Make It Today 33 Pom-Pom Mag 'n' Makes

50 + inspirational ideas

Mag ‘n’ Makes Pomp up

your home!

Adorable Characters IN EASY STEP-BY-STEP

Get Started Today!

EATIONS R C L U F R U -pom mag O m o L p O e iv s QUICK & C u xcl

in your e

MASSIVE

kit bundle INSIDE

£9.99 | Issue 33 April 2018

GET THE BALL ROLLING!

Your six-ball pom-pom kit It’s quick, simple, and so addictive...

Everyone’s going bobble bananas for the simple fun and versatility of the pom-pom! From fashion accessory to wall hangings, there are a thousand decorative possibilities for these magic circles, so what are you waiting for?

Here we present your go-to guide to getting started with your free kit, which features: ★ SIX COLOURFUL YARNS ★ TWO POM-POM MAKERS ★ TWO FELT SHEETS ★ GOOGLY EYES

Vibrant so rbet shades to make yo oms pop! ur pom-p

LOVE YOUR FREE YARN KIT?

Get more!

Visit makeittoday.co.uk/ pom to buy your bumper pom-pom kit!

Fun finishing touches to bring your animals to life

How to get started with your free kit!

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e Start h re.... ST

YOUR ULTIMATE

1

How-to Guide

Get clued up on your kit, and discover the knowledge you need for perfect pom-poms ST

EP

Open up the two halves of the maker, then hold together

3

ST

EP 2

Using sharp scissors, cut open the pom-pom along the outside gap

Wrap both sides of the maker with yarn, then close the two halves together

S

P TE

EP

4

Mix it up!

YOUR MAG’N’MAKES KIT INCLUDES SOME COLOURFUL DK YARNS, BUT WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT? SILK YARN, MOHAIR YARN, JERSEY YARN OR ORGANZA FABRIC

ST

EP 5

Take a length of yarn, wrap it around the ball and tie it in a knot

Sachiyo’s Top Tips ■

Depending on the pom-pom maker, the positioning of yarns and the finished size will vary each time you craft.

■ Make sure you use sharp scissors.

You will need to cut through layers of yarn, so if your blades are blunt, the finish will not be neat.

■ I recommend using 100% wool or wool-blend yarn. It is easier to work with when the project requires needle felting. It’s nicer to the touch, too.

■ Try not to be critical and worry about making it perfect from the beginning.

Find the personality in your creation and enjoy yourself!

FINIS

HE

D!

Congratulations! You’ve just made your very irst pom-pom

Trim any stray lengths until you’ve achieved the shape you want

Check out Corinne’s easy pom-pom videos at makeittoday.co.uk/pom-poms

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POM-POMS WITH ROSIE If you fancy enhancing your feel-good factor as well as giving your accessories a lift, why not try some bobble jewellery? Choose from a rainbow of colourful yarns, as Rosie Jacobs shows you how make your own unique earrings and bring on the smiles: we promise, it’s a real head-turner! arosielife.co.uk

FLOWER POWER How does your garden grow? With the help of Pompom Factory’s extraordinary paper flower workshops, you’ll soon be surrounded with billowy blooms! Offering a selection of colourful crepe classes, these inspiring sessions guide you through the techniques of tissue floristry to create statement rose and peony puffballs that will last a lifetime.

From £33, 25th April and 21st May, pompomfactory.com

On he Ball!

Our round-up of bobble-licious classes and kit

© Beinta á Torkilsheyggi

MAGIC CIRCLES It’s never too soon to get teens and tweens hooked on the joys of pom-pom crafting, so treat them to a Buttonbag Pom-Pom Kit. Before you can say ‘fluffy balls of fun’, your kids will be filling the home with easy projects – and with enough yarn to produce up to 50 bobbles, this really is the gift that keeps on giving. £12.99, buttonbag.co.uk

Win YOUR OWN KIT ON PAGE 40!

