Appliqued Autumn Leaf Sachet

I am a great believer in the power of aromatherapy. I haven't studied the topic scientifically, and I'm not an expert on the use of essential oils. I just know that certain scents have an amazing effect on my mood. Citrus energizes me, lavender calms me, and cinnamon gives me a feeling of warmth. If you follow my blog, you know that pine is another of my favorite scents--and not just for Christmas. I use the cozy, homey aroma of pine balsam year-round. As you may have guessed, this appliqued autumn leaf sachet filled with pine balsam. It's easy to sew from wool-blend felt and embroidery floss.

To start, cut two 4-inch squares from orange and sage green wool-blend felt. Cut a simple leaf shape from gold felt and whip-stitch it to the orange piece with two strands of sage green embroidery floss. Use stem stitch to create a stem at the base of the leaf. With orange and gold embroidery floss, backstitch veins on the leaf.

When the applique and embroidery are complete, pin the orange and sage green squares of felt together, wrong sides facing. Sew the pieces together using gold embroidery floss and blanket stitch. Leave an opening so you can fill the sachet.

Fill the sachet with dry pine balsam, which you can find at craft stores or online vendors. (Be careful not to "over stuff" the sachet, or it will be hard to stitch it closed.) Stitch the opening closed with blanket stitch, and your appliqued autumn leaf sachet is finished! Tuck it in a basket or on a shelf to give a room a woodsy scent and a touch of autumn color.

Squirrel and Crow Napkin Ties

Even though autumn doesn't officially for a few more weeks, today--Labor Day--marks the unofficial end of summer. The weather will stay warm for a while, but the cool mornings of fall have arrived--and that's good news for me. Fall is my favorite season, so I'm looking forward to stitching up lots of squirrels, acorns, pumpkins, and colorful leaves.

The first projects on my autumn agenda are these cute napkin ties. The little squirrel and crow are super simple to stitch from wool-blend felt. 

To make the squirrel napkin tie, draw a simple squirrel shape (mine is about 2 1/2" tall) on white paper. Use the pattern to cut two squirrels from gray felt. On one of the squirrels, use two strands of light and dark gray embroidery floss to make straight stitch details on the tail and ears. Sew a black seed bead on the face for the eye. Pin the embroidered squirrel to the plain one, and sew the pieces together. I used light gray floss and whipstitch on the tail portion and darker gray floss and running stitch for the rest of the squirrel.

To make the crow, draw a bird shape (also about 2 1/2" tall) on white paper, and use the pattern to cut two crows from black felt. Cut a small triangle from orange felt for the beak and sew it in place on one of the crow bodies with two strands of orange embroidery floss. With black floss, add straight stitch details on the body to define the wings. Sew a white seed bead in place for the eye. Use black floss and running stitch to sew the two crow body pieces together.

When your felt squirrel and crow are finished, sew them to lengths of ribbon, stitching only through the back layer of felt. I used black and cream gingham ribbon that's been hanging out in my supply stash.

That's it! Aren't they cute? Make a bunch of squirrel and crow napkin ties and you're ready for your first fall gathering. 

Felt Watermelon Basket

I love eating watermelon--the juicier and messier, the better. But I also love the look of watermelons. They're so fresh, bright, and summery. I think this felt watermelon basket looks as cheery as the real thing. You can use your basket to hold the felt watermelon coasters shown in the photo (I featured them last July on my blog; click here for the link). Or you can fill your basket with cocktail napkins, wrapped candies, or other summer party necessities.

For each watermelon basket you'll need: 1 sheet each of red and green felt, scraps of green rickrack, black seed beads, and green, red, white, and black embroidery floss. (I like to use a double strand of floss instead of sewing thread because it has a nice sheen.)

To make the outside of the basket, cut a 4 1/2" circle from red felt, a 6" circle from green felt, and an 8 1/2" by 1 1/2" strip from green felt. Cut the red and green circles in half. Use black embroidery floss to sew large black seed beads randomly on the red half-circles. Pin a red half-circle to each green half-circle, aligning the straight edges. Use white embroidery floss to whipstitch the red pieces to the green pieces. Stitch only along the curved edges of the red half-circles.

