Crackers! Ornament Challenge 2017 Entry

Video HERE

I always look out for the woodworking challenges online... although until now I have not had enough of an idea - or enough confidence to attempt them... The Ornament Challenge from aswoodturns.com always used to be a wood turning challenge, but in the last couple of years they've opened it up to non-turners like me!

These crackers are an answer to the question 'Why hasn't anyone tried to make a non-turned Christmas cracker before?'

You Will Need:
Templates (See Below)
Wood Veneer
Shallow Bowl or Dish
Water
A length of thick Dowel (4x1/3" [1cm] Disk +)*
A length of thin-ish dowel**
String***
Salt Dough (See Below)
2x 2 1/2" dowels (about 1/4-8" diameter)
Drill with a bit to match
Brown Gorilla Glue
Cup of water
Paper towel
Brush
File and/or 60 grit Sandpaper
White Spirit
Craft Printed Paper
Card
Scissors
Pinking Shears (Or other decorative blade scissors)
Double-Sided Tape
PVA Glue
Masking or Sello-Tape
Crepe Paper
Thread in matching Colour
Nail File or Emery Board
Paste Wax
Varnish
180 Grit Sandpaper
Superglue****

*I used a couple of old curtain rails each around 1" diameter. Per cracker you will need about 2" of dowel plus a chunk for support whilst rolling.
**I used an old towel rail, about 1/2" diameter - depending on your veneer you might be able to get a tight roll, or use the thicker dowel instead (see Stage 2)
***I used cotton string rather than plastic, because it lets the wood dry evenly and doesn't bleed dye when wet.
****For those emergency repairs that are needed in the last moments!

Templates:

These templates are for a dowel of around 1" (2.5cm) diameter, but I've allowed for a fair bit of slop here... and I've also slipped into metric, 'cos it's easier. As I was making a huge batch I cut my templates in thick card, once I'm satisfied with the measurements I will probably make a new set in ply or plastic.

Veneer
1 piece 14x11 - longest side along the grain - divided into 2x 3x11cm and 1x 8x11
- If you want you can try to keep the grain aligned by cutting the ends from the ends of this piece. You will need to keep track of the top and bottom of each piece throughout the soaking and rolling stages.

Printed Craft Paper
3x 2.5cm Circle
1x 7x11cm
1x 5x11cm - split down the middle with pinking shears into 2x 2.5cm strips.

Card
1x 7x22cm
2x 2x22cm

Salt Dough Recipe:

230g Plain Flour
200g Salt
250ml Water
1tbsp Oil*

1. Mix the flour and salt together. Add the oil to the water.
2. Mix in about half of the water, then gradually add the rest until a smooth, firm dough forms.
3. Knead for 10 minutes (or 5 in a mixer with a dough hook).
4. Rest for at least 30 minutes in an airtight container**.
5. Bake at 120C (GM 1/2) for between 5-10 hours (or more, depending on thickness)

*Oil makes the dough slightly more flexible, but you can leave it out if you want.
**I have let this dough 'rest' for a couple of days without problem. It can become a little sticky, but kneading in a little more flour brings it quickly back to being usable.

Construction Method:*

1. Cut your veneer to size and drop the pieces into a dish of water, weighed down with a rock or other heavy object if they float too much.**
2. Roll the veneer around your 1/2" dowel - if you can, otherwise use your extra chunk - and tie with string. Hang them up to dry completely.
3. Shape*** and bake your salt dough for longer than you think necessary****
4. Drill the centre of each large dowel disk with a 1/4" hole.
5. Drop the thin dowel in water, brush the bottoms of the salt dough with gorilla glue, dip one side of the large dowel in water, dab it onto a paper towel to remove excess, then thread the pinch section together. Clamp in place with tape and leave to set.
6. Cut the paper and card pieces according to the templates.
7. Once set sand or file away any excess glue and shave any overhanging dough back to the sides of the dowels. Wash off the dust with white spirit or a damp cloth - avoid getting things too wet now.
8. Stick the printed paper onto the card with double-sided tape, leaving a line of sticky open. Glue the circles of paper onto both ends of one pinch, and one of the other(this is the lid). Wrap a thin strip of double-sided tape around the dowels, then roll the paper around using an off cut to maintain the shape of the body section.
9. Apply a generous amount of PVA onto the card strips and press them firmly around the paper. Hold in place with tape until completely dry.
10. Cover both twists with crepe paper, cinching in the waist with thread. Using thin PVA - or 50:50 PVA:Water - glue the edges to the dowels, trimming and folding over the bottom of the lid, then apply a light coat over the salt dough to fix the creases in place. Leave to dry completely.
11. Cover the card with glue and roll the veneer onto it, trimming to fit with minimal gapping. Align the join on the end to the body for a neater finish. Hold in place with tape until completely dry. DO NOT RUSH THIS BIT!
12. Check the fit of the lid, if it's a little tight wrap a strip of sellotape around the dowel to hold the crepe in and allow the lid to slide easily. If it's loose add a few pieces of card around the inner rim or a strip of printed paper around the lid instead.
13. Gently sand the veneer edges with an emery board then apply a little wax or oil if you prefer before painting varnish onto the veneer (not the crepe*****).
14. Sand to 180 grit, then varnish again.

