Felt Jack & Meg

Before I jump into this story I need to warn you that I am completely craft deficient. I mean, completely. I have this desire to craft, but not the ability. I love PINTERST and am completely obsessed with these DIY projects that I come across, most of which I will never complete due to my complete lack of DIY skills. My theory is that God can't give you everything, or else one would just get a big head. So, He allows us to be lacking in some areas, to keep us humble. Crafting (and singing) are my weaknesses.

With that being said, I started to get some ideas. I saw this on Pinterest and to the naked eye it looks like a simple Santa and Mrs. Claus felt craft project, but all that I could see was Jack and Meg. It's probably all the red, white and black. You may remember my previous post about my desire for a Jack & Meg action figure. The wheels started turning...

Source: marthastewart.com via Lea on Pinterest

Then, because I am obsessed, I was searching Etsy for Jack and Meg and I came across this:


source
I thought, "$26! really? for some felt?" I can do this for much less. I can do this.

Then, I came across (due to endless internet searches) this web site which offered templates for felt dolls and my mission began.

Source: sewing.craftgossip.com via Lea on Pinterest

I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought red, white and black felt. I got home and remembered that I was so craft deficient that I didn't even own a thread or needle. I needed to borrow some crafting supplies from my awesome neighbor, Amber. She lent me her sewing kit (which I incidentally depleted by the end of the project. I owe her).

I printed out the body templates and start on my "Jack"

Source: nuno-runo.blogspot.com via Lea on Pinterest

One of the main reasons that I am so craft deficient is that I have ZERO patience. I just want things to be done and fast. It took FOREVER to cut out the body parts, stuff and sew them, then cut and sew the clothing and put them on. After a long period of time (especially for my impatience) I had a Jack Doll that was dressed. I was disappointed when I realized my so-called Jack looked just like Santa Claus. I certainly didn't just spend hours of my time making a Santa. My husband found this hilarious.



I added the hair. I figured this would make him look less like Santa. But when I added the hair, I thought he looked more like Santa Bob Marley than Jack White. But I pressed on.



I hoped that once I added the guitar things would start looking up. I found this guitar template online and reduce the size to meet my needs.

Source: google.com via Lea on Pinterest

Once I added the guitar, somehow Bob Marley Santa started to resemble Jack White. I knew at this point that once I added Meg, the whole picture would come together.



When I made Jack I made the body first, then cut out the clothes to fit him. I realized it would be faster to just make the clothes and stuff them with cotton (I used cotton balls because that is all I had) and then just add the limbs. This is how I made Meg and it WAS faster and worked out just fine.

I started to make Meg, but got held up on her hair. It was a little harder than Jack's hair. The yarn just wasn't working. Then, Hubby who pretty much has no interest in my weird crafting project decided to pitch in and design Meg's hair. Yeah, he would probably rather that you not all know that. But I must give credit where credit is due. I used Hubbies template to cut out Meg's hair.


Then, of course, you cant have Meg without the Peppermint swirl base drum. I used this template (resized) to make Meg's famous drum head. I made the drum out of felt too and stuffed cotton balls inside. I was running out of thread (and patience) at this point so instead of sewing on the back of the drum (that no one would see), I just used hubbies spray adhesive to adhere a circle on the back to hold the cotton balls in. Hubby was turning out to be quite helpful!

Source: flickr.com via Lea on Pinterest

I cut down some skewers to make Meg's drum sticks and this was the final result! I ultimately stitched Meg's drum to her hip, added hooks to their heads and hung them on the tree. These will be ornaments I will enjoy putting on the tree year after year.



While I urge you to not look too closely at the sewing quality, I am pretty darn proud of the outcome. They look so cute! Even if it did take me all day. There were so many things I did not get done (like cleaning the house or running) because this project took over my day. Now that I am finished, I understand the $26 price tag attached to the Etsy felt Jack and Meg. Even though the supplies for my project cost about $3 for felt, borrowed sewing kit and already owned cotton balls, spray adhesive and wooden skewers, I dont think I would sell mine for any price!

Can Jack White put back on the Red Pants?

When I first was introduced to Jack White it was the year 2001. He was a boy with red pants with his "sister" Meg singing their candy cane blues. It was love at first listen. Album after album the infatuation grew; White Blood Cells, Elephant, Get Behind me Satan, Icky Thump. Jack could do no wrong. It was the year 2007. White Stripes were on tour promoting Icky Thump and they were playing in Austin, TX, a mere 200 miles away. Tickets went on sale and sold out online in like 5 minutes for a venue that holds an intimate 1800 people. I wasn't one of the lucky ones, or was I? The White Stripes canceled the tour long before they reached Austin TX, citing Meg's anxiety. And it was over. Or so we thought.


By then we had Jack's first so-called side project, The Raconteurs. This was kind of like the White Stripes, but with other musicians (no disrespect intended to the lovely and talented Meg). It was a similar blues-inspired rock, but this time with a full band. This time Jack was sharing the spot light and lead vocals with his Detroit old friend Brendan Benson. To me, this was Jack growing up a bit. No more red pants, no more red white and black. This was a maturing Jack, and I was loving every minute of it. Broken Boy Soldiers followed immediately by Consolers of the Lonely. I caught them on tour in Dallas, TX in 2008. As much I was loving the new project, I couldn't help but wonder, Will we ever see Jack and Meg together again?

Then we were hit with the bombshell (literally) of the Dead Weather. Jack has yet another "side project" super group. This time with fellow Raconteur "Little Jack" Lawrence on bass and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age. But what is this about? Jack White, our guitar hero, is now on drums and "Baby Ruthless" Alison Mosshart (of the Kills) on lead vocals? I was blown away. This was still a very bluesy influenced music, but much darker; nothing like I had ever heard before. Jack morphed again, this time into a Darker-Grown-Up-Jack wearing nothing but black. The red and white jack from ten years ago was slipping further and further away. I caught the Dead Weather on tour in Dallas in 2009 for the Horehound tour in and in Memphis, TN in 2010 for the Sea of Cowards tour.

I recently read that Jack implied in Vanity Fair that he and Meg may be reuniting. He said "We thought we'd do a lot of things that we'd never done: a full tour of Canada, a documentary, coffee-table book, live album, a boxed set. It was one long project that took almost three years. ~ Now that we've gotten a lot of that out of our system, Meg and I can get back in the studio and start fresh."

Jack is re-married. Meg is re-married. You knew they were not really brother and sister, right? We have all grown up a bit. Now the question begs. Can Jack White put back on the red pants?

We'll just have to wait and see. Is Jack the same boy we've always known? Or has he grown up to a point of no return?