Miniature Dragon Egg Dice Bags - ART 2020 Q1 Challenge Entry

You want me to Miniaturize My Craft? Well buckle up Buttercup. I’ve got a teeny tiny craft just for you!


When I saw this challenge, I was so intrigued with the idea, but I had no idea what to make. I knew I wanted to make a miniature of something that I’m known for making. I had just made miniature jewelry for the Lettuce Craft Curio Cabinet, so that was out. I didn’t really have any interest in making a miniature shawl. But after kicking around some ideas with crafty friends, I realized one of the things I’m known for crocheting is dragon egg dice bags. And in my jewelry making stash, I just happened to have some itty bitty aluminum scales.

I whipped out my smallest crochet hook, and some lace weight silk yarn and got to experimenting. My normal sized dice bags are made with 144 ‘small’ sized scales, that each measure 14mm x 22mm (or 9/16" x 7/8"), and use #4 or Medium weight yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, and are finished with glass pony beads. The finished full size bags measure 12cm tall (or 4.5").

The miniature bags were made with 27 ‘tiny’ sized scales that measure 7mm x 11mm (or 1/4" x 7/16"), and used a #0 or Lace weight yarn and a 2.25mm crochet hook, and are finished with 4mm Swarovski crystal beads. The finished bag measures 3cm tall and 2.5cm wide (or 1.5" x 1").

One of the only problems I encountered was that the hook didn’t fit through the hole in the tiny scales. The pattern I use for the full size bags calls for you to crochet through the scales, to attach them to the bag. Since that wasn’t an option here, I sewed them on. I crocheted 2 rows beyond the row I wanted to add the scales to, then went back and stitched them, so that the thread wouldn’t accidentally catch the yarn, or I wouldn’t accidentally sew a stitch closed, that I needed to get a hook back into.

Each finished bag is about the size of a standard D20, though one doesn’t really comfortably inside. I knew that in order to display the tiny bags, they would need tiny dice. But I was just not up for making itty bitty polyhedral shapes. I felt sure that way madness lies. So I picked up some 5mm micro dice from a maker on Etsy. I adore how cute they are with my bags!

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Oh my goodness! These are amazing and absolutely beautiful!!!

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Now that’s tiny! My mind is blown.

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So you’re saying the faeries hiding around the house like to play D & D huh lol. Amazing job!!! I love being able to witness your whole process of this epic tiny creation. Seeing genius in action truly. Tiny tiny action.

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Good gracious…this is just amazing! It is so itty bitty next to the regular dice bag. I can’t stop admiring your miniature craft. Nicely done!

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This is SO cool! I’m in love with the little accent beads on the drawstring. And those teeny dice!!

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Absolutely stunning!

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The accent beads are 4mm Swarovski crystals! It was so hard to get them onto the yarn. :joy:

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:green_heart: So does anyone have any dolls who play D&D? :grin:

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Squee!!! Ooh, these are just so perfect! The tiny dice are the perfect addition!

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That’s amazing! Fantastic way of showing scale!!

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perfection! Wow, I can’t get enough of this!!

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You did a fantastic job!

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Very neat!

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I love this! How hard is it to use the scales when you crochet? I’m bad at crochet but can knit so kind of want to try with that. Where is your fave place to buy the scales from?

I should get one of these bags for my mini’s. I’m afraid of losing them so they stay in what they were shipped in for now.

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These are awesome! :smiley:

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Well like I said in the post, on the miniature bags, I couldn’t crochet the scales onto it because the hook wouldn’t fit through the hole in the scales. I had to hand sew them on separately. On the full sized bags I normally make, you can fit the crochet hook right through the scales, so those go on a bit easier.

I bought those mini scales from Fire Mountain Gems, in order to make jewelry. But since then I found The Ring Lord, who sells 4 different sizes of scales, and has a wider selection. They are also much cheaper through Ring Lord, about half the price per scale. BUT Ring Lord in in Canada, and FMG is in the US, so it may matter where you are. Ring Lord ships through USPS via Priority Mail, but it usually takes about 2 extras days for them to hand it off to the USPS. So it’s really a toss up.

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Oh my word. This is amazing. +5 inspiration!

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Eeeep, how tiny is that?! Great work!!

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Wow, these look so good that seeing them next to a standard D20 is shocking! Fantastic work!

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