Felt Fruit- Pear with template and tutorial

Hi Fellow Crafters

Keeping with my class theme - foods we eat, I came up with a pattern for a pear. My youngest squealed with joy when he saw the couple I made and promptly went to fetch his shopping basket from the toy room to "purchase" the newly made pears. Needless to say I was thrilled that he liked them and promptly designed an apple to go with the pears- but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that template ;-)

OK, so let's get started with the HOW TO:
1. Cut out the pieces using the pattern at the end of the how to

 

2. Pin the leaf to the center of the top curve of one of the pieces, facing in and down (sorry no pic of

    this step)

3. Place the two pieces together, with the leaf on the inside and stitch around the pieces leaving the 

    bottom straight edge open.

    (Close up of the top to show the top of leaf sticking out a bit)

4. Turn inside out.

5. Fill the inside of the pear with polyester filling and run a gathering stitch around the straight edged 

   base.

6. Pull the gathered edge in tight and secure.

 

Viola you have your pear.

And know for the pattern:

You know what to do- right click on the image and save image as.... and it is all yours for personal use only please.

The VERY Hungry Caterpillar

Hi Fellow Crafters

I came across this idea -> here, and as my theme for the next 2 weeks at school is the foods we eat, I decided to use the idea and make props to go with the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I just looked at the pics in the book and drew out the pictures onto the felt.  I reinforced all the pieces with fusible web and on some foods I sewed details (ice cream cone, cherry pie, and cupcake wrapper) and on others I used my copic markers to add sprinkles (ice cream and cup cake) and seeds (the strawberry)  and bumps on the skin (oranges).

I made a "caterpillar" out of a piece of crushed stretch velvet onto which I glued some googly eyes. I just cut a rectangular piece and folded it in half, I rounded off the top part of one end (the head end) and sewed a channel in the opposite end, through which I threaded some elastic so that the caterpillar doesn't come off my arm during story time.

 

And this is what it looks like once the caterpillar has eaten all the food.

Happy Crafting

Bunny Wristlet Pouch

Hi Fellow Crafters

OK, I know I am way too early with Easter, but I am starting work on Monday (after a 8 year break and a total change in career!) so I need to get a head start on crafting for Easter as my new job is as a pre-k teacher and I will be needing to do Easter crafts with my group. Well, this one I can't do with them, but looking through various projects seemed to spark something in me to create this pouch, into which all sorts of Easter eggs can be placed.


Introducing my Bunny Wristlet Pouch (with template below).

I inserted a ribbon through a channel at the top of the pouch to "gather" it in. The ribbon forms a small "handle" to place around your wrist to hold the pouch- as can be seen in the back view of the pouch below.

An open view of the pouch.

 

And the contents.

Now for the template and how to:

1. Template:

   FREEBIE: Right click on image below and save image as......

 

2. How to:

1.    Cut out one body piece. Sew a channel along the top edge of the body piece as indicated by the

       sewing line. Fold the top edge down to the sewing line and sew a 1/4" in from the line.

2.    Cut out 4 ear pieces- I did this as my felt is very soft and I fused two ear pieces together so that 

       the ears would stand up.

3.    I them cut my two inner ear pieces and fused (you could also glue them)them into the center of 

       the ears.

4.    I stitched the ears onto my body piece, following the stitches I had already made, positioning  

       them on the side that would be the front of my bunny.

5.    I then folded the body piece together and sewed it along the side and bottom edge.

6.    Cut the eyes, nose, teeth and cheeks and position as desire, glue down.
Viola - you have your Bunny Wrislet Pouch.


Happy crafting.

Sweet Baby "Peek-a-boo" baby blankie

Hi Fellow Crafters

I have never quilted before, but my sister is an avid quilter and I always love what she makes, so I decided to give it a try. Apart from been inspired by my sister there is also a plethora of very talented ladies around blogland that readily share their quilting talents.

I got the idea for the small blanket -> here ( great step by steps on how to assemble a mini quilt), and modified it to suit my requirements.

Having a few baby showers coming up in the near future I made the following tag "peek-a-boo" blanket ( so called as it can be used to play peek-a-boo with baby as suggested in the linked post).

I designed the lion piecing and decided that a matching card would just finish off the gift perfectly. I used Moda Fabrics for the quilt and core'dinations card stock for the card.

 

 

 

I added ribbon down the side of the card to compliment the "peek-a-boo" blankie. I stapled the ribbon along the edge of the back flap and decided that I did not like seeing the staples so I added a strip of orange card stock to the back piece to cover them.

I have not done a step by step as this POST has very good instructions. However I have included the pattern for the lion piecing and a diagram for dimensions of the "peek-a-boo" quilt (finished size 12" x 12").

 

FREEBIES:

  

 

Linked to 

 

Happy crafting

Parties I've done for my kids over the years. (Freebies)

Hi Fellow Crafters

For me it's that time of the year when I start to plan my sons birthday parties, I get them to choose a theme and start planning the decor and looking out for ideas to complete the theme- some may think me crazy but their birthdays are in 3 months time- I need that long to get organised.

My youngest has decided on a chef party and my eldest is still mulling it over.

All this party talk led me to looking back at past parties. Take a look at what I have done in the past.

A Mickey party - that turned into a Mickey on a train party (hence the cake-LOL) as my son decided 2 days before that he would rather have a train party (who can deny a 3 year old their wish!).

 

  

 

Above is the view of the undecorated cake.


Then came the bugs and butterflies party, with a bug "box" and butterfly net as take home gifts together with balloon "worm/caterpillars". A snail cake and worms in dirt (sour worms in chocolate pudding).  A big ugly spider for a pinata (my first attempt at a pinata).

 

  

  

  

  

I used a mini peg with a ladybug to decorate the drinking straw and made spiders out of pipe cleaners. If you look closely you can see the bug in dirt, I decorated the container to look like a lady bug.

Here's my really ugly spider pinata. The kids still enjoyed hitting it though.

For their 3rd and 6th birthdays my sons decided on a Peter Pan and Tink party and a Lilo and Stitch (Hawwain) theme.

The Peter Pan party saw guests take home Tink wings and skirts and the boys a Peter Pan green outfit. The cake was a pirate ship and guests got there own treasure chest "cupcake". Needless to say the pinata was a pirate ship too. I also made balloon swords for a "good" pirate fight.

The take home dress up clothes.

 

  

I made very simple loot bags and appliqued a pirate ship on the front.

 

  

See below for the template to make the ship sweet holder. The site I got it off no longer exists.

  

For the pinata I enlarged the template below and constructed the hull out of lightweight chip board- it was really tough to break open.

 

The balloon sword.
FREEBIE: Yours to copy  and use, right click on the invite and ship below and save image as...

For the Lilo and Stitch Party we did the whole Hawaiian theme with welcome leis and a welcome "mocktail". The pinata was a large pineapple and the guests got to take home the leis, sunglasses and a little sling bag (loot bag). The cake was very simple with Stitch in his space ship and each guest got a little piece of paradise in the form of a cupcake decorated with sand and sea with an umbrella and a gummy man sunbathing.

 

  

  

 

FREEBIE: Yours to copy  and use, right click on the invite below and save image as...

 

Then came the mad scientist party,  with lanyard, lab coat and mad scientist glasses held at a science lab were they conducted experiments with the guests.

 

  

My son decorated his own "mad science" cake on his own. 

 

FREEBIE: Yours to copy  and use, right click on the invite below and save image as...

 

Soooo now down to the real business of creating. I have already designed one take on the  chef invite, so stay tuned as I have a template to share soon.

Happy crafting