CLOSED: Harry Potter Craftalong - Ostara 2020

I only just discovered her channelā€¦what a coincidence?!

Iā€™m going to use her ā€œuglyā€ fabric quilt top tutorial for a quilt for my dad for Christmas - but it wonā€™t be with ā€œuglyā€ fabric.

Canā€™t wait to get started :smiley:

1 Like

Hey Friends! Reminder that this Term of the HP Craftalong will close on Sunday, May 31st, at Midnight, Headmistress Time. (Central Standard Time) Please be sure to get any last minute project posts in before then.

And as most of you know, Midsummer Term opens June 1st, we will again be playing Quidditch! Iā€™ve run quidditch a lot of different ways over the years, and this year as I plan the season, Iā€™m looking for some input from all of you. Iā€™ve posted a poll below. It is a multiple choice poll, and will give me an idea of what parts of our quidditch games you like best. You will notice you can choose multiple answers from the whole poll, and that there are clusters of responses. The first 3 have to do with your interest in playing. While you can choose all three responses, Iā€™m asking you to just choose the ones that best suit you. Later, in the game preferences, you are welcome to choose multiple game styles. This poll will close at midnight on May 28th. Please respond by then. :slightly_smiling_face:

Edit: It looks like the poll rearranges itself to show the most voted for items first, meaning they are no longer in the order I put them in. Hereā€™s how they were listed just so itā€™s a bit clearer to understand.

  • I love Summer Quidditch and canā€™t wait to play!
  • I can take or leave the quidditch game. I just do whatever prompts Iā€™m drawn to.
  • I donā€™t plan on participating in summer quidditch.
  • I prefer playing as my own House team. (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, etc.)
  • I enjoy playing as a specific national quidditch team. (Japan, Bulgaria, etc.)
  • I donā€™t care who I play as. I just love the game and getting extra prompts to spark creativity.
  • I like the pre-game events, like Set Your Portkey. They get me psyched for the game to come.
  • I donā€™t care for pre-game events. Letā€™s get straight to the match!
  • I like one set of prompts that does not change, that I can complete throughout the whole game. (Ex. 16 prompts I can work on for 12 weeks. Similar to 2016.)
  • I like one large set of prompts, set in matches where I can pick just one of two. (Ex: 32 prompts, in pairs, where I can do a total of 16. Similar to 2017.)
  • I prefer multiple sets of prompts, each for a moderate amount of time. (Ex: 3 month-long rounds, of 4-5 prompts each. Similar to 2019.)
  • I prefer a slower elimination style game, where we have multiple matches where get to choose between 2 prompts. First round is 5 weeks, second round is 4 weeks, third round is 3 weeks, etc. (Similar to 2018.)
  • I prefer a faster elimination style game, where we get to choose between 2 prompts every few weeks, whittling down teams each time, till thereā€™s 1 winner. (Similar to Floo or Book Club prompts, where I have less time to think about a prompt.)

0 voters

A new Hermioneā€™s Book Club prompt has been posted! Please note, this prompt straddles this term and the next. You are welcome to do it this term, next term, or do it twice by posting a project in each term.

Class or Challenge Title: Transfiguration
House: Gryffindor
Project Name & Page Link: Little Pink Meringues! I adapted Rose Levy Beranbaumā€™s recipe for Buchettes de Noel from her cookbook, ā€œRoseā€™s Christmas Cookiesā€, recipe as I executed it described below.
Brief Description: I had two extra eggs so I decided to practice the Ebublio Jinx on them.
2 Egg Whites
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
Cream of Tartar

Unfortunately after having begun the recipe and then been unable to locate the cream of tartar that I swear is still in the kitchen somewhere, one tsp of lemon juice instead of the 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar the recipe calls for. Result wasnā€™t quite as fluffy as it should have been, but it did the job well enough. Couldnā€™t find my wand either, so I had to beat the Ebublio bubbles into these ingredients by hand via a large whisk and some muscle.

With these meringues, once theyā€™re stiff and glossy you can pipe them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. They should be left to dry for an hour before they go into the oven, then they hang out in a 200 degree F oven for an hour then allowed to cool completely on the cookie sheets out of the oven.

