Monday, September 29, 2025

Desk Goose Sunflower Headpiece

 

Desk Goose Sunflower Headpiece


Since I first got my goose in August, I thought it was fitting that his first costume would be a sunflower! This is a fairly quick and easy pattern to whip up, I hope your goose loves it as much as mine! 

Feel free to use this free pattern for your own personal use. You can even sell products made with this pattern, but please, I beg of you, don't sell this pattern as your own, that ruins the spirit of free pattern sharing, and it hurts my feelings!

Gauge 5 stitches per inch

Supplies:

Desk Goose (disclaimer: Amazon Affiliate link, I may someday, actually make a few cents from this link)

Yarn size 4 worsted weight

Hook D - 3.0

Stitch Marker

Yarn Needle

Stitches used:

MR - Magic Ring

Sl st - Slip Stitch

Sc - Single Crochet

Hdc - Half Double Crochet

Dc - Double Crochet


Starting with brown yarn:


R1: MR, sc 14 stitches into MR, close magic ring around goose head, approx 7cm, be careful not to tighten too much. Sl st to close.(You can also ch 14 and sl st to close the ring, but I think the MR looks cleaner in the end. )

R2: 2sc in each sc [28]

Fasten off and weave in ends



Switch to yellow yarn

I start on the opposite side of the circle to not put a strain on the fasten off brown stitch.

Create a slip knot, insert hook into one of the brown SC from round 2, pull the slip knot through to the front. Sc and start your chain for the next round from this point.

(Ch 9, Skip the first chain, sc into second chain, hdc, dc into next 4 stitches, hdc, sc into initial yellow ch, sc into brown, sc into next brown) x14



The petals will be super curly when you finish. If you like this look you can put it on your goose right away and rock out with it. I like to block the flower by getting it fully saturated with water and pinning it flat to dry, this can be done between two towels, or on a corkboard, etc. You can experiment with starch, diluted fabric glue or some other variation of fabric stiffening products. Regular blocking seems to work pretty well on it's own if you don't want to invest in all the supplies.



I have so many more patterns to share. The more hype these patterns get the more motivated I will be to type up and share the rest of them. Please subscribe to my blog, leave comments and share your creations. I love feedback! Enjoy!

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Desk Goose 4-in-1 Costume Pattern - Butterfly, Duck, Turkey, Flamingo



 I have recently become obsessed with the new desk goose trend (similar to a porch goose, but smaller scale), and starting making outfits for them. After searching for crochet patterns for desk goose clothing, I found that the internet did not have a lot available, and what was available was for sale. So I made my own! I actually covered my goose in saran wrap, then masking tape to make a dress form, then measured and did math to figure out all the important stuff that no one cares or thinks about when they are using a pattern. 

It was a great learning experience and I got the highest praise my a veteran crocheter, my Mom, saying it was a great pattern, clear and easy to understand. With Mom's approval, it is finally ready to share with the world, for free! So please don't sell this pattern, I have spent many hours remaking pieces, tweaking the pattern, photographing, editing, proofreading, re-editing... you get the idea! Feel free to sell your finished pieces, just don't sell my pattern as your own, it would hurt my feelings!

I also want to add that my mom was also a collaborator on this pattern. The butterfly variation was her amazing idea, and the wings are her design! Shout out to Grandma Lynn! 

I have several more patterns to share for the desk goose, so stay tuned feel free to subscribe for more updates! 

If you don't have a goose yet, get one here! (Amazon Affiliate link, I may, someday, make a few cents off your purchase!)