Cut eight 1 1/2" pieces of green rickrack and pin them--horizontally and evenly spaced--to the green felt strip. Use green embroidery floss to sew the rickrack in place. Now pin the felt strip to one of the finished watermelon pieces along the curved edge with wrong sides facing. Sew the pieces together 1/4" from the edge with green floss. Attach the other watermelon piece to the strip in the same way. That's it! Just turn the basket right side out.

For the basket lining, cut a 6" circle from red felt and an 8 1/2" by 1 1/4" strip from green felt. Pin the felt strip to the curved edge of one red half-circle and sew the pieces together 1/4" from the edge. Attach the other half circle to the strip the same way. When you're finished, don't turn the lining right side out.

To assemble your watermelon, slip the lining inside the outer basket. (If you left the lining wrong side out, the seams shouldn't be showing.) Pin the basket and the lining together along the top edges, and then sew them together with matching embroidery floss. I used whipstitch, but you can also use blanket stitch or running stitch.

If you want to make a large basket--maybe one that can hold paper plates--just adjust the size of the patterns. Happy Summer!

Ladybug Hair Clip

Who doesn't love ladybugs? They're little and cute, and they're good for your garden. This ladybug hair clip is cute too--and it's super simple to make from felt, embroidery floss, a button, and beads.

First, measure the length of the plain hair clip you're using for the project and draw a leaf on paper that's slightly shorter than the length of the clip. Use two strands of green embroidery floss to stitch veins on one of the leaves.

To make the ladybug, use two black seed beads to attach a red button onto the embroidered leaf: Knot the floss and insert the needle into the back of the leaf, through one of the buttonholes, through one seed bead, and then back down through the same buttonhole. Make another stitch the same way, pulling the floss tightly so the seed bead sits snugly in the hole. Attach the second seed bead to the other buttonhole in the same way, and then knot the floss securely on the wrong side of the leaf. Use black floss to embroider the ladybug's head and legs on the leaf.

Almost finished! Now sew the embroidered leaf to the plain leaf using green embroidery floss and running stitch. Open the hair clip and sew the leaf to the top prong of the clip, stitching through only the bottom layer of the leaf.

That's it--your ladybug hair clip is ready for summer! Clip it in your own hair, or give it to a little ladybug fan--just keep in mind that buttons and beads can pose choking risks to small children.

Felt Daisy Pillow

This pretty pillow combines some of my crafting obsessions: wool-blend felt, embroidery floss, and a gray-and-gold color palette. The design may look a little complicated, but it's really easy if you take it one step at a time. You'll need felt (I used wool-blend felt sheets from Sweet Emma Jean, one of my favorite Etsy shops), white and gold embroidery floss, polyester fiberfill, and fabric for the pillow back. 

The first step is cutting out the felt pieces. Click here to download and print the daisy petal and daisy center patterns. Cut 8 daisy petals from white felt, and 1 daisy center from dark gray felt. Also cut the following pieces:

Diagram 1

From heather gray: Two 5¾" squares

From gold: Two 5¾" squares

From dark gray: two 1 ¼" by 11" strips and two 1¼" by 12 ½" strips

Diagram 2

Now it's time to assemble the pillow pieces. Following diagram 1, sew the pillow background pieces together using matching sewing thread or floss and ¼" seam allowance. Sew each of the gold squares to a heather gray square, then sew the gold-heather gray strips together to create a checkerboard pattern. Sew the gray strips to the edges of the checkerboard square as shown to create the pillow border.

When the background of the pillow front is finished, it's time to work on the daisy. Following diagram 2, sew the daisy center and petals to the pillow front. Use two strands of gold embroidery floss to backstitch the concentric circle details on the daisy center and a wavy pattern on the border (see photos). With white embroidery floss, embroider the backstitch details on the daisy petals.

Now cut a 12½" square of fabric for the pillow back. I used a gray cotton print, but you could use also use felt or another coordinating fabric. Pin the pillow front and back together, right sides facing. Sew the pieces together with ¼" seam allowance, leaving an opening for turning. Trim the corners, turn the pillow right side out, and stuff it with fiberfill. Stitch the opening closed, and your pillow is finished! Just find a cozy corner in your home to show it off. 

Close-ups of the embroidery details and the fabric I used for the back of the pillow.

