Recently, I was at the Dollar Tree, and while I was walking down the craft section a few things caught my eye. I instantly had an idea. I saw a variety of canvasses and thought to myself, that would make a super cute backdrop for my Penquin Applique Pattern!
I had a vision of it hanging on my mantel this winter with some cute winter decor around it! I could see some winter snowflakes, lights, and garland laying across my mantel with some cute wooden houses, pine cones, and this Penguin hanging up behind it all creating a magical winter wonderland in my living room.
But my idea didn't stop there. As I kept daydreaming, I also envisioned this canvas hanging with some twine and an adorable ribbon to top it off. I also had another great idea for where this would look cute in my home this winter.
In the winter, my kids enjoy decorating their bathroom with this super cute snowman soap pump and snowflake hand-towel that they found at Target for about $3.00 apiece.
Oh! They also have a matching winter bath rug haha! They LOVE decorating and coordinating as many things as they can. They are so creative and I just love it!
So anyways, I could definitely see this in their bathroom adding an extra special touch to their winter decor that they love so much. My 6yr old has already expressed how much she loves this penguin wall art, and has basically already claimed it as hers haha!
I am willing to bet they will steal this wall hanging before I even get a chance to hang it above my mantel haha! That is usually how it goes around here. LOL
There are just so many cute ideas for this! I can't wait to decorate for winter. I know we are just getting started in the fall season here in the U.S., but I just could not pass up the opportunity to test out my impulsive winter idea and tell you about it haha!
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OK, OK, I know you are ready for me to tell you how to do this budget-friendly craft.
And don't worry -- I am going to tell you how to crochet the penguin applique and also show you how to make this super cute and easy wall hanging to use in your home this winter.
So let's get started! First I will tell you how to crochet this easy penguin applique, and then I will tell you how to make this wall hanging and where you can get the inexpensive supplies (for less than $5, in fact)!
First, we'll crochet the applique.
“Penguin Gone Fishin”
Crochet Pattern
Materials:
Yarn - worsted weight 4
White
Black
Orange
Aqua Blue
Light Gray
Dark Gray
Brown
Hook - G 4.0mm
Needle
Scissors
Hot Glue/Fabric Glue - if gluing together
Stitch Marker
Small safety eyes (optional)
Stitches:
Ch(s) - chain(s)
Sc - single crochet
St/Sts - stitch/stitches
Sl st - slip stitch
Sc2tog / Hdc2tog - single crochet two stitches together / half double crochet two stitches together
Sc3tog / Hdc3tog - single crochet three stitches together / half double crochet three stitches together
Sp(s) - space(s)
Hdc - half double crochet
* * - repeat *to* around
( ) - do all in the same stitch/space
#st - complete # of sts in same space
St # - complete stitch in next number of spaces
Skill Level / Language - Beginner/Intermediate. If you are unsure of any stitches, Youtube is a great resource. American Standard Terms are used.
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Pattern Info - This adorable penguin is 7 inches tall by 6 inches wide without the fishing pole, fishing hole, and bucket. The bucket is 2 inches x 2 inches, and the fishing hole is 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches.
Pattern Instructions
*beginning chains do not count as st
*leave long tails if sewing together, otherwise weave in ends if assembling with hot glue.
*on round, the first st will be worked in the same sp as the beginning ch
Head: Black
Begin: MR, ch 1.
Round 1: 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st to join, ch 1. (10 st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st, sl st to join, ch 1. (20 st)
Round 3: *Hdc, 2 hdc* repeat around, sl st to join, ch 1. (30 st)
Round 4: *Hdc 2, 2hdc* repeat around, sl st to join, fasten off. (40 st)
Inner Face: White
Begin: MR, ch 1.
