Halloween Things Started Years Ago

I saw a super cool Day of the Dead crocheted skull on Ravelry years ago (2010) and decided I had to try making it.  Then I got it into my head that it should be a garland of skulls.  I continued making skulls here and there and finally blocked them all last fall.

Black and orange rovings were purchased to make felted beads to strand between the skulls.  When I tried to actually make the beads, I realized how hard it was and that it would take FOREVER.  I finally found someone on Etsy (CraftyWoolFelt) who sells black and orange felted balls in the size I wanted.  Thank goodness I could pay someone else to make them for me!

 

I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to secure everything, but ultimately I just slid the felt balls on, then looped the thread once through the top of the skulls.  That way, everything can be repositioned but nothing moves easily.

Skully Garland Ravelry Project Page

A year earlier, in 2009, I started some cool Halloween cross stitch ornaments from the Prairie Schooler (Boo to You).  As I am wont to do, I underestimated how long it would take to stitch a single ornament, so I had to scale back my plans to one per year.  It occurred to me that I didn't have to wait until I had stitched all 8 ornaments to finish and start enjoying them, so I finally got around to turning the ones I had stitched into ornaments.

 

FYI, you can't cut this felt with pinking shears, you need a rotary cutter with a pinking blade.  The hardest part about finishing the ornaments was trying to center the design over the piece of cardboard, especially because my cross stitch fabric seemed crooked.  Also, trying not to get glue all over everything is a bit tricky.  Still, it is a fun way to finish them---I used the Twisted Stitcher's tutorial.  So my plan is to continue my tradition of an ornament per year and make one for this fall.

I love Halloween and fall decorations so I am very happy about these finishes!