and hide the end by sewing through the carrot. Cut the thread. The end of it will be hidden inside the carrot.
Twist the greens into a shape you like. The wires make them hold their shape.
I hope that all makes sense, but if anything is unclear, please send me an email at the address in the blog footer.
Thanks for reading and happy creating if you’re making 2023 the year to handmake things!
xo loulou
