I am claiming my very first Rebel Badge! It’s taken me a lot longer than I thought it would, and also is not the badge I thought I would first achieve, but I got there in the end and I guess that’s what counts. 🏅
Before I share my journey, I want to clarify that I did not complete my chosen crafts in three months as stipulated. However, allowances are made to exempt ME/CFS spoonies like me from the time constraints. In fact, us disabled Rebels even have our own support group to help validate badges. 🤗 Personally, I don’t see the point in these deadlines, because it is not the speed that matters but the fact that we learn new skills, or improve on existing ones. I’m pretty sure even able-bodied adults would struggle to fit that many projects in such a small window, since busy jobs and life in general just gets in the way. 😔
Out of all the projects I decided to work on, origami is the only one I’ve previously explored. I do have some basic experience with knitting 🧶, but did not include it in this line-up since there were other crafts I’d always been interested in trying out, and this Rebel challenge seemed to be a good place to start.
Anyway, that’s enough preamble… Here, in order of difficulty (from my perspective), is the whole collection that has brought me to the finish line for my Craft (Part 1) Badge.
JEWELLERY-MAKING
This little set of trinkets took me forever to get right. 📿 I think if it had only been the bracelet, I would have completed it within the hour, but I’d set my heart on making something with resin (to preserve the pretty wax seals I’d been making), and that can take a number of attempts (over many weeks) to perfect. As with most beginners, I was plagued by bubbles and dust. 🫧 I solved the latter by using UV resin, as that significantly shortens the cure time ⌛, which also means less time for dust to settle on it. As the resin is pre-mixed, it also reduces the likelihood of bubbles. Passing the flame of a lighter across the surface also removes them, but overheating resin under the UV lamp can cause more bubbles to form, so I took care not to layer the resin too thick.
I’m not sure if it’s obvious in the pictures, but both the necklace and perfume bracelet (made with lava beads which can be infused with essential oils) were inspired by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.🌹 I’m quite happy with the final result, even if my workspace still has remnants of that gold glitter! ✨😆
FELTING
If I had to name this piece of work, he’d be called Ouch! The reason will become clear in a moment. Sadly, it’s not up to me to christen him since he was a gift to my husband who has inexplicably named him Pint. 🐶 Maybe it’s because he is so small. Pint is indeed a good boy, even if he did draw blood during his conception. Not on account of his teeth (because he has none) but due to the felting needle getting into a few disagreements with my fingers. Yes, leather guards/cots did come with the kit, but they were very stiff and affected my dexterity so I removed them. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m not sure this is a project I’ll be in a hurry to re-visit as it was very fiddly (not to mention painful, and frankly more akin to blood sport than handicraft!). 😅 It also required a lot of patience and focus, neither of which I have in ample supply these days. But perhaps there is a lesson in this, and I should consider cultivating both these virtues. 🤔
MACRAMÉ
Another fiddly endeavour! Unsurprisingly, the guide that came with this kit from Aldi was useless. 🙄 If you’ve noticed that the final outcome looks different to the photo on the box, it’s because I ignored the rubbish instructions provided, and had to improvise based on what I managed to pick up from a combination of YouTube videos.
I did find macramé much easier than knitting, and I can see myself returning to this some time in the future, though I’d first want to try my hand at crochet so I can weigh my options between the various textile arts.
PAPER-CUTTING
Whilst a little time-consuming, this project brought me back to familiar territory. ✂️ I created the silhouettes in Photoshop and then printed them on cardstock. My only advice here is to use a very sharp blade, and to start practising with less intricate patterns. The initial print-out I made was a little too small, so the apertures were very close to one another, leaving little room for mistakes. I managed to refine the design when I had another crack at it. The trick is to commence with cutting out the smallest and most delicate features, moving from the centre outwards, so that there is maximum surrounding support to prevent tearing. Using good quality material also helps of course.
This little winterscape was completed just in time for Christmas. To finish off the scene, I sprayed a little fake snow inside the top of the glass dome, then lit it… obviously with LED tealights, because paper and fire do not mix. 🔥 Plus, Bonfire Night is over.
ORIGAMI
I suspect almost everyone has tried their hand at origami (or kirigami) at some stage in their life. It’s a craft I rely upon quite often, especially when it comes to decorations (like these red packet/hong bao 红包 lanterns 🧧🏮 I made for Chinese New Year below), or gift presentations (as you can see in my other blog posts).
It’s so versatile and can be as easy as you want it to be. All you need is paper so it doesn’t cost a lot either! My mum and I used to make lots of origami stars ⭐ together when I was a child. It can take a long time depending on the size of the vessel you use, but it was an activity we found strangely therapeutic. Furthermore, you get such a sense of satisfaction when you’ve finished, as I did when I made this Yin Yang display many years ago. ☯️
When my daughter recently started her final year at university, I made her this jar of origami stars as a positivity gift. Each star had an inspirational quote which would reveal itself when unravelled, and hidden at the bottom of the jar was another little surprise (the perfume bracelet from above). 🎁
The daily motivation must have worked because my daughter graduated 🎓 this summer, and is looking to move on to greater goals (fingers crossed)! 🤞
Although my collection of crafts is a much humbler accomplishment, I’m also hoping to build on this momentum and channel it towards my next badge. 💪