*This is the process that I developed by a lot of trial and error. It still has a few tricky parts, but I think it's pretty much there.
**Depending on the flexibility of your veneer and how hard or old the wood is you may need to boil it for a while to soften, otherwise just soaking for up to 12 hours is usually enough.
***The shape depends on your dowel diameter, just remember to cut a hole through the centre slightly wider than your thin dowel - salt dough doesn't shrink much so it needn't be huge.
****I can get about half a batch of dough onto the tray of my Easy Bake oven so I bake them sitting upright for 2 hours, then turned over between the wires of the grill for another 2, then once I've made a few batches I take them into the house and bake them for a further 6-8 hours just to make sure.
*****Don't do this with the lid in place like I did, keep the parts separate until finished and dry.

In answer to the question I asked earlier, I can clearly say - because it's actually rather difficult... but I think I've worked out - most of - the kinks and - hopefully - I will have some for sale next year.

Pattern to Plushie

Video HERE

Plush toy patterns are everywhere - well, it often seems that way - but unless you have a particular mind for building 3D shapes it is often difficult to see the plushy from the pattern pieces - and in my experience, some patterns don't even resemble the image that comes with. This is my process for creating plush characters from online plans.

1. Search online for a number of patterns for the same animal - I find this easier in terms of choice and also an opportunity for Frankenstein building to put parts together.
2. Without scaling the plan up, and using cheap fabric or felt, follow the plan/s exactly to make prototypes, stuffing with scraps to fill the shapes. Don't bother with eyes or other additions at this stage.
3. Once completed look closely at the shapes, how they relate, how the limbs work together.
4. Re-draw the pattern pieces to add or remove fabric, round out shapes or clarify lines, then re-make the prototypes.
5. You can do this as many times as you want, until you're satisfied with the shape.
6. Using a scanner, photocopier or a grid scale the pattern up as required.
7. Cut out your new pattern pieces, then pin to your fabric and cut, leaving 1/2" (1cm) sewing allowance.
8. If using furry fabrics you may need to trim back along the seams, or trim certain sections short for different effects.
9. Pin the pieces together and sew as firmly as possible by hand, or using a lock-stitch on a sewing machine (or go over the seams a couple of times to make sure everything is child-safe)
10. Join pieces together using toy joints or some other child-safe method. Only use eyes that lock in place.
11. Stuff with fibrefill or some other fire-safe filling, then use a secure ladder stitch to close up the stuffing holes.

This is a general technique for any plushy pattern, and good practice for any pattern work you may try, particularly dressmaking.

Empty-the-Vegetable-Rack Soup - Thai-style with Meatballs

Video HERE

Making soup is an ideal way to use up slightly old and tired vegetables and reduce waste - as well as giving you a tasty bowl of something warm, healthy and comforting that you can take from the microwave in minutes. I always make a big batch and freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays, then transfer them to bags the next day so that we can easily portion out what we want as and when required.

Ingredients:
Vegetables... well, yes! Anything you have that has been hanging around for a while; slightly bendy carrots or parsnips, somewhat floppy leeks, celery or onions. (Greens if you like, but it is not necessary to roast them first) Leftover pumpkin or squash.
Stock

... That's it...

Well, perhaps not that simple every time, but that is the basis of any soup. You can of course stick to a stock cube and water - personally, I find that a mixed veg soup without a particular base flavour is a little boring... try some of these options...

