Almost every year, since I was about 7 or 8 years old, I have made these little Walnut Shell Mice for the Christmas Tree. At first we made them with my mother then, later, when she was no longer with us, I made them for myself. They started out pretty rudimentary, just scraps of triangular felt in all sorts of colours glued on top of pretty pieces of cotton fabric saved from making our school Summer dresses. My mother made dresses for my sister and I, and knitted school jumpers for us and my brother each winter. She was a brilliant knitter.
We figured out how to crack walnuts with increasing success to keep a perfect unbroken half. Indiscriminate nut-cracking or whacking with the rolling pin was frowned upon! Every nut became a potential success or failure for the mouse-making enterprise. We added little bits of string so we could hang them up, and tiny threads of shiny tinsel that fell out of the boxes of precious glass ornaments as they were brought down from the loft each year.
Over the years I’ve refined them. They now have proper stuffed heads made from quarter circles of wool felt, with tiny blanket stitches along their seam, actual stitched-on felt ears and embroidered sleepy eyes. On forays into haberdashery shops I discovered seed beads and bought a needle fine enough to pass through the tiny beads, which allowed the mice to have proper little shiny noses; sometimes black, sometimes red. I gave them a little red felt stocking with a tinsel trim. Tweezers may be involved!
I grew up watching the glorious Smallfilms BBC children’s TV programmes made by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, and I absolutely loved the singing, mending mice on the mouse organ from the series Bagpuss. Making and mending were a huge part of my childhood, and the tiny mouse-organ mice loomed large in my imagination. I made a life-sized Charlie Mouse once, with tiny little checked trousers and coat. He travelled in my pocket keeping me company at school. In case you were not a British child of the 1970s and have no have no idea what I’m talking about, here is a little video clip of the Mending Song. Tiny mice are the best!
Their little mouse quilts originate in an adventure back in 1996 when I went to visit my grandmother in the USA. She was living in Rhode Island at the time, and one day we went up to Cape Cod for a day out. My Aunt was a fan of some little cakes called Tassies, and there was a bakery there she loved, and wanted us to try them. I made a beeline for the thrift shops and struck gold! I found a box of cotton scraps, all cut up ready to make a quilt top. Hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous little squares. So many beautiful patterns, so finely printed. I can’t be sure of their age, but they were most likely 1930-50s.
I made a quilt when I got home, combining my thrift store vintage fabric with my own hoarded fabric collection. The left-over scraps of vintage fabric now find their way into walnut mouse quilts. A couple of years ago I made some mice to sell in my Little Toy Dog online shop, and everyone loved them. They are so tiny, so ridiculously cute, so easy to collect and add a new one to the family every year. I am currently waiting for the new crop of walnuts to arrive in the shops to start this year’s making.
Walnut Mouse Workshop invitation…
Would you like to make your own Walnut Mouse with me? I’m thinking of running an online session, probably for an hour on Zoom, and we would all make a mouse together.
It would take place in about 4 weeks time. I’ve ordered a light/iphone clamp thingy, I know how to Zoom and, most importantly, I think it would be fun! I would send you a list of materials to gather together ahead of the workshop: a list of simple tools, a small easy pattern for the head, ears and tail, and you’d need half a walnut shell too. It would be paid, but you can always subscribe and then unsubscribe afterwards - I promise I won’t mind!
What do you think? If you’re keen let’s buy some walnuts and get cracking!
I have a love / hate relationship with Bagpuss. He seemed rather scary. But your mice are delightful, and such a cute way of making them.
Oh my goodness..I watched the clip of the Mending Song at its adorable 🥰 The walnut mice are so very cute. I have a small Christmas tree just for my kitchen that is just for tiny mice and sweets ornaments. I would love to join in if you do go ahead with the zoom project. I can paint and draw but my sewing skills are pretty beginner at most. But, I would love to try!