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© pommaker.com

TOP OF THE POMS

pleasures

Animal lovers are in for a treat with one of the fluffy classes hosted by the London Craft Club and Pom Maker, where you can learn the wrap, count, trim and felt techniques needed to make a bunny or panda bear. By the time you’re done, you’ll be a pom-pom master: you even get to keep your own pretty beech Pom Maker, which is the icing on the cake!

5th May and 11th June, £49, londoncraftclub.uk

BOBBLE BEAUTIES FROM THE CRAFTING COMMUNITY

Top Etsy Picks

FUZZBALL FRIEND

TWINKLE TWINKLE Bringing together two of our favourite things – pom-poms and sparkles – this dress-up combo from Albetta casts a liberal sprinkling of pixie dust on playtimes. Crafted in softest cotton with an elasticated band, this twinkly headband and accompanying wand is a dream come true for your budding princess. Sparkly wand and headband, £32, notonthehighstreet.com

Adorable handcrafted hedgehog. £22, pompom wonderland.etsy.com

SOFT SCOOP Delectable jewellery that’s ice cool. £23, stephaniedulieu.com/shop

SWEET CIRCUS TREATS Roll up, roll up, as we pull back the curtain on a joyful selection of Gütermann fabric! Just the thing for layering up with pom-pom trims for kiddiewinks, these sweet pastel shades and animal prints in softest cotton will bring a playful touch to all manner of fluffy crafts: your little gymnasts and jugglers will love it.

From £13.20 per metre, gutermann@ stockistenquiries.co.uk

IN THE PINK ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

Uplifting pom with a faux fur twist. £11.99, kraftyk original.etsy.com

Getting in touch with your soft side couldn’t be easier, thanks to two fluffy titles by Alistair Macdonald. Featuring accessories, jewellery and party projects, Fabulous Pompoms and Pompom Christmas is a treat for keen crafters. Turn to page 33 for details! searchpress.com

MELON BALL

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Why not put your newfound pom-pom skills to good use and join the nation’s biggest street party? The Big Lunch is inviting you to kick up your heels with your own handmade bobble bunting: it’s a great way to socialise as well as decorate, and you never know, your fluffy makes could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Your community needs you!

3rd June, thebiglunch.com

Fun and fruity fluffy keychain. £6.25, handmadebyceri.etsy.com

GO WESTIE We love Susan Dunlop’s endearing pooch. £20, pompompetsby susied.etsy.com makeittoday.co.uk

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Essential Kit Yarn: pale pink, grey Felt: pale pink, grey Pom-pom makers: 5.5cm, 7cm From your Make It Today pom-pom kit PLUS: Extra felt, peach Small beads: pink, black Fine wire Pennies Adhesives

F IN D YO U R

t e m p l a6 4t e s ON P

HOP INTO ACTION

Beadie Bunnies Create a fluffy bun with simple embellishments Picking up pom-pom technique is as simple as as a hop, skip and a jump – and thanks to this delightful bunny project by Corinne Bradd, the chances are you’ll have created a whole warren of fluffy pets before you can say ‘Peter Rabbit’! Using the yarns and felt in your free kit, you can quickly establish the basic head and body shape, all topped off with your choice of bead for an adorably dainty detail. We just love the way you can play with personality types just by tilting the ears a slightly different way!

BALL T EC H N I Q U E You’ll get the tidiest results by winding the yarn evenly across the maker using a constant tension. If you can, try not to wrap too much yarn in the centre of the halves, or else the maker might not close properly and may even ping open at a critical moment! Also, remember not to wind too tightly, or else the pom-pom will be fiddly to cut.

