I've been wanting to do this project for a while, so when Jessica of The Sewing Rabbit asked me to join her in Kid's Inspiration and Design Series, I knew exactly what to make... a placemat and lunch based on my daughters' drawings.
Sew
I *heart* felt
Today I am playing with felt. Beautiful 100% wool felt in gorgous vibrant colors. I'm making a dozen little hearts for a customer and some for the girls.
Now these hearts are sewed with pretty embroidery silk and lightly stuffed.
On Valentine's morning, I like to hide little hearts in unexpected places and left the girls find little lovin's as they get ready for school.
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Wild Flower Fairy Crown
A little sneak peak at my new crown design...
I needle-felted the flower in a beautiful bright pink roving that made Nola twirl around the house.
And the strap is made of the most luxurious mossy green velvet ribbon that I could find.
I am auctioning it off and all the proceeds will benefit the families in Newtown, CT. More details next week...
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A Sewing Kit for a Little Sewer
Every little sewer needs a pretty sewing kit.
To make your little sewer a kit, use an old biscuit/cookie tin and personalize it with a hand-drawn label.
Include a variety of supplies: embroidery hoops, needles, silks, and buttons.
The prettier the buttons, the better... include some personal buttons from your collection, and a few fancy new ones.
Pretty soon, your little sewer will love sewing as much as you do.
My girls and I really enjoy sewing together, perhaps our sewing projects for pre-schoolers will inspire you.
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How to Make Felt Fortune Cookies
How to make fortune cookies with no wire, no glue and only 3 romantic stitches...
1. Cut a 3" diameter round piece of felt
2. Fold the felt in half and pin. In like-colored thread (I used pink only so you can easily see my stitches), make 3 downward stitches from the middle of the fold. Finish off and cut thread.
3. Peel each side of the 'cookie' up and fold over the stitches. Manipulate the felt until you have the desired look.
4. Insert a special note to your love.
Perfect for Valentine's, weddings, New Years, birthdays and pretend Chinese meals.
Also available in my Etsy shop.
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Sewing Projects for Preschoolers: #6 Slippers
The other day the girls and I decided to make slippers. Not so much slippers for keeping warm. No, these are slippers for slipping and sliding down the hallway. Our hallway is about the size of a bowling alley, so we have lots of slipping and sliding kind of days.
First the girls drew around their feet.
Next the girls pinned their patterns onto the fleece and I cut the pieces out. I still haven't let the girls use my big, sharp material scissors - do you? I am still wondering when I should help them use grown-up scissors - I don't quite feel comfortable yet.
Sew the slippers together.
Add lots of ribbon for maximum sliding.
Here is the bottom of the finished slippers. Ready for fun...
Perfect for slipping, sliding, and twirling.
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Book Review: Microcrafts
When the good folks at Quirk Books asked me to review Microcrafts, I was taken by the stunning photography and promise of cute little things in 25 minutes.
It was an exciting day at our house when this beautiful hardcover book arrived. The girls and I opened it immediately and Oohed and Arred at all the clever ideas. Out of all the projects in the book, the girls HAD to have Monster Babies right away and the tiny diaper sealed the deal.
The girls were most insistent on two eyes, big smiles and legs. While each baby monster took a little longer than 25 minutes to make, the project was simple enough for me to chat and the girls never lost interest. I quickly got used to working on such a tiny scale, and found these little guys easy to make and a great use of felt scrapes.
The girls named their monsters Pink and Purple (obsessed? I think so.)
I was not surprised that this simple and sweet project was designed by Holly Keller of Chez Beeper Bebe - a blog I like to visit.
Next on my to-do list are these pretty spool dolls, and like many projects in the book, I think they would make fun stocking stuffers.
And this little Tom Thumb Card designed by Larissa Holland of mmmcrafts is just delightful!
There are so many lovely crafts in this book that I want to make them all - and so can you. Microcrafts was just released today.
*Please note - while I was not compensated for this review, Quirk books did provide me with a free review copy of the book.
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iPod Case Tutorial - Nerdy Fun
Whip-Up is one of my favourite blogs - the Guest Blogger Series is full of interesting posts by some very creative people. Here is my post for the series.
As the beginning of school is upon us, I am sharing a tutorial to make an iPod cover. In fact, this cover can easily be made for any mobile device including an iPod, iPad or Kindle… The one we below is for my husband – who is an engineering professor and has just started teaching after a summer of research. The ‘e’ is not only the first letter of his name, but also a mathematical symbol widely used in engineering.
Materials:
- Felt in 2 different colors (2.5 x 9inch and 2.5 x2 inch) or big enough to snugly fit your mobile device
- Embroidery silk
- Pins
- Needle
- Scissors
Step 1: Cut the felt to size to snugly fit your mobile device – 2.5 x 9inch for an iPod.
Step 2: To make the initial – Print out the desired letter from your computer. Roughly cut out the letter, pin it to the contrasting felt and carefully cut it out. I used Times New Roman, italics, bold, 240 pt.
Step 3: Place the letter in the desired location on the felt cover – I placed the ‘e’ in the top right-hand corner. Pin the letter to the felt cover and sew (whip stitch) using 2 threads of embroidery silk.
Step 4: Fold the felt cover in half to form a pouch. Pin and sew using whip stitch.
Here are a few more examples of covers I have made – the possibilities are endless!
I made the big flower on the right for me - it is the FIRST thing I have made for myself and I love it!! I used this tutorial and sewed the flower by hand.
The middle Hello Kitty case is for a Kindle.
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First Day of School - Pocket Hearts
This jar of hearts is for 14 excited yet nervous preschoolers. Each heart will be filled with love from a parent and slipped into a pocket. And in that pocket each little heart will be a gentle reminder of calm during the first day of a new school year.
I first made hearts for the girls' first day of school last year and then again for Valentines. Anytime the girls experience separation anxiety, I fill the heart with love and pop it into a pocket. This simple act comforts my girls so much that our teacher asked me to make a heart for each student.
To make a heart for your own excited yet nervous preschooler... cut out the desired shape, stuff with fiberfill and love, and sew together. (more detailed tutorial)
Enjoyed this post? Become a facebook fan or follow my crafts on Pinterest
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Underwater Felt Board
When Cassie from The Crafty Crow asked me to participate in her A Book A Craft series, I knew right away what I was going to make. This felt board, inspired by the book Flotsam, had been brewing in my head.
Flotsam, by David Weisner, is a wordless picture book that tells a fantastical story as captured by an old underwater camera. A boy, who finds the camera washed ashore, develops the film and is amazed by what he sees…
Fish
Octopus
Puffer fish
And seahorses
This feltboard is a surprisingly simple project that can produce beautiful results.
To make the underwater creatures:
1. Draw (or trace) the images onto paper,
2. Pin and cut out the designs out of felt
3. Sew or glue the pieces together
To make the felt board:
1. Cut two pieces of felt 11”x8.5” and 10”x7.5”
2. Pin and sew 3 sides – leave the top side open to create a pocket to put the pieces in when not being used.
This summer we plan to create our own seashore adventures during a much anticipated drive up the California coast. And during the plane and car rides, my girls can use their new felt boards to invent all kinds of stories.
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