Cinco de Mayo Banner

Cinco de Mayo is next Tuesday, so it's almost time to break out the salsa and margaritas. We've been celebrating the holiday at our house for a few years now with tacos and nachos, but I have to admit, my Mexican decorations were lacking. I made this Cinco de Mayo banner to give our kitchen some fiesta flavor. I wanted the banner to resemble the beautiful cut-paper decorations--called papel picado--used at Mexican celebrations. I made mine from felt so it would be sturdier. My simple flower design isn't nearly as elaborate as real papel picado, but I think it has the same bright and festive look.

To make a banner for your Cinco de Mayo celebration, start with squares of colored felt. I used 3½" squares in rojo, blanco, verde, and amarillo--that's red, white, green, and yellow (I've been learning Spanish with an iPhone app). The flower design is easier to cut out than it looks. First, fold a felt square in quarters and use a sharp scissors to snip off the folded corner. When you open the square, you should have a diamond shape in the center. 

Fold the square in half lengthwise and cut a small petal on each fold above and below the flower center. Open the square, fold it in half in the other direction, and then cut another petal above and below the center hole. When you open the square, there should be four petals around the center. Now fold the square in half diagonally and cut two petals along the fold. Open the square and fold it in half along the other diagonal and cut out two more petals. Open the square and cut around the petals on three sides, leaving about ¼" of felt around the cutouts.

Repeat the process to make as many felt panels as you want and then sew them to a length of decorative trim. Use thread that matches the trim and stitch along the uncut edge of each felt square. My banner has eight flowers on a 1-yard piece of mini pompom trim from Purl Soho. I think the pompoms are the perfect finishing touch for this project, but you can also use rickrack or ribbon. When your banner is finished, display it on a wall or in a window. Mine has been hanging in the kitchen for a few weeks now, waiting for the fiesta to begin. 

I'm sending a special thank you this week to my daughter, Erin! Those are her hands you see in the cutting demo photos.

More Spring Crafts . . . and Happy Blog Birthday!

Today is my blog's first birthday! I can't believe I've been writing these weekly posts (and a few extras, here and there) for a year. It has been a real learning experience, and I can't wait to get started on another year of crafting and blogging.

When I first starting posting, I did very little promotion. I wanted to make sure I could come up with a project each week--and write about it--before I went "public." My strategy worked, sort of, but it also kept some of my early projects from being seen. So, to celebrate the blog's birthday, I'm re-sharing a few crafts that appeared on the blog last March and April. Just click on the link below each picture and it will take you to the original page and directions. Enjoy!

Sweet Easter Egg Ornaments

Stamped Spring Gift Tags

Garden Party Place Cards

Easter Bunny Eggs

Easter is still a few weeks away, but it's not too early to start decorating Easter eggs. The best thing about these bunny eggs is that they require no messy dye. They do require craft glue, though, so it's definitely not a kids-only project.

To make each bunny, glue on wiggle eyes, a pink felt nose (I made mine with a hole punch), small pompom cheeks, and white paper teeth. While the glue dries, make the ears. Lightweight paper actually works better than card stock, I found. For each rabbit, cut a pair of ears that match the color of the egg. The top of the ears should be pointy, but the bottom should have a straight edge that can be folded into a tab for gluing. Cut inner ear pieces from pink paper and glue them to the center of the large ears. 

When the glue is dry on the facial features, use a black fine-tip permanent marker to draw an upper lip. If you want to conceal the top of the teeth, punch two circles from paper and glue them above the lip lines. (I did this for brown rabbit.)

To attach the ears, fold the bottom of the ears back, apply a thick dab of glue to the tabs, and press them into place. I wrapped a rubber band around the eggs to hold the tabs in place while the glue dried.

I would use these eggs for decorations only, not for eating. But if your kids are anything like my daughters were when they were little, that shouldn't be a problem. They didn't like hard-boiled eggs, and they wouldn't eat anything that was "too cute."

Green Eggs and Ham Hoop

Do you like green eggs and ham? I do! So I made this green eggs and ham hoop to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Green eggs and ham patterns.

To make your own serving of green eggs and ham, print out the patterns, adjusting the size so the circle matches the size of your hoop (mine is 3" in diameter). Cut the egg whites from white felt (obviously), the large ham piece from dark green felt, and the small ham piece from bright green felt.