PROJECT DESIGNER

Corinne Bradd 8

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M

F IN D YO U R

te af

e in a n k a

ON PG 64

rnoon

templates

Use your pom-pom kit Check out Corinne’s easy pom-pom videos at makeittoday.co.uk/pom-poms

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A CUTE AND TWEETY TREAT

Baby Birds

F I N D YO

t e m p l a UR tes ON P 64

Vibrant chirpy characters with plush chenille touches Make your spirits soar with this cuddly collective of multi-coloured pom-pom birdies! They’re ideal for even the tiniest amounts of yarn in your stash, and you’ll soon get the hang of adapting spots of individual colour to personalise these fluttering chums. You can easily add mini beads, tiny beaks and felt wings for extra detail, then get your bobble birds to stand to attention using some colourful chenille stems and a couple of pennies, for a pretty gift that’s tweets ahead!

Essential Kit Yarn: pale pink, orange, turquoise Pom-pom maker, 7cm From your Make It Today pom-pom kit PLUS: Extra yarn, assorted Black beads, small Chenille stems Coloured felt Pennies Cotton bud Fine wire

Baby Birds

1

Fill the centre 3cm of one half of the large pom-pom maker by winding a pale shade of yarn 20 times. Choose a second colour and wind a few times over the pale yarn, then repeat with a third shade. Fill the remainder with your main colour, then fill the other half with the same shade.

Top Tip: These birds are a great way to use up all your little oddments of yarn, and mix and match for unique characters!

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2

Clip and tie the pom-pom tightly before removing the maker. Cut a chenille stem in half and use pliers to pass the stem under the tying string before fluffing out the pom-pom. Fold the stem in half to make legs, then slide them around the string until they extend from the bottom of the multi-coloured body.

3

Tint the end of a cotton bud with a coloured pen and seal with a little clear glue.

When dry, clip the bud to 2cm long and stick into the top centre of the bird body to make a beak. Thread small black beads onto fine wire, twist the ends together to make a stem, clip to 1.5cm long and stick the wires into the pom-pom above the beak to make eyes.

4

Using the templates on page 64, cut two wings and a tail from coloured felt.

Part the yarn at the back and sides of the bird and stick the felt in place. Trim penny sized circles of felt and create a small slit in the centre of each one. Pop the ends of the legs through the slits, then bend at right angles. Glue the undersides of the felt circles to pennies, securing the ends.

"If you need alternative rigid legs for your birds try using plastic straws or yarn wrapped skewers. Soft limbs for sitting birds could be crocheted and allowed to hang down" CORINNE BRADD, DESIGNER

Top Tip: If you don’t have a wooden reel, you could try making a body from a stack of coloured buttons or simply glue the head to the lid of a small glass jar

Use your pom-pom kit

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A BOUQUET TO LAST A LIFETIME

Fluffy Flowers Bunch your pom-poms for a blooming display

Flowers are a lovely gesture, no matter what the occasion, so what if you didn’t have to water them and they’d still last forever? We’ve solved one of life’s little niggles with this fabulous bouquet of pom-pom flowers. Pick your favourite colours and create this incredibly easy display that can be whipped up in 30 minutes.

Essential Kit Yarn: fuchsia, pale pink, orange Pom-pom makers: 5.5cm, 7cm From your Make It Today pom-pom kit

Top Tip: Pom-poms are a fun stash buster project – even the smallest leftover yarn can be used up to create a colourful visual effect

PLUS: Extra yarn: red, white Bamboo skewers Washi tape, green Fabric glue

Fluffy Flowers Using the yarn and

1

makers from your free kit, create several pom-poms in both sizes from a variety of coordinating colours and clip into neat balls with sharp scissors.

2

Cut skewers down to your desired length, leaving the pointed end intact.

Cover each one with green washi tape. Apply fabric glue to the point of each skewer.

3

Part the yarn on a pom-pom until you can see the binding yarn around the middle. Force the glued skewer point into the centre and allow the yarn to close around it.

Tape it up!

Use these patterned washi tapes to make a colourful and effective accent on a host of projects All tapes are available from Fox and Star, £2.95, thefoxandstar.co.uk

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TRIM AND SCULPT A

Kitty Cat Duo

These pet pals can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less

Use your pom-pom kit

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P ! VE O LO MS? S TY O U- P O M DO O P

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