I am so light of heart today. The sky is as blue as can be from my craft room window, and the grass is .... well the grass is green! Not a smidget of snow to be seen anywhere. The perfect day to respond to a readers request for a pom pom tutorial and a pattern how to.
I learned to make pom poms in Mr. Gardner's sixth grade class from popular girls sitting close by and make them in the same way to this day. Whatever will I do if they stop making cereal boxes? Two circles cut per pom, one slightly smaller for head pom.
My Halfway Woods best friend and I would make them by the dozens on Spend the Night days. Two yards yarn length repeated until amount equals six strands. Wrap around cardboard keeping six strands separated from each other and flat against cardboard. Another length of six strands will be needed.
Our mother's hairdresser Miss Bernice sold our pom pom creations in her shop. This afforded us money to purchase more yarn to make more pom poms. A crochet hook makes pulling yarn through center easier as opening becomes smaller. When you can no longer pull yarn through, pom is ready to for next step.
Our pom making days would come to an end by the last day of the school year. Sherry would move to Washington state with her family. Heart broken letters to each other would be signed Hannibal Hays and Kid Curry for the remaining years of our childhood. Large scissors are used to cut through layers of yarn.
Sherry and I have now written each other for forty years. A length of yarn is inserted between cardboard rounds and tied snugly against yarn, repeat several times.
Sherry and I both were young women wanting to keep our world small. We would both meet the loves of our lives at about the same time. Sherry would meet Tom who happens to be a paraplegic, and I would meet Pat. Cardboard is removed. Trim pom to shape. Make second pom for head using same steps.
Sherry would be inspired to attend nursing school from her years of assisting Tom. It seems our lives have been lived in parallels. We both are employed in fields helping individuals with challenging disabilities. Poms are tied together with one strand of yarn from each. Repeat with second strand.
Do you think it is by chance we should each live at opposite sides of the Halfway Woods? A final trimming, and this little pom is ready for his uniform.
WARNING: Individuals who have received one of my pom pom characters in the mail always remark how surprised they are by their very large size. The lower body pom alone is larger than this medium sized pom character.
At this point the little bird can be done and be what I call a Snowbird. His feet, of course, are hidden in the snow!
Legs are created by twisting two pipe cleaner stems together for sturdiness. Half inch width of felt is wrapped around stem and held in place by twining floss around length and anchored at feet with several knots. Correct foot size is again determined by using jacket front piece. Edges are blanket stitched together. Foot slipped in before last stitches are taken.
Oh my pom pom birds hate this step! A "U" shape is created with legs and hot glued between separated yarn. A thing stream of hot glue is applied on exposed "U", yarn pressed together to hide unmentionables.
Handsome!
Totally handsome! It seems the preparation for another holiday celebration is underway in my craft room. A very busy place to be!