Thai-Style

• 1-2 cans Coconut Milk
• 1 Lemongrass stalk, crushed and chopped
• 1-2" Root Ginger, sliced (no need to peel)
• 1-2 Red Chillies, chopped
• 2-4 cloves Ginger, smashed
• Bunch Coriander (Stalks chopped, leaves reserved)
• Seasoning - Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Lime or Lemon

Tomato (Ratatouille)

• 1-2 cans Chopped Tomatoes or Passata
• 1-2 Courgettes, cubed (cooked for 5 minutes in the stock)
• 1-2 Carrots, cubed (cooked for 5 minutes in the stock)
• Bunch Basil or Oregano (Stalks chopped, leaves reserved) 
• Seasoning - Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar

Tomato (Goulash)

• 1-2 cans Chopped Tomatoes or Passata
• 1-2 Carrots, cubed (cooked for 5 minutes in the stock)
• 1-2 tbsp Paprika
• 1tbsp Caraway Seeds, crushed
• Seasoning - Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar

Method:

1. Roughly chop your vegetables, de-seed and peel if you must - I prefer to keep the peel on unless it's mouldy, more flavour and vitamins. Spread in a roasting tin, scatter over a pinch of salt and pepper and add a splash of water then cover with foil and roast at GM6/200C for 45 minutes.
2. Remove the foil and roast for a further 15-20 minutes until slightly burnt (caramelized) on the edges. Depending on your veg it might be a little under-cooked, which is fine. Just leave them to cool slightly whilst you make the stock.
3. For the stock, tip the cans into a large pan along with 2 cans of water per can.
4. Add the aromatics - spices, herb stalks etc. and put the pan on the hob to heat.
5. As the stock heats sort through the vegetables, removing any tough peel (IE. from pumpkin)* and add to the pan. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Cool for 10 minutes before liquidizing in batches and pushing through a sieve.**
7. Reheat the soup (with any extra vegetables) in a clean pan, taste and season, adding more water if you want.
8. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream, topped with herbs and any other extras you want...

*If your liquidizer is quite sturdy you can just transfer the veg as is without removing the peel or skin.
**I usually add a splash of water to each batch to help things break down, then add the solids back into the stock for a second chance to break down so that I can get the most from them. For the video I ended up with only a ladle's worth of solids, I could have added them to the soup, but I prefer it smooth.

Extras:
Beyond the classic swirl of soured cream or scattering of croutons, there are as many options for toppings as there are for soup...

• Meatballs - make up marble-sized balls from pork, chicken or turkey with matching flavours to the stock. (Or squeeze the meat from sausages like I did) Brown in a small pan whilst you reheat the soup.
• Bacon - cooked and crisp, fabulous crumbled over ANYTHING, really.
• Cooked leftover meat - from a roast or pre-packaged, make sure to heat them through thoroughly. Either in a pan to make them crisp or in the soup for silky bits.
• Vegetable crisps, peanuts or pawn crackers - crunch is always welcome.
• Add a handful of small pasta or cooked rice, even couscous or one of the fashionable grains.
• Crackers - I think it's more of an American thing, but I rather like crumbling a couple of crackers into a bowl.

Character Boxes

Video HERE
This idea had some merit, but it seems that my abilities and tools aren't really up to the job... I intend to revisit and finish at some point next year, but this is what I had originally planned...

You Will Need:
Wood*
Paper, pencil and thick pen
Packing Tape
Glue
Sanding tools
Drill
Craft Knife/Chisels
Pyrography Tool
Acrylic Paint
Varnish

*I'm using pallet wood here, but anything you have will do.

Method: (Obviously you'll need to adapt to whatever you have)

1. Measure your wood and decide on which pieces will be the top, bottom and body of the box, then measure and work out the maximum size you can get from each piece.
2. Draw out this maximum shape on the paper then sketch in the 'character' shape you want. When you're satisfied go over the outline with a thick pen then stick the pattern onto the body wood.
3. Cut around the outline with your scroll saw/bandsaw,whatever...
4. Drill a hole for blade access and cut out the inner piece, leaving at least 1/4" (5mm) in the wall of the box.
5. Sand the inside until smooth then use the box as a template to mark the bottom and top.
6. Cut bottom and top as close to the line as possible then sand top and bottom.
7. Glue the bottom onto the box, then use some double-sided tape to fix the lid in place.
8. Sand the whole box as a block to fit the 'character', cutting and carving back as you like.
9. Add details with a pyrography tool then colour with a wash of acrylic.
10. Sand until smooth, then finish with wax and varnish.

... at least that was what I had planned... I will keep you updated with developments in the new year.