Desk Goose Costumes

Gauge 4 stitches per inch

Supplies:

Yarn size 4 worsted weight

Hook F- 4.0

Stitch Marker

Yarn Needle

Stitches used:

MR - Magic Ring (can be replaced with chain 3 and work into first chain if you don’t like the

MR

Sl st - Slip Stitch

Sc - Single Crochet

Inc- Single crochet increase

Dec - Single Crochet Decrease

Hdc - Half Double Crochet

Dc - Double Crochet

Surface Slip Stitch 

Stacked sc - Stacked single crochet (For Butterfly Only)

Dc2tog - Double Crochet two together (For Butterfly Only)

Tr - Triple Crochet (For Butterfly Only)

Picot - Picot (sl st into chain) (For Butterfly Only)

Body:

The body is the same for each variation, with the addition of antennae for the butterfly and back tail feathers for the flamingo

This is stitched in the round, you don’t need to join each round with a slip stitch, unless you prefer that method. I suggest using a stitch marker to keep track of where your round starts.

R1: 6 sc into MR

R2: inc 6 [12]

R3: 4sc, 4 sl st, 4sc [12]

R4: 4 sc, ch 4, skip 4 sl st from above row, 4 sc [12]

R5-12: sc in each stitch [12] (8 rounds)

R13: (sc, inc) x6 [18]

R14: (2sc, inc) x6 [24]

At this point the increases and decreases need to be in specific areas. Because you are working in a round, the last stitch jogs a little bit with every round and you are not currently at the very back of the piece. Flatten your piece, using the mouth as a reference and sc in next 2-3 stitches so that your starting point for the next round is starting from the back. You should still have 24 stitches for this row. Begin the next row from this point.


R15: (2sc, inc) x2, 12sc, (2sc, inc) x2 [28]

R16: Sc 28 [28]

R17: (3sc, inc) x2, 12sc, (3sc, inc) x2 [32]

R18: (4sc, inc) x2, 12sc, (4sc, inc) x2 [36]

R19-20: Sc 36 (2 rounds) [36]

R21:12sc, (dec, sc)x 4, 12 sc [32]

R22: (Sc, inc ) x2, 6 sc ,( sc, dec) x4, 6sc, (sc, inc)x2 [32]

R23-24 : Sc 32 (2 rounds) [32]

Fasten off and weave in ends (for flamingo, see flamingo section below to add tail feathers before fastening off)

Turkey:

Head Feathers:

Chain 6, sc into 3rd chain from the hook, sc into next chain, sl st into next chain, sl st into next chain, chain 4, sc into 2nd chain from hook, sc into next 2stitches, sl stitch into the same starting chain stitch (this “feather”should start and end with a slip stitch in the same chain on the initial chain) Sl st into the next chain, Chain 5, sc into 2nd chain from hook, sc into next 3 stitches, sl st into the same chain stitch you started this feather from. The “base” of the feathers will be the first three chains from the initia chain. Fasten off, leave tail for sewing. Sew onto top of head.

Turkey Gobbler:

Chain 4, 2sc into 2nd chain from hook, sl st into next two chains, sew next to the head hole. 




Turkey Tail Feathers:

R1: 4 sc into mr, tighten MR but don’t close the circle, you won’t be working in a round here.

Ch 1, flip [4]

R2: [inc x 4) ch 1, turn[8]

R3: (Inc, sc) x 4, ch 1, turn[12]

R4: (Inc, 2sc), x4, ch 1, turn[16]

R5: (Inc, 3sc), x4 , ch 1, turn[20]

R6: (Inc, 4sc), x4 , ch 1, turn[24]

R7: (Inc, 5sc) x4, ch 1, turn[28]

R8: (Inc, 6sc) x4 , turn[32]

R10: Sl st, (Sc, ch, dc, dc, ch sc, sl st) x5, sl st

Fasten off, cut yarn, leaving a long tail for attaching to the body.

Weave in the beginning thread to secure the magic ring

You can add designs to the tail feather using a surface slip stitch in complementary colors, or you can
leave it as is.




Fold the tail feathers in half, and flatten the body. Lineup the tail and body along the fold to find the middle of each and line them up. The bottom edge of the tail should be attached 1-2 rows up from the bottom of the body. Sew the tail and the body together. You can add designs to the tail feather using a surface slip stitch in complementary colors, or you can leave it as is.

