Jute & Felt Mum Fall Wreath

Hi guys!  Sorry I haven't written since last week.  Life was calling!  I hope that you haven't missed me too much and you've been crafting up a storm without me. ;)

Anyway, I had some time to whip up a new fall wreath today, so I thought I'd drop in and share it with you.

I didn't have time to make a full tutorial, but it's a pretty simple concept so I'll just explain verbally what I did.  I started with a foam wreath (be sure to check out this money saving tip for foam wreaths if you do this project) and wrapped it with some jute I already had on hand.

Next I decorated the wreath with two berry sprigs (99 cents each and 40% off this week at Michael's).  I was able to simply work the wire stems into the foam core of the wreath.  Then I hot glued a whole bunch of felt mums in between the two sprigs.

If you're wondering how I made the felt mums, I did take a few photos of the process.  Here's what I did (please note I didn't have the time to take the best photos to show you how to do this):

As I made the mums I realized the shorter the fringe the better the mums looked, so I gave them little haircuts.  So you might want to adjust your original rectangle to 12"x1".  Anyway, I made about 10 felt mums using that process and hot glued them between the two berry sprigs until I liked the way they looked.

Then, to make the banner, I tied another long piece of jute across the wreath.  I cut diamonds out of colored cardstock scrapbooking paper and folded them in half over the strand of jute and glued them together.  (I sure hope that makes sense!)  I used some scrapbooking alphabet stickers to spell out the word "Fall."

And ta-da!  All finished.  :)  I really like the scrappy look of my new wreath, and the whole project cost me about $3 to make since I already had so much of the supplies on hand.  What do y'all think?

I hope your enjoying some fun fall crafts!  Thanks for reading and see you next time! :)

--CC

This post is linked up here.

DIY Fall Projects & Decor Roundup

Hello my lovelies!  How have you been?  The weather here has been absolutely fantastic--cool, crisp, and breezy!  Okay, so maybe it's just been below the 90s for a couple of days but here in Florida that means FALL!  And I am so excited for cooler weather and fall holidays, which is why I've put together this fall roundup for you.

This roundup is for fall/autumn decor ONLY.  In other words, it doesn't include Halloween or Thanksgiving projects.  Don't worry...we'll get to that later.  :)  But for now it's just the good ol' seasonal stuff to get you in the mood for fall!  Please note that tutorials and sources for all images are included as links in the descriptions.  Enjoy!

Burlap Projects

1. Fringed Burlap Table Runner  2.  Ruffled Burlap Wreath  3.  How to Print Onto Burlap  4.  Pleats & Ruffles Burlap Table Runner

Pumpkin Projects

1. Jute Covered Pumpkins  2.  Easy Fabric Pumpkins  3.  Playful Fabric Pumpkins

4.  Pumpkin Drink Cooler  5.  No-Sew Fabric Pumpkins  5. Mumpkins! (Pumpkins made from Mums)

Fall Garlands & Banners

1.  Natural Fall Garland  2.  Playful Felt Leaves Garland  3.  Fabric Leaf Garland

4.  Burlap "Harvest" Banner

Inexpensive Fall Projects

1.  Wheat Wreath  2.  Gleaning (or where to find free fall decor supplies)  3.  Fall Word Art Display

Fall Wreath Inspiration

21 Natural Fall Wreaths

That's all I've got for you here, but you can find lots more (including Halloween and Thanksgiving tutorials) on my fall pin board over on Pinterest.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again soon!

--CC

Blog Swap: Felt Interactive Book Tutorial from Sunny Vanilla

Hello my lovely readers!  The day of my blog swap with Jennifer from Sunny Vanilla is finally here!  Jennifer is here to share her Interactive Felt Book tutorial with you, and I'll be over on her blog sharing my tutorial for my A Bow and Whimsy Tank Top!
 

A Bow and Whimsy Tank Top

If you haven't met Jennifer, she sews and crafts some pretty lovely things and shares them over at Sunny Vanilla.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. Ruffled Tank  2. Spring Rosette Shirt  3. Vintage Skirt Refashion

  1.  Simple Skirt  2. Upcycled Napkin Rings

But she can introduce herself better than I can!  So take it away, Jennifer!

Hello, my name is Jennifer from Sunny Vanilla and I'm really excited about my blog swap today with Madison at Crafty Critique.  Just a bit about me, I am a lover of crafts and fabric and basically taught myself how to sew through inspirational books at the library and watching more youtube videos than I can count.  Outside of crafting and sewing, I am a mom to a 13-month old baby girl and a wife to a certain boy who stole my heart in high school.  I love dancing, travelling, singing terribly in the car, eating the tops of muffins, and screaming the fight song to my alma mater.  I hope you enjoy my interactive felt book tutorial.

There are two things I love about this project: it’s easy to put together {if you have older children, allow them to join in the project} and all of the materials needed are most likely things you already have in your house.

Tutorial: Sleeveless Bow Top

A lot of people are afraid to try and make clothing or draft their own patterns.  At least, I know I was when I first started sewing!  But a few tutorials of easy projects (like this one or this one) helped me find my bearings and I’m proud to say that I finally feel confident venturing out and making some of my own patterns.  And today I want to help you see that you can draft your own pattern and sew your own clothes, too!  Sooo….

Introducing the Sleeveless Bow Top Tutorial!  It's my first "big girl" tutorial, so bear with me (and email me if it doesn't make any sense!).

I modeled the Sleeveless Bow Top after this top I saw for sale online recently.   It’s a cute, comfortable top to finish out the summer with, and might even be great under a cardigan for the fall.  And the good news is it's made a lot like a pillowcase top so it’s just about one of the easiest garments you can sew!  I know you can do it, so follow me after the break to get started.

Tutorial: Felt Butterfly Dog Collar Embellishment

Two tutorials in one week!  I must be on a roll. ;)  Anyway, I got the idea for this felt butterfly dog collar embellishment when I was making the tutorial for the ruffle dog collar embellishment. 

It's another really simple one and it's pretty fun to decorate your own butterfly.  So, without further ado, here's the butterfly tutorial!

Tutorial: Ruff-Ruffle Dog Collar Embellishment

I was getting bored with felt flowers and bandanas for my dog's collar, so I dreamed up this slide-over-the-collar ruffle embellishment.

 And guess what?  Today you get to learn how to make one, too!  It's really easy and super cute, so click "read more" to get the tutorial. :)

Tutorial: Slide On Dog Collar Bandana

Recently I showed you how to make a cute felt flower dog collar embellishment for your pooch, but you might remember way back in December when I first came up with the flower idea that I told you I'd been making bandanas to slide over my dog's collar for a few years.

We've never been able to get bows to stay on our Pomeranian, Monica.  They just drive her crazy and she paws them off her head.  For awhile we tried tying bandannas around her neck and that didn't bother her, but they fell off easily.  That's when we had the idea to sew them with a little tube at the top so they slide right over her collar.  This solves the problem of them falling off and getting lost.

They stay in place and they look adorable on a boy or girl dog, so I thought you'd like to know how to make a slide-over-the-collar dog bandanna for your puppy.  It's a great way to use up scrap fabric, it only takes about 15 minutes and it's super easy.  I've made it even easier by creating the template for you!  So join me after the jump to learn how to make your own dog collar bandana.

P.S.  Did you know you can spell "bandana" with one or two N's?  Bandana or bandanna is acceptable according to Dictionary.com.  Weird, right?  Okay...on with the tutorial. :)

Tutorial: Scrap Fabric Headbands

I'm always looking for a way to use up scrap fabric, and lately, since I've been using a lot of elastic for kids' pants, I've also been looking for ways to use scraps of elastic.  I think hair pieces are a great way to use up your scrap fabric, especially since then you have a matching accessory to go with whatever item of clothing you've sewn for yourself (or for a little one or friend).

That's why when I saw this post over at Happy Together I was so inspired and decided to make my own version of a scrap fabric headband.  I thought you might be looking for a way to use up scrap fabric or make hair pieces, too, so I decided to document my headband-making process and create a tutorial for you all!

Follow me after the break for the how-to. :)

Tutorial: Knot No-Hem Capri Pants

So, sorry about the long break.  Things got a little crazier than I expected (financially, academically, and moving-ly).  But I finally had a little time to do some sewing and blogging today annnnd....I have what you've been waiting for (maybe)!  Remember this picture I used to taunt you in my last post?

Well....Introducing the Knot No-Hem Capri Pants...

Because there's knot no hem on them!  Get it?  Hahaha.  I crack myself up.  :)

 But, okay.  Seriously, let's talk about the pants.  I made three pairs of these pants for my boyfriend's niece and thought they were worth sharing.  They can be made into shorts or capri (cropped) pants.  I made mine capris because I figured the elastic would stretch to still fit in the waist as she grows and then as the length gets shorter maybe she can wear them as bermudas or even shorts (if they still fit in the waist by then). 

They're super easy, super cute and they don't take much fabric at all.  I made mine out of some scrap fabric and a remnant I bought at Jo-Ann's.

But you can make the project even easier than that.  If your youngster has some long pants they wore this spring that you know won't fit by fall, why not cut off the extra length and add the cute knot to the bottom to make them into a new summer item?

You could even make an adult version with some old jeans for yourself!

