More News From The National Elf Service

I said I was not doing any more sewing. But then a friend mentioned on Sunday morning at Church that they had a minor problem to solve. They always get together as a family, and had received an email on Saturday night saying that today’s gathering was to be a Murder Mystery Event – and everybody had to come in costume, wearing a Christmas jumper. Which is all fine and dandy if you have one, but if the four of you do not possess one snowman&reindeer-embellished woolly between you, what do you do? Three days before Christmas, nobody wants to go out and spend £80 in M&S – or even £20 on four nasty acrylic ill fitting creations. “No problem” I said, with a mouthful of mince pie “My friend Kezzie had some brilliant ideas on her blog about solving this dilemma. Have you each got a fairly plain sweater?”  I muttered about cotton wool balls and bells, and promised to have something sorted out for them by Christmas Eve

Now I will state here and now that I loathe the concept of Elf on the Shelf. But having made all those elf costumes the other week, the two rolls of felt from the loft were still lurking on the spare bed. I dug out a round tea tray and made a paper pattern.

Useful note- a saucer makes a tight hole for the neckline, but a 6½” teaplate makes a comfortable sized hole for teenagers and adults [including Bob’s 17½” collar size!]

I cut out shapes in felt. I also cut some strips to be cuffs.

I left the embroidery machine stitching four Elfish slogans while I cut zigzag edgings and dug out a jar full of jingle bells, and another full of safety pins. Here’s the finished results.

With jingle bells attached to the points, and safety pins to fasten cuffs and collar, over a plain jumper, the collar and cuffs turn you instantly into an elf. [If it was my Murder mystery, I’d choose to murder the Elf-on-the-Shelf. I am absolutely horrified by the whole concept, and by the reactions of the children I know who have one of these. Laura Pinto’s reaction may be a little extreme, but I think the whole thing is creepy. And clever marketing]