Iā€™ve made meringues by this recipe twice before and Iā€™ve found that this is one of those recipes where the flavors need to blend - the day you make them they are kind of disappointing, but the next day and subsequent days you will want to devour them all they are so good. I added a drop of food coloring this time as I wanted little pink meringues. I had hoped to get a slightly better photo of the finished product but ā€¦ wellā€¦ they were really delicious and didnā€™t stick around long enough. :grinning:

Project Picture:

3 Likes

You AS looks amazing!! Iā€™m still working on the parchment! And havenā€™t done the header or footer yet! To be fair, I havenā€™t been doing any cross stitching in about 2 monthsā€¦ :slightly_frowning_face:

1 Like

Class: Alchemy
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Joyful Prayer Flag
Brief Description: I made this flag for JoyfulClover in the Go Bananas Swap. The image features a creature in the moonlight, perhaps magical?
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Class: DADA
LC Contest: May 2020 Fashion Contest Entry
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Clothesline Necklace
Brief Description: This necklace uses a sharp needle and pins in its creation.
Project Picture:

Challenge: Detention: STASH
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Woven and Embroidered Hoop
Brief Description: I made this for the Go Bananas Swap 100% from stash!
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Challenge: Expecto Patronum!
SPEW or LC Contest: Lettuce Help Our Communities
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Masks for the ladies
Brief Description: I made these masks and mailed them off to my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt down in SC.
Project Picture:

Challenge: Headmistress: May
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Dark side of the moon star wars stitch
Brief Description: Inspired by my geeky love for Star Wars, I stitched up the death star channeling its inner Pink Floyd.
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Class: Transfiguration
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Embroidered Felt Ball Necklace
Brief Description: These little felted balls are like little wearable bubbles!
Project Picture:

3 Likes

Class or Challenge Title: Detention - Advanced Studies
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Klaziena Shawl Progress
Brief Description: I wasnā€™t feeling great on Saturday, so I snuggled up on the couch to crochet and watch movies. Managed to get 4 rows done, over 3 movies and some tv shows. I love how itā€™s coming out, but itā€™s really slow going now. Each row is a million stitches long, so each row takes a long time, and I have to be really careful to count at the end of each one, since I got so badly off before, and had to frog like 6 rows.
Project Picture:
Hereā€™s my before picture. Taken just as I sat down on Saturday.


And my after. In it Iā€™m pointing to what was the last row in the first pic.

2 Likes

Class or Challenge Title: Detention - Stash
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Journey Prayer Flag
Brief Description: This was created for @seeuudee in the Prayer Flag swap. All the materials were stash, as it was created in the early part of the pandemic. The fabric is hand dyed and I want to say I received it in a swap on Deadster. The embroidery designs are from Urban Threads (digital downloads donā€™t count as craft shopping, right?). The ā€˜cloudsā€™ are gear charms that I painted white and distressed with a reliefing block. The edges are lace I had from a ren faire costume made ages ago, and the beads are Swarovski crystals from some promotional packs sent to me by Fire Mountain Gems.
Project Picture:

3 Likes

hourglasses
:zap: Headmistress Jennie casts the House Points Charm! :zap:

1 Like

Class or Challenge Title: Expecto Patronum
SPEW or LC Contest: Lettuce Help Our Community
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Two Masks for Dad
Brief Description: Just some basic masks for my dad, made with some old shirts he had given me to salvage for scraps. I could be pretty sure that he would approve of the print given that heā€™d bought them in the first place.

I wish I could have completed more this term, but at least I got a job, and I took a fork lift course so now I am allowed to drive those, so a lot of things has happened which keeps me away from being creative.

Looking forward to the next term, and the Quidditch rounds :smiley: whatever they will be.

So glad to see all the different things that has been here!

