A Hobbit Journey
This is a little blurb about the craft itself
…crafting offline? Download a PDF of the instructions here…
Supplies:
Lembas Bread
Tools
- An oven pre-heated to 325°
- A hand or stand mixer
- A bowl for mixing in
- Spatula or spoon for stirring
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silpat
- A clean work surface to knead dough on
- Rolling pin
- Biscuit cutter or butter knife for shaping
- Hot pads
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, brought to room temperature (the Motley Kids have a dairy allergy in the house, so we use vegan butter from Flora or Miyoko’s Creamery as a substitute)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 cup honey (if you oil your measuring cup before you measure the honey it comes out a little easier)
- 2 cups unbleached flour
Hobbit Cloaks
- A T-shirt you don’t mind destroying
- Scissors for cutting fabric
- Hot glue (always!)
- Stiff felt
- A large button (the kind with holes)
- A chenille stem cut in thirds
- Bling!
Optional:
- Double stick foam tape (instead of hot glue sewing)
- Leaves from silk flowers
- Something to make small holes in fabric with (like an awl)
A Ring of Power
- Yellow construction paper or cardstock
- Grey or black construction paper or cardstock
- Markers or crayons
- Glue sticks or craft glue
- Scissors
- Ruler or straight edge
Steps to Make It
Lembas Bread
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature and your oven is pre-heating!
If your butter is cold and hard like Saruman’s heart then you can grate it (like cheese) into the sugar to skip the warming step. DO NOT microwave it to soften it. - Cream the butter, honey, and sugar together by putting them in your mixing bowl and using a mixer on medium to high speed to mix them together until they are light and fluffy.
- Turn the mixer down (medium to low speed) and add the flour a bit at a time (so it doesn’t explode) while still mixing. It should be thoroughly mixed but may be a bit pebbly.
- Stop the mixer. Wash your hands. Prepare a clean work surface.
- Knead your dough (put some work into it). It will slowly become a smooth lump instead of lots of little pebbles.
- Roll out your dough to 1/2 inch thick or so and cut into lembas shapes (whatever you think that is).
- Line your cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper (or butter it if you must)
- Bake lembas at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
- Let cool so you don’t burn your fingers before eating!
Hobbit Cloaks
- Cut the T-shirt straight up the middle with your scissors. It’s okay if it’s not perfect.
- Cut the sleeves off your T-shirt — cut a straight angled cut from just below the armpit to account for the curve.
- Turn your T-shirt inside out
- Use your hot glue or double stick tape to seal your sleeve holes closed.
- Use a straight line of glue or tape, and glue the right sides (outside) together
- Turn your T-shirt right side out.
- Decide which side your cloak pin will be on (we know they go in the middle but we don’t have actual pins, so it will be on one side) and cut a small hole in the neckline on the other side.
- Pick up one of your sleeves and cut the hemmed section off. This will be your fastener.
- Cut the arm loop open at the underarm seam.
- Thread one end through the hole in the neckline (top to bottom), fold it over, and glue or tape it down to secure.
- Fold the loose end back in a large loop and glue or tape to secure. This should not be attached to anything right now. It will hook over your leaf to close your cloak.
- On the other side of the T-shirt neckline, make two small holes (cut them with scissors or poke with an awl).
- Fold your chenille stem in half and poke it up through the holes (inside to outside)
- Use the chenille stem to secure your button onto the collar by threading the ends through the holes in the button and twisting, then glue the remaining bits down onto the button
- Cut a leaf from your felt (not too big) or use a silk flower leaf; glue it onto your button
- Decorate!
A Ring of Power
- This is a numerical list of steps to make the craft
- Cut a strip of yellow paper about twice as long as it is wide (make a square and cut it in half if you don’t have a ruler)
- Fold your paper in half lengthwise and unfold
- Fold the two long sides to the middle.
- Fold the paper in half shortwise.
- ON THE CREASE, fold the two corners to the middle.
- Unfold back to where you have just the two long sides folded to the middle.
- Fold in half again, tucking the angle folds in, to make an arrow with the loose edges on the inside.
- Fold the long sides in to the middle on one side only, then fold the flap up.
- Turn the model over and fold the long sides into the middle, then fold the flap up.
- Pull gently on the flaps. The middle section will open out. Squish it into a box shape.
- Turn the ring over and slide one end into the other.
- Keep it secret! Keep it safe!
To make a chain to keep your ring on:
- Cut some strips of your grey paper about 3” long and 1/2” wide.
- Fold one strip into a circle, overlapping the ends, and glue them together.
- Slide a second strip through the first one and glue that circle together.
- Keep going until your chain is long enough to fit over your head
- Put your ring on its chain and use one more strip to close the circle.
- Prepare to walk into Mordor!
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