Sasha Celebration Weekend 2017 - part 4

Saturday morning at the Sasha Celebration weekend has become the time to hold the craft workshops.  After breakfast those of us running the workshops were given time to set up our tables before the crowds of eager crafters came to make what we had prepared for them.  We each had been asked to make up 50 kits so that even if people couldn't get everything done in the 3 hours, they could take away a kit or the pattern for the craft.

In the Maypole/International exhibition room Emma, Judith and I set up our tables, in the Favourite doll/Raffle room Jane, Janet, Brigitte and Frances had their crafts.  Emma's project was a felt jacket with braiding, Judith's project an apron, Janet's project was a wool rug made via the progging method, Jane's project was some miniature paper gift bags, Frances had some beautiful decorated bags for people to make and Brigitte was teaching people how to make leather satchels for Sasha.

My project was another toy for Sasha. Months ago Janet had suggested a push along toy to me and mentioned she had a push along duck as a child.  I investigated lots of design ideas and eventually decided to buy some laser cut wooden ducks and some round wooden discs for the wheels.  To cut 50 duck shapes in the workshop would have taken me far to long and they would not have been accurate. The duck shapes I bought were too thin for the push along rod hole so 5 weeks before the Celebration weekend my girl helped by gluing pairs of duck shapes together with me.  When they were dry I drilled holes in them for the wheel axle and for the push along rod, drilled all the wheels, cut the rods (bamboo skewers) and bought some coloured beads for the end of the push along rod from local charity shops. My husband cut the axles from phosphor bronze rod and I filed the ends. My girl assembled the prototype duck for me after she had coloured it in with felt tip pens.  It did not take her long to do and she enjoyed it, which was a good test of the kit.  I wrote up the instructions and assembled all the kits.  We also decided that duck webbed feet could be imitated by gluing short lengths of ribbon around the rims of the wheels. Not even Janet knew exactly what the toy would be - she just knew I was doing a toy again.

The push along duck

The push along duck showing the wheels and flappy feet of ribbon

The parts of the kit for the push along duck

The push along duck craft table awaiting crafters

Miranda and Edmund with the push along duck

On the day Miranda and Edmund showed off the push along duck on our table. My girl was able to look around the other tables and decided what she wanted to make on the day as she had already made the duck. She also collected some of the other kits to make later.

Emma's table awaiting crafters

Colouring their ducks

Colouring in the ducks

Making aprons at Judith's table

Emma explaining how to make the felt jacket

Felt jacket making

Making leather satchels

The doll wearing the leather satchel on her back

Janet showing how progging the rug works

Making rugs

Jane with her paper bag crafters

Making the little decorated bag

Rug making

Discussing ducks and Sasha dolls

Iris draws eye lashes on her duck's eyes

Assembling the push along toy

Emma demonstrates getting all the pattern pieces out of the felt

Showing off her completed, very colourful duck

Colouring ducks as Miranda and Edmund watch

Enjoying the ducks

Two more unique ducks completed

Sewing the apron with Judith's advice

My girl receiving some experienced advice on how to set the sleeves in the jacket

Jackets in progress

More duck making and Janet enjoying her finished duck

Showing off his completed duck

The wobblers in the wood play with their new push along duck toy

Testing the push along duck rolling along the table

Assembling her duck

Very proudly showing off her duck

Watching a duck being coloured

Discussing a soft bodied baby while the last duck is made

My girl made good progress with the felt jacket (which was a long complicated sewing project), she will finish it at home.

I enjoyed explaining and advising how to make the push along ducks during the workshop and seeing the unique colourful ducks which people created.  No two ducks were alike.  There was a lot of chatting and happy laughter around all the craft tables during the morning, with everyone absorbed and enthusiastic about what they were making.  The challenge for those of us who volunteer to run the craft workshops is to work out what to create for the next Sasha Celebration weekend which will be just as appealing.