Archive for the ‘craft’ Category
This guest post was written by Cathy of Catshy Crafts.
I’ve always loved felt. It’s easy to work with, relatively inexpensive and comes in a rainbow of colors. One of my favorite things to make out of felt are dimensional flowers. You can glue them to a hair clip or headband for a quick and easy hair accessory, use as a gift topper or just give them as is. I know my daughters can get pretty excited over a few hand-made blossoms. Today, I’ll show you how to make the three kinds of flowers (with 2 additional variations for a total of 5) that adorn my yarn-wrapped wreaths. Once you know the basics, you’ll be creating your own bouquets in no time.
Materials:
1. 9 x 12 sheets of felt in colors you love 2. Scissors 3. Embroidery thread and needle 4. Pinking shears (optional) 5. Faux pearl or vintage button (optional) 6. Pins (optional)
Here’s how to make it:
1. Fringed flowers
Step 1: Fold over over a sheet of felt lengthwise about 2.75 inches. With scissors, trim off excess so that you have a strip about 5.5 inches wide. (This will give you a flower about 3.5 inches in diameter. For smaller flowers, make narrower strips.) Note: Usually when I am making felt flowers, I do not whip out the ruler, but I wanted to give you measurements for this tutorial. Once you get the hang of it, you probably won’t need a ruler either.
Step 2: With the strip still folded in half lengthwise, cut your felt on the non-folded side in even intervals about 1/2 away to 3/4 down. (You may want to pin the folded strip before cutting, but I just use my hand to keep the felt folded, sliding it down as I cut.) Be careful not to cut all the way through your felt. The farther you cut will determine how “open” your flower will be. For example, if you cut 3/4 down, you’ll get a more open, floppier flower. If you cut 1/2 way down, your flower will stay tighter in the bud, so to speak. Another tip: You can also change up how wide or narrow you cut your felt strips for a different look.
Step 3: Starting at one end, snugly roll your fringed strip until you get to the other end. From there you can peel back the layers of fringe to poof up your flower. Feel free to give your flower a haircut, trimming fringe that are uneven or too long for your taste.
Step 4: Now it’s time to sew. Thread your embroidery needle with embroidery thread. Starting at the point where you finished rolling your strip in Step 3, push your needle through all the layers of felt. Turn your flower 90 degrees and repeat, again pushing your needle through all the layers. (In other words, the second stitch should be perpendicular to your first stitch.) This should be enough to secure the flower. If not, make a few more stitches. When you’re ready, tie a knot, snip the excess thread.
Step 5 (optional): Add faux pearl or vintage button to the center for a little glam.
2. Loopy flowers
To get the loopy flowers, the same steps apply as above. The only difference is that you will cut on the folded side in Step 2. (see photo for side-by-side comparison).
3. Rosette
These little guys are one of my favorites to make because they are so easy!
Step 1: Cut out a free-form circle of felt about 4 inches in diameter. No need to be a perfect circle, but if you need a little help you can always use a template (i.e. trace around a jar lid onto paper and cut out). As before, the measurements do not matter all that much, there are just here to give you a starting point.
Step 2: Starting at any point on the circle, begin cutting a spiral. I find that it is easier to rotate your felt as you cut (instead of moving your scissors around the felt). Cut all the way around until you reach the middle of the circle and are left with a little center tab.
Step 3: Pick up the end of the spiral on the outside of the circle and roll snugly until you reach the end of the spiral on the inside of the circle. The tab I mentioned in step two will rest nicely on the bottom, serving as a little base for your rosette. Your rosette will end up being about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (compared to the 4 inch circle you started out with).
Step 4: Time to sew! Turn over your flower. Find that little tab again. That’s where you will begin sewing, pushing your needle through the tab and picking up a few layers of felt. Repeat, again using the tab as your starting point. Keep sewing, until all your layers are secure. It usually takes 3 or 4 stitches depending on how big your flower is. If it’s a really big flower, I like to make sure it’s secure by gently pulling on the layers. If any give way, I just tuck them back in and add another stitch or two.
Now that you know the basics, here are a couple variations.
4. Wavy rosette
For this version, you get a fuller flower, with curved, wavy leaves.
Step 1: To start, cut a wavy circular shape instead of circle.