Duck:

Duck Wings:

x2

Worked in a round

R1: Sc 3 in MR [3] 


R2: Inc x 3 [6]

R3: (Inc, sc) x3 [9]

R4: (Inc, 2sc) x3 [12]

R5: (Inc, 3sc)

x3 [15]

Flatten, sc across top to close

Attach to the body with pins and sew onto body at desired position

Duck Hair Fluff:

Take 4 strands of orange yarn, 6 inches. Fold all strands ofyarn in half and pull through the top of the head, from theinside, with a hook.

 Secure the yarn strands to the top of the head using ascrap of yarn and needle.

Untwist and unfurl the orange yarn on the top of the head until it’s fluffy.

The yarn is not super secure. You can use a dot of hot glue on the inside of the head to ensure that none of the yarn pulls out of the head.


Butterfly:

Rd 1: MR, 8 sc, join

R2: ch 3, 2 dc into next st, and into next 6 sts. Dc in first st, join to top of ch 3.(If changing yarn, invisible join and join new yarn in any stitch) [16]

End of round 2







R3: instead of ch3, work a stacked sc (sc in same st as join, hook into side loop of sc and pull up a loop, yo pull thru 2 loops.This replaces the ch 3.) Work a dc in same st as stacked sc (this counts as your first dc2tog). Ch 1, repeat around (dc2tog, ch 1) x 16 [32]

Rd 3 Stacked SC  complete

End of round 3 Invisible Join






R4: Sl st to next ch space (or join in any ch 1 space if changing yarn), Ch 4, 4 dc in same space, (skip next ch 1 space, in next ch 1 sp, 4 dc, ch 1, 4 dc) repeat around. In beginning ch 1 sp, 3 dc, join to 3 ch of beginning ch. (8- 4dc, ch 1, 4dc) If continuing with same yarn, sl st in ch1 and next 4 sts, sl into gap between the clusters. If joining new yarn join in the gap between the 4 dc clusters, not the ch 1 between 2 clusters.

End of Rd 4







R5: 2 tr into the next ch 1 sp, 5 dc in same space, 2 tr, sl st into next gap between clusters. Repeat around. Note the modified fans should be full but not wavy. It is ok to add another dc for all of them if your tension makes it necessary or work all tr stitches. At end of round, ch 1, remove hook, place hook under gap and replace loop, pull loop under gap, ch 1, tighten the loop down. (8 modified fan stitches) Do not cut yarn. Weave in beginning end before continuing.

Round 5







Bringing ending loop of round 

Final round- Fold in half with yarn on outside and at upper left with stitches of each half lined up. Sl st into the back loops of lined up stitches around, including the sl st of previous round, to join the 2 halves. If you want to make swallowtail on the 2 lower sections, work those sections like this- sl in next 2 st, sc in next 3 st, ch 3, sl st 2nd and 3rd ch from hook, sl st in top of stitch you started from, sc in next 2 sts, sl st in last 2 sts. At end of round cut yarn leaving a very long tail. Weave tail to center. Use tail to sew to the ‘body suit’ of the goose, starting partway up the neck so that the wings are visible from the front. Use the stitches to help position wings upward so they can be seen from the side. Stitch from both sides to ensure secure placement. Weave in ends and cut. 







Antenna 

With 3.25 mm hook. Ch 8 tight but loose enough to work into sts. Sl st in back bump of s 2nd ch and next 6 ch. Ch 2 looser, chain 8 as for 1st antenna, sl st in 2nd ch in back bump and in next 6 ch. Cut yarn ch and tighten. Done. From outside of head hook into st at back of head. Put hook through 2 loops at top of 1 antenna, pull through to outside of head. Repeat placing other antenna. I pull down on ends to get bases of antenna in place. Weave in ends. This is easier after Rd 7 or 8 than at end.