2 Likes

Class: Detention:Repair/Alter
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Repairing a hammock
Brief Description: I repaired a hammock that had ripped badly last year. I was tempted to just sew outdoor fabric over the top. But, instead I did the job well. Along with new fabric, I unstrung the rope ties and put new varnish on the wooden section. I have already spent many happy hours relaxing in it.
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Class: Muggle Studies
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Making a fuzzy blanket even warmer.
Brief Description: My son loves fuzzy blankets. A new one he received at Christmas had the fake white faux wool. When it went through the dryer though, it half melted and ended up an uncomfortable rough texture. So I took a fuzzy material and covered the back.
Project Picture:

1 Like

class: detention: stash
lc contest: help our community
house: gryffindor
project: neutral masks

my husband starts working from his office instead of home this monday, and needed a mask. I have lots of starwars, and harry potter fabric, but he wanted something professional . I found some black prints and made these for him. The ear straps are made from strips of black knit fabric.

class: detention- repair/alter
house: gryffindor
project : les miserables t shirt

My daughter didnā€™t need another basic black t shirt. I bought this one on sale, along with some silver iron on vinyl. I found the image online, and used the cricut to cut it out. Now itā€™s on of her favorites.

class: divination
house: gryffindor
project: wicked bookmark

I made this for a swap in another group. The charm is a shrinky dink made from smooth shiny plastic. The knotted cord gets tucked between the pages.

class: HoM
house:gryffindor
project: printed bookmarks
This bookmark uses pink cord for glinda, and green for Elphaba in the musical wicked. The charms were made with printable shrinky dinks. The braided cord came together quickly, so I included a 2nd bookmark also with a printable charm

class: House Unity
house: gryffindor
project: Ravenclaw suncatcher

This Shrinky dink is about 3 inches. Itā€™s meant to be an ornament or suncatcher. I used colored pencils. as well as bronze marker.

class- muggle studies
lc contest: help our community
house-gryffindor
project- HP mask

I found this Harry potter fabric with a white background in my stash, and decided it would make a fun mask. I ran out of elastic, so the cord is a strip from an old t shirt.

class:herbology
lc contest: help our community
house: gryffindor
project: colorful masks

My daughter needed masks for work, so I looked into my stash and found some light purple, and darker purple fabric to make them for her.

:zap::heart::owl::steam_locomotive: A note from the Headmistressā€¦ :steam_locomotive::owl::heart::zap:
Reminder that the current term closes tonight, May 31st, at Midnight, Central Standard Time. Please have any last minute posts in by then. Our new term will open tomorrow, June 1st, sometime mid-morning or midday. You may have seen that the new thread has been started. Things are still being set up so please donā€™t post there until after Iā€™ve announced itā€™s officially ā€˜Openā€™ tomorrow morning. :slightly_smiling_face:

I will do a final points tally and announce the winner of this term shortly after.

To some of our new members, like @PrincessP, @RubeusUmbrella, @Donna, @GMPNQ, @Teachergirl, and anyone I may have missed, who might not have been though a new term transition with us before; I thought Iā€™d go over when things can and canā€™t be posted. One of the rules of the HPC is that ā€˜items posted must be crafted during that Termā€™. This has caused a few folks to fret over the years. ā€œI crafted this last week, but I mailed it in a swap, and it hasnā€™t arrived at itā€™s new home yet. And now the term will end and I wonā€™t be able to submit it!ā€

Donā€™t worry. Thatā€™s not the case at all! :slightly_smiling_face: The rule refers to not posting items you made 4 years ago, just to scrounge House Points. If you do have something you made last week, and havenā€™t gotten around to posting it until next week, no problem. If you had an item that straddled two terms, like a quilt youā€™ve been working on a for a while, itā€™s find to post it in the new Term. We really just mean crafts youā€™ve been working on recently. This is all on the honor system, and I trust you all.

Canā€™t wait to see what else you all share today. :heart:

5 Likes

Edel - Donā€™t peek at any of the blurred images! All three are part of your swap package!