Step 2: Starting at any point, begin cutting a spiral, following the outline of the wavy circle. Again, I find that it is easier to rotate your felt as you cut (instead of moving your scissors around the felt). Cut all the way around until you reach the middle of the circle and are left with that little center tab.
Steps 3 and 4 are the same as the standard rosette.
5. Pinked edge rosette
For this rosette, simply use pinking shears instead of a standard pair of scissors to cut your circle and spiral. When you’re done with that, try a wavy circle with your pinking shears. Or a loopy flower. You get the picture.
So I hope this will get you started on making your own pretty felt flowers!
So which one is your favorite? Fringe, loopy, or rosette?
Share your opinion in the comments below.
Cathy, designer and owner of Catshy Crafts, is a crafter at heart, memory keeper for life, and lover of handmade and DIY. Through her hand-crafted goods, photography and paper and digital scrapbooking, she loves to celebrate the everyday and the special days of her life. She lives in a 1959 red rambler in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her indie game developer husband, two darling daughters, and calico cat. You can visit Cathy at her blog Catshy.
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This contributor post was written by Patty of P.S. it’s in the details.
I could just eat him up! He is so sweet and fun to make. Meet Mr. Gingerbread Man – he looks like the real cookie, but he’s made from recycled cardboard. The ‘sugar’ coating is actually coarse crystal glitter.
I make similar gingerbread people decorations for my Etsy store using kraft paper. We’ll be using cardboard here (some creative recycling!) for a sturdier body. I’ll be showing you how to make the boy, but you could also make a girl (add a fun bow to her head!). Or, you could go traditional red and green or even all white! The decorating possiblities are endless!
Here are the materials you’ll need…. 1. cardboard 2. brown ink 3. three assorted buttons 4. glitter glue and coarse crystal glitter 5. white pen 6. sequin trim 7. common crafting supplies: scissors, pencil, small paint brush, mini glue dots 8. the gingerbread man template (provided in post)
Here is how you make it:
1. Trace the gingerbread man template onto cardboard.
2. Cut him out.
3. Ink around his edges with the brown ink. It adds depth and makes him look like a perfectly baked cookie.
4. Use a white pen to add the ‘icing’. Draw a line around his body and add eyes and a big smile. (I used a broad tip uni-ball Signo pen.)
5. Add his buttons with mini glue dots.
6. Add mini glue dots to his wrists and ankles and add the sequin trim. (You could also use a ric-rac trim or a ribbon.)
7. Use the paint brush to add glitter glue to his feet, hands and body, up to his neck. Stay inside the white lines.
8. Sprinkle with the glitter, and then shake off the excess.
9. Let him dry. The glue will turn clear once it dries completely.
Isn’t he cute? Just remember – you can’t eat him, no matter how good he looks! But you can use him to decorate your home for Christmas. Or, make a bunch and give them as gifts, use on tags or add to a present as a great little detail. Make him into an ornament or a refrigerator magnet – be creative!
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
About Patty: Patty Schaffer is the owner of P.S. it’s in the details, an Etsy shop where you can find creative paper things that will make you ooooo and ahhh! Her shop specializes in paper accents for scrapbooking, card making, gift giving and home decor. Patty also shares DIY and craft projects, news on upcoming shop releases and other fun things on her blog, Capture the Details.
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I was so busy last week I didn’t get a chance to let you know that the new exhibition is up (went up on Thursday). This is the last exhibition of the year and exhibitors have been adding their best gifts for the season. I’ve created a bunch of gift guides to help you complete your shopping for the holidays. So if you need some ideas, you can visit the full list of holiday gift guides here.
And here are a few specific shops I recommend exploring…
(left to right. top.) Blackbird Letterpress ; D.I.M. by Mostly Clothes ; Michelemaule ; Man vs Ink (bottom) Too Cute Custom Crafts ; Ooh Pretty Shiny ; Urban Revisions ; Osage Orange Studio
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I have had the pleasure of joining forces with some lovely internet buddies over the last few weeks for a couple of projects that I want to tell you about…
1. The first is called the 15 Friends Project, put together by Steve & Michelle of Twig Creative. Read more about this project here. The concept is really cool. They invited 15 creatives + artists + trendsetters to create a unique piece of artwork in a collaborative setting. There are two canvases that were mailed out to the 15 (split into two groups) and each person was asked to build on what had been done by the previous person. The finished pieces will be auctioned off (which is pretty neat). Heres whose participating…
Dear Lizzy // That’s Happy // Oh Hello Friend // Hue & Hum // Unruly Things // Dandee Designs //Papernstitch // Creature Comforts // IHOD // Rockstar Diaries // Design for Mankind // Gussy Sews // K Barteski.