Flamingo:

Flamingo wings:

Working in a round

R1: Mr 3 sc into MR

R2: 2sc into each stitch [6]

R3: 1sc, inc) x3 [9]

R4: 2sc, sc inc) x3 [12]

R5: (3sc, inc) x3 [15]

R6: sc into each stitch

R7: sc into 14 stitches, inc in last stitch, sl stitch in next stitch to “level” out the round

R8: flatten cone, sc through top and bottom stitch to close the cone x 8,chain 2, turn

R9, dc into each stitch [8] turn

R10: ([sc, dc, sc] into same stitch, sl stitch) x 4 Fasten off, attach to body. 

Flamingo Tail Feathers:

After final body stitch, don’t fasten off, continue SC for 3 stitches past the “Middle” stitch, remember, you might not end completely centered, so adjust these stitches as needed. Once you are 3 stitches from the middle, turn your work. Sl st into the next stitch, ([sc, dc, sc] all into the next stitch, slst into next) x3. The middle three stitches should be completely centered on the back of the goose’s tail, if they aren’t, go back and adjust your stitches to ensure it falls on the center of the goose tail. Fasten off and weave in tails.



© 2025 All rights reserved. This pattern, including all text and images, is the exclusive property of Jocee Inspirations and may not be copied, sold, or distributed. You have permission to sell finished products made from this pattern. Credit to the original designer is appreciated.

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Love Graphic Art Alcohol Ink Tutorial


The word LOVE is one that I come back to over and over in my art, it's so simple, yet so meaninful, all in 4 simple letters. I hope to share many more of my "Love" pieces as I get more into the revitalization of this blog. So here is the "How To" on this piece.

First off, here is the YouTube Video tutorial if you are a visual learner. 

Supplies:


This piece started it's life as an innocent framed wall art for a child's room. I found it on clearance for under $2.50, so I decided to repurpose it. 

I taped off the frame and covered the picture with Kilz2 Primer. This took several coats and it was pretty time consuming. But I figure it was a trade off between time/money to get a low cost framed wall art "canvas". I put canvas in quotes because this is not a canvas, it's a wood board. I have tried using alcohol ink on an actual canvas quite a bit. Even when it is primed or gesso'ed, it doesn't not work well, The ink immediately soaks into the material. It especially doesn't work well if your are trying to use a stencil to mask off any area. The ink will just seep under that stencil. Alcohol ink does have a fun affect on canvas if you are just looking to color the canvas, but this project will not work on a canvas. See my last post if you need an alternate "canvas" to work with.


Next, I went to the computer and made the Love cutout. If you don't want to make your own, feel free to right click on the image above and save it. 

 I used a square and changed the settings to the size of my canvas. Then I used a text layer with the font Postino for the word love. I sized it to fit on the canvas nicely, centered it, selected both layers and sliced the Love out of the rectangle layer. I cut this on my Cricut using Oracal 651 vinyl. This is the best vinyl to use for stenciling to mask alcohol ink, I have tried several different and come to the conclusion that this is the best vinyl to get this job done.
Once the vinyl was cut out I weeded the letters out to work with the negative space vinyl. Using transfer tape I applied it to the canvas, making sure to press down around all of the edges. I hit all of the vinyl with a heat gun as well to make sure it's adhered really well.
This next step is the most important part! After the vinyl is applied, I go over all of it with a generous coat of Kilz2 Primer. I make sure to brush it towards the vinyl so that the primer will seep in under any tiny gaps that might allow the alcohol ink to seep through. I let that coat dry for 30 mins to an hour, depending on how patient I am. After that is dry you are ready to make some art!
I decided to work with red, pink and purples for this piece. I started from left to right, working each color separately, letting each color overlap and blend a bit with the color before. See the video for a look at how the ink application technique.
Once I worked all of the colors I let it dry for just a few minutes. Alcohol inks don't take too long to dry, so it's really just a matter of making sure none of the inks are still tacky. Once it's all dry, pull off the vinyl and reveal your artwork!
If any of the ink seeped under the vinyl use a q-tip with alcohol to carefully wipe away the alcohol. If that doesn't get up all of the ink you can do some touchups with the primer, some colors can be harder to cover up than others. That's why I always try to avoid having any seepage if I can!