Round 1: 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st to join, ch 1. (10 st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st, sl st to join, ch 1. (20 st)
Round 3: Sc 5, hdc 2, dc, (dc, hdc) in same st, sl st 2, (hdc, dc) in same st, dc, hdc 2, sc 5, sl st to join, fasten off. (22st)
Beak: Orange
Note: this part will begin with an MR but will be worked in rows to achieve a nice point
Note: if you would like a bigger beak you can use a hdc stitch and or go up a hook size
Begin: MR
Row 1: 2Sc in MR, pull tight to close loop, ch 1. (2st)
Row 2: Turn, 2sc, sc, fasten off. (3st)
Wings: Black - make 2
Note: this part will begin with an MR but will be worked in rows to achieve a nice point at both ends
Begin: MR, ch 1
Row 1: 3Hdc in MR, pull loop tight to close, ch 1. (3st)
Row 2: Turn, 2hdc, hdc, 2hdc, ch 1. (5st)
Row 3 - 7: Turn, hdc 5, ch 1. (5st)
Row 8: Turn, hdc2tog, hdc, hdc2tog, ch 1. (3st)
Row 9: Turn, sc3tog, fasten off. (1st)
Tummy: White & Black
Begin:.With white, MR
Round 1: 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st to join, ch 1. (10 st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st, sl st to join, ch 1. (20 st)
Round 3: *Hdc, 2 hdc* repeat around, sl st to join, ch 1. (30 st)
Round 4: *Hdc 2, 2hdc* repeat around, change to black yarn before finishing last stitch, sl st to join. (40 st)
Round 5: Sc 10, hdc 2, dc 2, 2dc, 2dc, dc 2, hdc 2, sc 10, hdc 2, dc 2, 2dc, 2dc, dc 2, hdc 2, sl st to join, fasten off. (44st)
Feet: Orange - make 2
Begin: MR, ch 1.
Round 1: 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st to join, ch 1. (10 st)
Note: changing to a row
Row 2: (Hdc, dc, hdc) in the same space as chain, sl st in next st, ch 1, (hdc, dc, hdc) in the same space as the slip stitch, sl st in the next st, ch 1, (hdc, dc, hdc) in the same space as the slip stitch, sl st in next st, fasten off. (3 toes) *the rest of the stitches will be unworked.
Fishing Pole (twig/stick): Brown
Begin: Ch 15
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 2, place a stitch marker in the next ch and leave rest of ch unworked, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 2, working back in the unworked chs, sl st into the ch where you left a stitch marker, sl st 10, fasten off.
Fish: Light Gray
Note: this part will begin with an MR but will be worked in rows to achieve a nice point
Note: I used the tail from the beginning MR to attach the fish to the pole during assembly but you can make a separate chain to your desired length if you would like to make an entirely separate fishing line to connect the fish and the pole.
Begin: MR
Row 1: 2Sc in MR, pull tight to close loop, ch 1.(2st)
Row 2: Turn, 2sc, sc, ch 1. (3st)
Row 3: Turn, sc2tog, sc, ch 1 . (2st)
Row 4: Turn, sc2tog, place a stitch marker here, ch 3, turn, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next ch, sl st in the space where you place a stitch marker, move stitch marker into the completed sl st, first side of tail is made, ch 3, turn, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next ch, sl st in space where you left the stitch marker, fasten off. (1 tail)
Fish Pail: Dark Gray & Black
Begin: Ch 7
Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 5, ch 1. (6st)
Row 2: Turn, hdc 6, ch 1. (6st)
Row 3: Turn, (sc, hdc), hdc 4, (hdc, sc), ch 1. (8st)
Row 4 & 5: Turn, hdc 8, ch 1. (8st)
Row 6: Turn, sc 8, fasten off. (8st)
Handle: With black, ch 12, fasten off.
Fishing Hole: Aqua Blue
Begin: MR, ch 1.
Round 1: 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st to join, ch 1. (10 st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st, sl st to join, ch 1. (20 st)
Round 3: *Hdc, 2 hdc* repeat around, sl st to join, fasten off. (30 st)
Water Ripples: White
Large Ripple
Begin: Ch 5, fasten off.
Small Ripple
Begin: Ch 3, fasten off.
Splash Droplets: White
Large droplets - make 2 or as many as desired
Begin: Ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in last ch, fasten off and tie the two tail ends in a knot to give it an extra pointy top. (2st)
Small droplet(s) - make as many as desired
Begin: Ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, fasten off and tie the two tail ends in a knot to give it an extra pointy top. (1st)
Assembly
Note: I assemble my appliques with hot glue, which is a fast and safe method. The glue adheres to the fibers quite well and the applique is very secure. The hot glue packaging that I use says non-toxic so it is safe, in my opinion. In addition, you can machine wash on cold, and lay flat to dry or tumble dry/lowest heat setting. You may also use other fabric safe glue or use the traditional method of sewing your pieces together.
