Thank You, "Craft Ideas" Magazine

The Summer issue of Craft Ideas magazine just came out, and I'm so happy to see two of my projects featured inside. The pool bag, above, is crocheted in bright colors of easy-care acrylic yarn. You can use it at the pool or beach to hold sunscreen and other essentials, then toss it in the washing machine. The vintage TV photo frame, below, is sewn from wool-blend felt. I used buttons for the control "knobs" and a vinyl sleeve for the screen,which holds a 3" by 5" photo. Look for the issue on your newsstand for complete instructions for these and many other summery projects.

I'm sorry to say that I also have some sad news to report today. The Summer issue is the final issue of Craft Ideas. Formerly known as Crafts 'n Things, the magazine has been in publication since 1975. In those years, Craft Ideas has been a great source for all sorts of craft projects, from sewing and embroidery to painting and jewelry making. (Click here to read the official message from chief editor Molly Goad.) It was an honor to work with the magazine's editors and see some of my designs published on its pages over the past few years. Thank you, Craft Ideas! You will be missed.

"Animal Crackers in My Soup" Pillow

Does anyone else remember the song Animal Crackers in My Soup? It's very old, but still very sweet. It got stuck in my head somehow a few months ago and inspired me to make this pillow. It's sewn from blue gingham and red polka-dot fabrics and appliqued with lion, tiger, and elephant animal crackers swimming in a bowl of swirly tomato soup.

This project is a bit more complicated than most of my blog posts, so I'm going to explain it in step-by-step instructions.

You'll need:

National Nonwovens WoolFelt: Angel Wings, Strawberry Dream, Champagne

Fabrics: Blue gingham, red polka dot

DMC Embroidery floss: 309 Dark Rose, 422 Light Hazelnut Brown, 702 Kelly Green, 726 Light Topaz, 793 Medium Cornflower Blue, B5200 Snow White

Sewing threads to match fabrics

White baby rickrack

White tissue paper, sewing needle, straight pins

Polyester fiberfill 

Download and print patterns here.

Note: Use 2 strands of floss for embroidery

Cut fabrics:

From Angel Wings WoolFelt: one soup bowl (cut away shaded part indicated on pattern)

From Strawberry Dreams WoolFelt: one soup

From Champagne WoolFelt: one each lion, tiger, elephant

From blue gingham fabric: 11 1/2" square for front, 14" square for back

From red polka-dot fabric: two 14" by 1 3/4" strips; two 11 1/2" by 1 3/4" strips

Cut four 11 1/2" pieces of rickrack

1. Trace the swirly soup pattern onto tissue paper and pin it to the red soup piece. Backstitch along the swirl lines with Dark Rose embroidery floss, stitching through the tissue. When the stitching is complete, gently tear away the tissue paper, using tweezers if necessary. Arrange the animals on the soup and whipstitch them in place with Hazelnut floss. Embroider the details shown on the pattern with Hazelnut floss.

2. Trace lettering and flowers from the soup bowl pattern onto tissue paper and pin the tissue paper over the Angel Wings felt soup bowl. Backstitch the lettering with Cornflower Blue floss. Embroider the flowers with Dark Rose floss and lazy daisy stitch; embroider the leaves with Kelly Green floss and lazy daisy stitches. Add topaz satin stitch centers to each flower.

3. Pin the red soup to the center of the 11 1/2" gingham square and sew it in place along outer edge with running stitch and Dark Rose floss. Pin the soup bowl over the soup and sew around its outer and inner edges with backstitch and Kelly Green floss.

4. Pin the rickrack strips to the gingham square about 1" from each outer edge, as shown on the diagram below. Sew it in place with Snow White floss.

5. Sew a short red polka-dot strip to each side edge of the appliqued gingham square with 1/4" seam allowance. Sew a long polka-dot strip to the top and bottom edges of the gingham piece. Pin the finished pillow front to the 14" gingham square and sew the pieces together with 1/4" seam allowance. Leave an opening for turning. Clip the corner and turn the pillow right side out. Fill with fiberfill and whipstitch opening closed.

Congratulations--you've finished! I apologize if the Animal Crackers song is stuck in your head now too.

  

Follow My @allpeoplequilt Instagram Takeover

Exciting news! The lovely people at All People Quilt (that's American Patchwork & Quilting, Quilts and More, and Quilt Sampler magazines) have invited me to take over the @allpeoplequilt Instagram account this weekend. I'll be sharing some of my favorite projects, works in progress, and a peek at my craft room. The takeover begins bright and early on Friday, June 2. Hope to see you there!

Red, White & Blue Beanbags

With Memorial Day just one week away, picnic season is upon us. Eating outdoors is my favorite summer activity. I've already pulled out my favorite warm-weather recipes, and I'm ready to dig into a new season of burgers and potato salad. To celebrate the holidays that mark summer's beginning, middle, and end--Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day--I designed this set of red, white, and blue beanbags. They're not only pretty; they're practical too! You can use them to hold your tablecloth, napkins, and paper plates in place on breezy days. You can arrange them in a basket to make a simple centerpiece. You can even use them in a beanbag toss game. (They are beanbags, after all.)

I used three cotton prints to make my beanbags: a blue swirl pattern, a red-and-white floral, and a red polka-dot fabric. They're embellished with red, white, and blue rickrack, and red-and-white gingham ribbon. You can, of course, use any ribbons or trims you have in your sewing stash. The instructions are quite straightforward, so I decided to explain the process with pictures, rather than words. To make each beanbag shown, just follow the corresponding diagram. Cut the fabric pieces to the sizes indicated. If you're going to add ribbon or rickrack, do so before you sew the pieces together. When it's time to sew, use a 1/4" seam allowance. 

Click here to download a printable pattern sheet.

When the beanbag fronts are finished, pin each to a 4 1/2" square of fabric in your desired print, right sides facing. Sew the pieces together, leaving an opening for turning, then fill the bag with dry rice (or another filler), and whipstitch closed.

Happy stitching--and happy picnic season!