 I then apply 3 light coats of Kamar Varnish and 3 light coats of UV protectant spray to seal the inks and make sure they won't fade over time. Lastly, I remove the tape from the frame an it's done! 

Here is the another variation of colors that I tried. This one ended up with a lot of seepage that I couldn't cover, so it ultimately got painted over and I tried again. As I said, I've tried several different vinyls before I came up with the right materials and techniques to get good results. This one was part of that trial and error. 

Comment if you have any questions! Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube or TikTok and follow along to see where my crafting takes me next!










Thursday, April 11, 2024

NYC Graphic Art Tutorial




 My kids' high school was putting on Annie the Musical and they needed some raffle items for the intermission fundraiser. I always make something inspired by the production they are putting on. After days of the song "N- Y- C- just got here this morning..." I was inspired to make this alcohol ink graphic art piece. It turned out phenomenally and I'm so happy with it. It was hard to part with, so I might just make a new one soon!

Here is a quick tutorial on how I brought this beauty to life.

First off Supplies:

Alcohol Ink colors used in this video:

  • Tim Holtz Ranger Glacier
  • Tim Holtz Ranger Monsoon
  • Tim Holtz Ranger Sailboat Blue
  • Tim Holtz Ranger Alloy Sterling

(these can be purchased on Amazon individually, but I've had the best luck buying that at Michael's or in sets with all of the colors online).

I will give a quick run down of the the steps, but please watch the video of how this was created here:

I started off with the wood panels from Michaels and gave them each 3 coats of Kilz 2 Primer. I like working with these wood panels because they are precut to the standard picture sizes, so they will fit in most (not all) picture frames if you take out the glass. They also come sanded and ready to go, and the price isn't too bad either!



I've included the steps on how to create the graphic in Cricut Design Space for you in case you want to make it your own. But if you like what I have, and aren't feeling like recreating the wheel here is the NYC graphic. Just right click the image and save it, the upload it into Cricut Design Space or whatever cutting machine software you are using.


I use Oracal 651 vinyl as the stencil because I have found I have the best luck with this vinyl at creating a good mask and not getting any seepage under the vinyl. 

An additional step I take is applying another coat of Kilz2 after I've applied the vinyl to the surface. This allows the Kilz to seep into any of the microscopic gaps and dry, creating a blockage for any of the inks that might try and finds it's way under the vinyl. 

When adding the alcohol ink, it's really best to just play with the inks for a while and see what you like. Everyone eventually comes up with their own technique for what they like. The key is to move the ink and alcohol around until the alcohol evaporates to get the cool alcohol ink effects. Check out my YouTube for more videos on my alcohol ink tutorials.


I apply the inks right over the vinyl and the Kilz, let everything dry then slowly peel up the vinyl to reveal the design. If any of the ink did seep through, you can first try to wipe it up carefully with isopropyl alcohol and a qtip or cotton swab. Be very careful not to touch the the design with the swab or a finger covered in alcohol. The inks are touch proof at this point, but they are not alcohol or scratch proof yet!


To seal the picture I always use Krylon Kamar Varnish, 3 quick coats, with 15 minute dry time in between. Alcohol inks are very prone to fade in the sunlight so I also add Krylon UV resistant spray, 3 coats as well. It's important that you use the Kamar Varnish BEFORE the UV the spray. The UV spray will reactivate the inks if they are not sealed first (I may have learned this the hard way!) 

I found this frame in my supplies that fit the board perfectly. The wood panel won't fit in all frames, so make sure you check the actual measurements of the frame before you buy it. I remove the glass insert the wood. And there you have it! 

Please comment if you have any questions. I'm always happy to help. Feel free to follow me here or on YouTube as well!