How I assemble my Penguin:
I lay out all my pieces to get the look I want first. You can use pins to hold it together if you desire and/or take a picture of your layout with your phone to reference as you are putting it together.
Starting with the head section I first put the safety eyes on the inner face with a little hot glue on the back for extra security. Next I put the beak on and then attached the face to the head section that was made with black yarn.
Next I attached the head to the top of the tummy section and then attached the wings at my desired angles. Once I had the wings on I then attached the feet.
For the fishing hole and fishing pole sections I first attached the pole to the left wing end. I then used the tail of the fish and tied it in a knot around the end of the pole. After the pole and fish were attached I then added the ripples to the ice hole and then attached the fish to the side of the ripples.
For the bucket, I attached the handle in a curve and then to finish I put the little splash marks to the top left of the fish as if it were being pulled out of the water to give it a little animation! And that's it, the penguin is complete!
Your penguin is now complete! If you need or want a copy of the pattern that does not have ads or the canvas instructions, you can grab a copy from either my Ravelry or Etsy Shop!
Now we need to make the canvas that will go behind the applique. Here's how!
Materials:
8 x 10 canvas - I grabbed one for $1 from the Dollar Tree. Walmart had a 6-pack of the flat panel canvases, which will work too, for about $4 dollars.
Twine, jute cord, string, or ribbon - this is only if you want to add a little hanging string and/or bow at the top, otherwise, you can just hang it on a push pin or small nail without it.
Hot glue, E6000, or craft glue of choice
White Acrylic paint - I grabbed Apple Barrel paint from Walmart for .54 cents.
Caribbean (or any aqua blue color you like) Acrylic paint - also .54 cents from Walmart.
A small dabber or you could use a Q-tip or even your fingertip! Don't overcomplicate it!
A paintbrush - any type will do. These are at the Dollar Tree but are cheap at Walmart, too. You can find them in the kid's art/school supplies as well as the crafting section.
If you do not have craft stores close by and need to order some, here are some recommendations from Amazon so you can get them by mail.
Instructions to make the Canvas backdrop:
With your aqua color paint and your paintbrush, put a coat of paint on the canvas and all 4 sides. Let it dry (which takes just a few minutes with Apple Barrel - it's quick-drying)! It doesn't have to be perfect -- keep it simple! You are welcome to add another coat if you would like, but it's not critical I got away with one coat.
Next, use your dabber, Q-tip, or fingertip and put dots of snow on the top 3/4ths of your canvas, and let it dry.
This is totally optional, but if you would like to go the extra mile to make the bottom of the canvas look a little more like frozen ice, you can mix some of the aqua and white and put a thin layer across the bottom.
There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just have fun smearing a little on! If you don't like it, just let it dry and paint over it again.
Now you can attach your applique. I used hot glue but you can use your craft glue of choice. You can place your splash drops anywhere you would like or omit them altogether.
Lastly, you can add a hanging string and bow if you would like, otherwise, you can stop at the step above and just hang it on a push pin, nail, or command hook.
If you need a quick little bow tutorial here is a little video to show how super simple, quick, and easy it can be! All you need to be able to do is make loops, similar to the way you tie your shoes. You can make as many or as few loops as you like. The more you make the bigger it will be, and the fewer the loops the smaller and simpler it will be. It's totally up to your design preference. To finish, you just tie a separate piece of string around the middle of the loops. Just like that, you have a bow!
Once you have added your bow, if desired, and your twine to hang it, you have completed your project. Now you have some super cute winter decor for your home.
It has a little bit of a farmhouse decor feel with the cord/twine so if that is your home decor theme, this will definitely be a nice little extra touch this year.
On the Orchid and Bee's Facebook Page I will be going LIVE and showing you how to make this in REAL TIME! If you can't make it, that is totally ok -- you can catch the replay! You can join me Saturday, September 18th, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. CST.
After the LIVE video is over, I will come back and update this post with a link so that you can see the replay anytime.
Once winter is here and I have decorated my home, I will try to come back and update you with the final photo of how I incorporated it.
Don't forget that if you would like a pdf copy of the penguin pattern that does not have ads or the canvas instructions, you can grab a copy from either my Ravelry or Etsy Shop!
As always, I am so thankful you stopped by Orchid and Bee's! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a FREE pattern or announcement! Have a fantastic day!
Blessings to each of you!
Karen E.
Orchid and Bee's
Wonderful ideas.