I was the third person to get the canvas I was set to work on, and here’s what I came up with…
You can follow the progress and see what happens next on Twig Creative blog.
2. And project number two is called Deck the Blogs. All month long “Deck The Blogs” will provide a way for bloggers to share their favorite holiday crafts, recipes, and DIYs for chance to be featured here on Papernstitch, Crafted Love, C.R.A.F.T., or Craftyminx. Each week a winner will be chosen and featured on Ninth & Bird, and then later will be featured on one of the sponsoring blogs! So yeah, I am one of the sponsoring blogs. This is such a fun project and I know that you are a DIY maven, so head on over to Ninth & Bird now for all the details.
P.S. The new exhibition started today. Head over and check our new exhibitors when you have a chance.
This contributor post was written by Michael Ann of Michael Ann Made.
Hello friends of papernstitch!
My favorite part about the holidays is giving gifts, but my second favorite part is wrapping them! I thought it would be fun to share with you today an easy and quick DIY for a felt gift card envelope. Gift cards can be a great simple gift, but making a unique little envelope to put them in can make them extra special.
Here are the materials you’ll need:
1. Felt! The brighter and more fun the colors, the better.
2. Sewing Supplies – Scissors, Embroidery Thread, Pins, Needle.
3. A Gift Card Envelope Template. Instead of going through the mathematics I used, I created a downloadable template just for you! Just click through the image below to save and print out your template, made to fit standard sized gift cards.
4. Your Gift Card.
Here’s how you make it:
1. Cut out your envelope using the template. Also cut out any details you would like to add, like a stamp or an address tag. Make it unique!
2. Stitch details onto the front of the envelope. It is much easier to stitch when the envelope isn’t sewn together yet. Use bright thread and have fun creating special details!
3. Stitch together the back of the envelope. Using your fingers, fold along the edges, pressing hard to create a good crease. Then pin together the bottom and side flaps, and stitch them together. I used a straight stitch, but a different decorative stitch could be fun too!
4. Insert your gift card and give it away!
Now look at how simple that was! This project can easily be made in fifteen minutes, just one more quick trick in your gift giving arsenal. Good luck with your crafting, and Happy Holidays friends!
Michael Ann is a sewer, knitter, crafter, thrifter, living a crafty life with her husband in Portland, Oregon. You can find her at her blog Michael Ann Made where she shares projects, tutorials, and bits of inspiration to help you live a crafty life too. You can also follow her adventures on twitter.
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This contributor post was written by Beth of Parsimonia.
I’ve been a collector of vintage spools for a couple years now, and while they look pretty all in a row in my workspace, sometimes I want to push their usefulness past just being eye candy. Then this past week I spotted a new DIY (pictured above) posted by Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess. This got me on a search for ways other creatives have turned these seemingly simple blocks of wood into something stunning (other than the standard side or coffee table made from the industrial-size spools), and I love the results that turned up! Hope my spools haven’t gotten too comfortable on that shelf…I’m going to be putting them to work this weekend! 
(above) DIY Thread Spool Wine Corks by A Beautiful Mess
Mini-spool Necklace by Wild Olive
Wooden Cable Spool Clock by Tiffany Ruda
Wooden Spool Jewelry Hooks by A Time for Everything
Mini-spool Magnets by The Twinery
Beth is the writer behind Parsimonia: Secondhand With Style, where she blogs about her first love (thrifting) and her second love (cooking), as well as DIY projects, sustainable style and other bits of inspiration. She lives in St. Louis with one husband, one fuzzy dog and lots of dreams, and recently launched an online vintage store.
With the temps really starting to dip these days, my want to knit (or practice, as I’m not very good!) is starting to creep up. Perusing lovely yarn collections and patterns may also be fueling my desire to craft a cowl or two. Like the collection from Phydeaux Designs, an old favorite around here. What I wouldn’t give to bundle up with a lace shawl on a sunny afternoon at the park or running errands.
View the stock at Phydeaux Designs on Etsy now.