Class or Challenge Title: Book Club - Ch 9 Midnight Duel
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Double Berry Balsamic & Black Pepper Jam
Brief Description: Iā€™m attempting to do smaller canning projects throughout the summer, rather than one giant marathon session in late August or early September. This was a simple project I flew right through; plus it saves fresh fruit for later, and sets up a future crafting project, when I make holiday gift baskets with all my home canned goodness in December. You can do it in as small a batch as 2 half-pint jars. I doubled the recipe to make it 4 half-pint jars, and mixed my berries. It was 3 containers of blackberries and 2 of raspberries, and done with the recipe on the Ball Classic Pectin jar. I cannot find the recipe on their website. Hereā€™s the ratios for 2 jars, in the low sugar option:
1 1/3 c crushed berries
1 1/2 T Ball classic pectin
1 cup sugar (1 2/3 c for regular sugar option)
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: CoMC
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Quilt Top #1
Brief Description: One of the ways Iā€™m trying to conserve is by crafting from stash, and really pushing myself to be creative with all the craft supplies I have on hand. This quilt top was made for Edel in the Go Bananas Swap, and it is my effort to use her favorite colors to create a dreamy feeling quilt top for her new nest area. (Iā€™m still waiting for her package to get to her. Itā€™s in Ireland, but not in her hands yet, so Iā€™ve blurred the images, and havenā€™t given these their own individual posts yet.)
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: DET - WIP
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Prayer Flag
Brief Description: This poor little prayer flag was a WIP for ages. I embroidered the motif with my embroidery machine early on, then it sat around waiting to be embellished for over a month. Thankfully an online crafting session with a few friends gave me the push I needed to finish it with some hand stitching, and some charm embellishments. Some of which were patinaed with Vintaj metal patinas, then sanded to add dimension and texture.
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: Flying
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Quilt Top #2
Brief Description: This second quilt top was made when I found a charm pack of fabrics that were a free gift when I bought a quilt kit from Craftsy/Blueprint for a friends wedding a few years ago. After stitching the quilt top above, I decided I wanted to keep going. I had been working in my studio, while watching season 5 of Outlander. A little robin kept landing on my window sill and chirping at me while I worked, so this quilt is inspired by both. The pudgy little red breasted bird, and the feel of Revolutionary Americana.
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Class or Challenge Title: Headmistress - May
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Anniversary Card
Brief Description: My husband and I both love going to the zoo. We bought ourselves an annual membership for our Anniversary when we first moved to Nashville, and we try to go a few times a year.
Right now with Covid, thatā€™s not possible. But I wanted to further our geeky interest into animals, so for this anniversary I decided to get him tickets to one of the zooā€™s Backstage Events, where you get to get closer to certain animals like the giraffes. Only problem is that you have to buy tickets for a specific date, and we have no idea when the zoo will reopen, and if it will be safe to go even when it does. So instead of getting him actual tickets for our anniversary, I made him a card, and a coupon for him to turn into me, when it is safe to go again. He gets to pick which animal experience we do when itā€™s safe.
Project Picture:

3 Likes

There have been some amazing projects turned in this term.

I have a project dump, I have been meaning to submit some of these for the last 2 or 3 weeks! But then I always do work better with a tight deadline :wink: And I apologise in advance, I have been on a real baking hit since being in lockdown :smiley:

Class or Challenge Title: Alchemy
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Choc swirl meringue. Recipe can be found here - http://thefoodfox.com/2019/07/01/chocolate-swirl-individual-pavlovas/
Brief Description: After a few years of thinking about it, I decided to take the plunge and buy a KitchenAid stand mixer. I decided the first thing I had to make was meringue and these chocolate swirl mini pavlovas looked amazing. But I didnā€™t anticipate the true power of the mixer, so the egg whites foamed far too quickly and the meringues collapsed when cooking. They came out looking like little moons - pale and dark areas and a few craters. They still tasted good though :smiley:
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: Apparition
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Sourdough Bread. Recipe can be found here - https://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/2015/03/celias-overnight-sourdough-bread-step.html?m=1
Brief Description: I have just started on the sourdough bread ride and it has been such a journey! The first loaf looked okay when cut into, but was really quite heavy in texture. The second bake didnā€™t look that different, when cut, but the texture was so much better. Definitely something that requires practice :bread:
Project Picture:
Attempt number one -