Place a piece of orange cotton fabric in your embroidery hoop and use matching embroidery floss and running stitch to sew the ham and egg pieces in place. Sew on small green buttons for the egg yolks and embroider the round ham bone with white floss.

When I made green eggs and ham, I wanted them to have black outlines like the illustrations in Dr. Seuss's books. To get that effect, I used two strands of black floss and embroidered in split stitch around all the pieces. I also added some detail lines on the egg whites, ham, and the orange background.

I didn't do anything fancy to finish the hoop. I just trimmed the extra fabric even with the hoop. Now I can hang it here, there or anywhere!

Chinese New Year Chopstick Sleeve

When the Chinese New Year begins on February 19th, we'll be in the Year of the Sheep. So if you were born in 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, or 2003, this is your year! I was born in the Year of the Tiger, which won't come around again until 2022, but I'm going to celebrate the New Year anyway. Maybe with some homemade fried rice, maybe with some Chinese takeout, but there will definitely be chopsticks involved.

I made this pretty chopstick sleeve in honor of the occasion. It's an easy sewing project that uses felt, gold rickrack and a flower charm from an old piece of jewelry.

To make a chopstick sleeve, cut two 1½-inch-wide strips of red felt--one 9 inches long, the other 11 inches long. Stitch a piece of gold rickrack down the center of the short strip, and then sew a small piece of rickrack to one short edge of each strip. Sew a charm, bead, or even a fancy button over the rickrack on the short felt strip. Pin the two felt strips together so the rickrack is facing up on both pieces and the bottom edges are aligned. Then use red embroidery floss and running stitch to sew the side and bottom edges of the sleeve together. 

That's it. Simple, right? Now you can enjoy your dim sum in style.

A Snowflake Story

I finished reading the novel The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey a few weeks ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. It's about Jack and Mabel, homesteaders in 1920s Alaska who can't have a child of their own. Without giving away too much, I can tell you that a young girl does come into their lives after they build a snow child during a storm.

I loved the story and the author's descriptions of the wilderness setting, but the element that sticks in my memory the most is the coat Mabel sews for the girl. It's described as being made from blue wool with white fur trim and snowflakes embroidered with white silk.

I finally got around to trying my hand at stitching snowflakes this week. I guess all the talk of snowstorms inspired me. I didn't have any white silk, so I used embroidery floss and blue felt. The effect isn't as enchanting as Mabel's coat, but I think I satisfied my urge to sew snowflakes--for now, anyway.

Groundhog Finger Puppet

In just a week, famous Pennsylvania groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will come out of his hole and forecast the weather. According to tradition, if the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day--February 2nd--we'll have six more weeks of winter. If not, we'll have an early spring. I made this groundhog finger puppet in honor of Phil's big day. This little guy is guaranteed to predict an early spring because he can't see his shadow--it's hiding on his back.

Groundhog Pattern

To make your own groundhog finger puppet, print the pattern and size it to about 3" tall. Use the pattern to cut one groundhog from brown felt (the front) and one from black felt (the shadow).

Since fabric markers don't work well on felt--especially dark felt--you can make a tissue paper pattern as a guide for the embroidered details. Place a piece of white tissue paper over the groundhog pattern and trace the body outline, facial features, and arms (or are they legs?) with a fine-tip black marker.

Next, pin the tissue pattern onto the brown felt groundhog and then make your embroidery stitches through both the tissue paper and the felt. I used satin stitch for the eyes, nose, and teeth, and light brown back stitch for the arms and to outline the mouth and eyes. When you finish stitching, peel the tissue paper away gently to reveal the embroidered details. If necessary, you can fill in any areas you missed.

To assemble the groundhog finger puppet, pin the front and back pieces together, wrong sides facing, and sew the edges together using dark brown floss and running stitch. Be sure to leave an opening at the bottom so you can slide him onto your finger. Now you're all ready for Groundhog Day. Let's see what the real Phil has to say about the weather.

Embroider details on the front of the puppet.

Hide the shadow in back.

