Snow Day Ski Friends - Vintage Style Spun Cotton Figures
These whimsical figures are made from spun cotton shapes and colorful crépe paper, and are the perfect indoor activity for a cozy snow day. In this project, crépe paper is used as clothing for the figures. Because heavyweight 180 gram crépe paper stretches, it is ideal for covering odd shapes like cones and the round doll heads.
Supplies:
- 20mm Spun Cotton Head
- 40mm Rounded Spun Cotton Cone
- 20mm Spun Cotton Eggs (for the feet)
- 12mm Spun Cotton Beads (for the hands)
- 8mm Spun Cotton Ball (for the hat pom pom)
- 6mm Spun Cotton Balls (for the coat buttons)
- Thick cardstock or a salvaged food box (for the skis)
- Toothpicks
- 180 gram Crépe Paper colors used here are: tiffany azure, tiffany green, and deep orange red
- Mini bump chenille (for scarves)
- Low temp Hot Glue Gun, Glue sticks
- Scissors
- Acrylic paint, paintbrush, foam block for drying
Step 1: Using toothpicks as handles, paint the spun cotton eggs and beads. You will need two eggs and two beads per figure to be the hands and feet. Stick the toothpicks into a foam block to allow them to dry fully.
Step 2: Cut a rectangle of crépe paper approximately 2 1/2 x 3 inches to cover the cone to be the coat. Stretch the paper just along the bottom edge. Run a bead of low temp hot glue along the lower edge of the spun cotton cone and affix the paper to it, lining it up with the bottom edge. Glue along the back seam, and trim off the excess paper. Gather the remaining paper at the top of the cone, glue it in place and trim of the excess.
Step 3:
Attach a 20mm spun cotton head to the top of the cone. Hold it in place until the glue sets. Attach the painted 20mm eggs to the bottom of the ocne pointing forward with the feet separated slightly. Attach the painted beads to the sides of the figure, orienting the holes in the same direction so that the ski poles can be inserted later.
Step 4:
Cut the skis out of thick cardstock or a food box. These should be rectangles measuring approximately 2 1/4 inches long and about 1/4 inch wide, with pointed front tips. Glue them to the bottoms of the feet.
Step 5:
Snip off one of the pointed ends of two toothpicks to make the ski poles. From the same cardstock or food box, cut out two tiny circles, just under 1/4 inch diameter, and use a pin or awl to pierce small holes in the centers. Slide the pointed ends of the ski poles through the holes in the bead hands, and then add the small paper circles to the pointed ends of the poles.
Step 6:
For the hat, cut a small rectangle of crépe paper, about 1 x 2 1/2 inches. Stretch out just the lower edge and attach that part to the front of the forehead. Pull the paper taut, and glue along the back seam. Gather the paper at the top of the hat and snip off the excess paper. Attach an 8mm spun octton ball as the hat's pom pom.
Step 7:
Finish the figure by adding 6mm spun cotton balls as coat buttons, and wrap a piece of pipe cleaner or bump chenille around the neck to be the scarf.