Attempt number two -

Class or Challenge Title: Astronomy
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Almond Croissants. Recipes can be found here -
Pastry dough - http://www.sprinkledwithjules.com/home/2015/8/29/chocolate-croissants
Almond filling - https://bowsessed.com/marzipan-croissants/
Brief Description: This has been on my baking-to-try list for ever, so I finally gave it a go. I made one lot of pastry dough and split it into two and filled one half with marzipan/almond filling and sprinkled them with flaked almonds, which reminds me of a dragonā€™s scales.
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: Book Club - Chapter 9
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Apple & Cinnamon Cake. Recipe can be found here - https://www.sweetestmenu.com/cinnamon-apple-cake/
Brief Description: I have made this recipe on several occasions, it is fast becoming an absolute favourite and I have perfected it now. It doesnā€™t look like much, but the flavour is amazing and it is so soft.
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: Care of Magical Creatures
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Small batch coconut macaroons. Recipe can be found here - https://onedishkitchen.com/small-batch-coconut-macaroons/
Brief Description: So, how does baking coconut macaroons help the planet, I hear you ask. Well, I hate food waste and I had needed 1 egg yolk for another recipe, so I had one white left over. So I googled ā€œwhat to do with 1 egg whiteā€ and this recipe appeared. It works perfectly, as hubby hates coconut, so as it only makes a few, I didnā€™t feel too greedy eating them all, again saving food waste.
Project Picture:

Class or Challenge Title: Charms
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Tomato & Bell Pepper pasta sauce
Brief Description: We have really reduced how often we food shop, so planning ahead has been key. The supermarket had tomatoes and red bell peppers reduced, as they were on the use by date, and I knew we had onions at home. I donā€™t really have a recipe, as such, for this pasta sauce, I just use what I have. This time I blackened the skins of 3 red bell peppers, skinned them and cut them into slices. I peeled 8 standard tomatoes (placed in boiling water for a few seconds and then into iced water) and diced them. I finely diced 2 medium onions (one white/one red). I sweated off the onions, added in the tomatoes and pepper, added seasoning to taste (sugar/salt/pepper) and left it simmering for 15 minutes. We had some for dinner that evening and have 3 more meals worth in the freezer, saving time for later.
Project Picture:

1 Like

Class or Challenge Title: Arithmancy
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Memory Planner Spread
Brief Description: I switched over to a seat-of-the-pants bujo last summer, but Iā€™m slowly going through and filling out the weeks in my decorative planner. Itā€™s a lot more fun to look back at sticker spreads when youā€™re trying to remember what you did in the past than looking at a series of to-do lists and appointent schedules scrawled in a tiny notebook.

Class or Challenge Title: Astronomy
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Itty Bitty Boxy Pouch
Brief Description: I made this pouch as a ā€œrough draftā€ to get the process back in the muscles of my fingers before starting on some graduation gifts. The dragons, not surprisingly, remind me of the draco constellation.

Class or Challenge Title: Herbology
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Itty Bitty Boxy Pouch
Brief Description: Usually when friends/family graduate highschool I make a gift basket full of the items most frequently requested at the university library I work at (no, we canā€™t give you a highlighter, reel of tape, book of stamps, pack of index cards, etc.) but that really only works for in person giving and with the current situation there havenā€™t been any parties and no oneā€™s really sure what will be happening in the fall. My youngest cousin just graduated cousin just graduated, so instead Iā€™m making a series of zippered pouches to send along with a gift card. First up, a small pouch for chapstick, hand sanitizer, or whatever small things need to be carried. Her school colors are purple and more purple, so this fabric seemed appropriate.

Class or Challenge Title: House Unity
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Memory Planner Spread
Brief Description: Another memory planner spread, but this time with a Hogwarts themed sticker kit. The colors lean heavily Gryffindor, but there are most other houses represented.

(Off to scrounge through my project pictures to fill some detention prompts!)

2 Likes

Class or Challenge Title: Detention stash challenge
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Bird Wand
Brief Description: While standing in a flower bed to socially distance during a walk, I found a perfectly straight stick that just begged to be a wand. No idea what kind of wood it is, and the handle wanted to have a very simplistic stylized bird on it. It ended up a tiny bit over eighteen inches long and it smells delightful because I didnā€™t have varnish so I used beeswax.
Project Picture:

2 Likes

Class or Challenge Title: May the Fourth challenge.
House: Hufflepuff
Project Name & Page Link: Frog from Chrono Trigger
Brief Description: Chrono Trigger is a classic video game that many people still love and play. This is based on the original art of Frog, of the party members you can have. The original is by Akira Toriyama, who also did the art for Dragon Ball. The writing is his name, Frog, in Japanese and his real name before he was cursed, Glenn. I did it in Procreate and Iā€™m really happy with how it turned out!
Project Picture:

hourglasses
:zap: Headmistress Jennie casts the House Points Charm! :zap: