Sadly I haven't found a new method for Rarity's mane or tail yet; I've been a bit tied up with other crochet projects and family business. I'm not sure when I'll find the time, either :(
I will say that the Owly method is really pretty simple, just tedious. I have got a method I'm planning to try sometime if you want to give that a shot, though it relies rather heavily on hot glue. I'll map out the details here:
First crochet the 'cloth' base for Rarity's mane and tail. Then use the fringe method to make a second all string mane and tail to go over those; make sure the individual pieces of yarn are as long as the cloth piece you're gluing them to, and that the fringe you make is as wide as the cloth piece.
Very carefully, glue the fringe down to the cloth one side at a time. You can space out the lines of hot glue probably at least an inch/3cm apart. Wax paper will probably be helpful in pressing the yarn down for a good hold without singeing your hands.
In the places you want her mane and tail to curl, try to leave the outside yarn a little loose (maybe an extra quarter inch or half a centimeter of yarn to every inch or three cm between lines - no need to be exact, though) and the reverse for the inside. This will help the yarn lay flat and not get chunky when you do your finishing touches.
When all the yarn is glued down on both sides of the fabric, you can add the curls manually. You can either glue the ends in place and do spot gluing of individual places to help the curls stay in place, or sew them in place.
Again, I've not tested that method, but I think it will work. Be careful if you go for that method! And if you do try it out, if you would be kind enough to share the results with me, I would be very grateful :) I'd love to know if I can recommend it to other folks who want to make Rarity as well.
As for her cutie mark and eyes, first I sketched them out on paper (one of each for uniformity); then I cut them out to make sure they were about the right size. It took me a couple of tries to get a size that looked right. When I got sizes that worked, I used them as a pattern and cut out white felt in the same shape and size. I then hand-painted the felt with acrylic paint and glued them in place. You can find fabric paint at just about any craft store, though the acrylic paint that comes in the rows of six little tubs with lids also works pretty well.
If you don't want to go to that trouble or don't feel to good about your drawing or painting skills, you can look up pictures of her eyes and cutie mark online and then print them out until you get the right size. Once you've gotten them the right size, print them out again on image-to-cloth transfer paper and iron them onto some thick white cotton fabric. Then cut them out and glue them in place.
I hope that helps and wasn't way too tl;dr ^^a Good luck with Rarity! She's my favorite, too :)
Re: Rarity
I will say that the Owly method is really pretty simple, just tedious. I have got a method I'm planning to try sometime if you want to give that a shot, though it relies rather heavily on hot glue. I'll map out the details here:
First crochet the 'cloth' base for Rarity's mane and tail. Then use the fringe method to make a second all string mane and tail to go over those; make sure the individual pieces of yarn are as long as the cloth piece you're gluing them to, and that the fringe you make is as wide as the cloth piece.
Very carefully, glue the fringe down to the cloth one side at a time. You can space out the lines of hot glue probably at least an inch/3cm apart. Wax paper will probably be helpful in pressing the yarn down for a good hold without singeing your hands.
In the places you want her mane and tail to curl, try to leave the outside yarn a little loose (maybe an extra quarter inch or half a centimeter of yarn to every inch or three cm between lines - no need to be exact, though) and the reverse for the inside. This will help the yarn lay flat and not get chunky when you do your finishing touches.
When all the yarn is glued down on both sides of the fabric, you can add the curls manually. You can either glue the ends in place and do spot gluing of individual places to help the curls stay in place, or sew them in place.
Again, I've not tested that method, but I think it will work. Be careful if you go for that method! And if you do try it out, if you would be kind enough to share the results with me, I would be very grateful :) I'd love to know if I can recommend it to other folks who want to make Rarity as well.
As for her cutie mark and eyes, first I sketched them out on paper (one of each for uniformity); then I cut them out to make sure they were about the right size. It took me a couple of tries to get a size that looked right. When I got sizes that worked, I used them as a pattern and cut out white felt in the same shape and size. I then hand-painted the felt with acrylic paint and glued them in place. You can find fabric paint at just about any craft store, though the acrylic paint that comes in the rows of six little tubs with lids also works pretty well.
If you don't want to go to that trouble or don't feel to good about your drawing or painting skills, you can look up pictures of her eyes and cutie mark online and then print them out until you get the right size. Once you've gotten them the right size, print them out again on image-to-cloth transfer paper and iron them onto some thick white cotton fabric. Then cut them out and glue them in place.
I hope that helps and wasn't way too tl;dr ^^a Good luck with Rarity! She's my favorite, too :)