So without further ado, here's the Knot No-Hem Cropped Pants tutorial.  Join me after the jump to learn how to make your own pair.

Tutorial: Chalkboard Garden Stake or Hanging Sign

Today I'm excited to share another MayFlowers tutorial with you:  Chalkboard garden stakes and chalkboard hanging signs.

While I was home in Missouri for my brother's wedding, I saw these cute garden stakes with little chalkboards on them in a local home decor shop.  I thought they were adorable, but there was no way I was paying the $20 asking price for them.  I knew I could make one for much cheaper.  (Chalkboard paint is $12 a quart which is a little pricey, but it can be used for a bunch of other craft projects besides this one.)

Then, after my mom hung sticky notes on the front door for expected guests to let them know we were out in the garden a couple times, I got an idea.  I thought a permanent, re-writable sign, like a little chalkboard, might be useful for leaving "be right back" or "I'm in the garden" notes when you know someone will be dropping by.

I also thought they might make nice little "back in 5 minutes" type signs for crafters who go to craft fairs/farmer's markets.  There are so many things you could do with a little chalkboard sign.  It's just a useful, environmentally friendly and, might I say, cute little way to leave a note. :)  So here's what I came up with:

So if you ever find yourself taping notes to your front door or you just want a pretty garden stake to label a row of peas, follow the jump to get the tutorial. :)

Tutorial: Felt Roses

Hi y'all!  As a continuation of our MayFlowers event, today I'm going to teach you how to make a felt rose.

Roses can be classic and sophisticated when made in natural colors, or fun and spunky if made with unnatural ones, making them perfect accents for everyone's lives.  Try an unusual color like purple and put it on a hair clip or brooch to make a fashion statement.   Or use them as decorations.  Make enough of them to cover a heart-shaped wreath, or stick a few of them tightly into a box like this:

Borrowed from Google to convey my idea.

Borrowed from Google to convey my idea.

I think a bouquet of them would make a really nice addition to a little girl's dress up set to go with a play wedding dress.  With so many options, you'll want to make hundreds.  And I've got good news for you.  They're super simple to make and it only takes a few minutes.  So let's get started.  Read on after the jump for the tutorial.

Tutorial: Felt Sunflower Dog Collar Embellishment

You may remember back in December I made a poinsettia dog collar embellishment for my Pomeranian.  At the time I made it, I realized the pattern could be easily manipulated to make the felt poinsettia into a sunflower.  Sunflowers are such beautiful flowers, don't you think?

 So, in honor of my May Flowers event, I pulled the idea for sunflower dog collar embellishments out of my brain files and put it to use!  This is what I came up with:

Of course, these scrap fabric flowers are very versatile, and while I created them as dog collar embellishments, they can be used for whatever purpose you like.  Follow the jump for the tutorial to learn how to make your own.

Tutorial: Scrap Fabric Carnation

I'll try not to put a bunch of hubbub as a prequel to this tutorial since you probably already read this post about it a few days back.  This scrap fabric flower tutorial is super simple and a fun way to decorate a hair piece or other item.  So let's just jump right in!

Read on after the break for the tutorial.

Fabric Catchall Tutorial

Remember the sailboat catchall I figured out how to make for my boyfriend after seeing one on Noodlehead? Well, I noticed a lot of people commented on her post asking for a tutorial, so after I figured out how to make the tray, I decided to make a tutorial of my own! So let's get started!

Join me after the break for the tutorial.

Flower Petal Pillow Review

So I said the last post would be my last for awhile, but I lied! I realized this one wouldn't make any sense to share after Christmas...so here it is!

Awhile back I tried out the Petal Pillow Tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew. It was actually my very first sewing project, so it didn't turn out quite as ornate as the one in the tutorial, but it still looks pretty good. In fact, people who haven't seen the tutorial don't know that the petals could be fuller and have actually given me compliments. (Sorry for the quality of this photo...I took it on my phone.)



The tutorial was easy to follow...my pillow turned out wonky because of my own mistakes (i.e. I didn't read the directions closely enough and my circles weren't big enough. Reading directions seems to be a common problem of mine, doesn't it?) I'd recommend this tutorial to all skill levels. If I managed it as my very first sewing project, you can, too!

I made the flower petal pillow just before Thanksgiving and I thought it might be nice to have a more wintery version of it. I decided on a felt applique Christmas tree. I cut the same half circles (all in the smaller size), but folded them into "loops" and sewed them onto the pillow with a zig-zag stitch in the general shape of a triangle. I made the triangle into a tree by using some scrap fabric to sew on a trunk.




Since I wasn't going off a tutorial, it took me awhile to get it down quite right. It's a little off, but from a distance you can't tell as much and it looks nice on my red blanket right next to the Christmas tree.



Happy Holidays! :)