British Tea Tote

 

After leaving us hanging for many months, Downton Abbey returned last night! I've been watching since the first episode, and I'm absolutely hooked. I think this week's project demonstrates my dedication to the Crawleys and their Englishness--it's a felt tea bag tote decorated with a cross-stitched British flag. I doubt the Dowager Countess would approve of tea bags, but that's what I use to make my tea at Downton time.

British Tea Tote Chart     ©2015 Kathleen Berlew

The first part of the project is the cross-stitching. Follow the chart at right or click here to download and print a copy of the chart. Stitch the flag design on 14-count white Aida. I used two strands of DMC embroidery floss-- #792 (dark cornflower blue) and #321 (Christmas red)--but you can use other shades of blue and red. When the embroidery is finished, trim the fabric, leaving three rows of Aida around the design.

To make the felt tote, print out the pattern and size it as necessary so it measures 3 1/2" by 7". Use the pattern to cut one tote piece from a sheet of blue felt. Position the cross-stitched flag on the felt below the flap (see the pattern) and pin it in place. Use the Aida grid as a guide and stitch one row beyond the embroidery. Be sure to sew through the Aida threads and not just the holes so the fabric doesn't unravel when you make the fringe. When the flag is securely in place, gently pull away the outer row of Aida threads on all four sides to create a fringed border around the design.

Now it's time to assemble the tea tote. Fold the bottom third of the felt piece up over the back of the tote so the top edge sits just below where the flap begins. (This sounds way more confusing than it is. If you look at the picture of the finished tote, you'll see what I mean.) Sew the sides of the tote closed with blue embroidery floss. If you like, stitch along the flap edges, too, to create a decorative edge. I used blanket stitch, but running stitch will also work. To finish my tea tote, I added a snap and used a strip of red felt to conceal my stitching. You could also use a button or pieces of ribbon for fasteners. 

As the Crawleys would say, "Splendid!" Now you're ready to tote your tea wherever you'll be watching the next episode of Downton Abbey.  

Tiny Tree Pins

I made a forest of these tiny felt tree pins last Christmas. They're simple, fast, and cute--my favorite kind of craft. And, at just about two inches tall, they're a great project for using up scraps of felt.

To make each tree, cut two triangles from the felt color of your choice. I made the pins shown here in a mod palette of bright pink and neon green, but I've also made them in traditional green and red. Decorate one triangle with buttons, beads, sequins, and simple embroidery. Be sure to leave a narrow border around the embellishments so you'll have enough room to stitch the tree pieces together.

Cut a triangle slightly smaller than the felt triangles from polyester batting. For the trunk, cut a small scrap in a color that contrasts with the tree. Stitch a pin backing onto the back piece of the tree before sewing the pieces together. Sandwich the batting triangle between the felt triangles and tuck the trunk between the felt pieces at the base of the tree. Use matching or coordinating embroidery floss and a running stitch to sew the front and back of the tree together, stitching through the trunk piece so it stays in place.

Be warned: these little trees are addictive. If you're like me, you'll want to try all kinds of color and embellishment combinations. 

Felt Squares Purse

Sometimes I just want a small purse to carry my cell phone and keys instead of hauling around a big handbag. I made this little clutch (it's about 4½" square) from scraps of olive green, gold, orange, and sky blue felt. To make a similar bag, follow the directions below, substituting felt shades to create your own color scheme.

Start with a 4½"-by-12" piece of green felt. Cut small squares and rectangles from orange, gold, blue, and green felt and arrange them in a layered pattern along one short edge of the green felt strip. (This will be the flap of the purse.) When you like the way the arrangement looks, sew the pieces in place with gold or green thread and blanket stitch.

Place the green strip facedown and place a 4½" square of gold felt on the wrong side of the decorated edge of the green. Extend the gold piece about ¼" beyond the short edge of the green piece. (From the front, the gold will peek below the edge of the green flap.) Using matching green thread and blanket stitch, sew the gold piece to the green piece. Next, fold the plain edge of the green felt up about 4½" from the plain edge and sew the sides together with blanket stitch.

To make a fastening for the bag, sew a loop of cord or thread (I crocheted a small piece of orange embroidery floss) to the wrong side of the flap. Sew a small coordinating button to the front of the bag so it matches up with the button loop.

If you feel your blanket stitch isn't up to par (mine's still not as even as I'd like), running stitch or backstitch will work fine and look just as pretty.