Felt: June 2011 Archives

Summer is iconic for sprinklers, running outside until dark and playing in the grass but it gets so stinking hot outside some days that I just can't bring myself to bear it after 11 am. So since a good part of these days are set inside, I get to looking around and redecorating in my mind. I love to bring my 2 loves of sewing and knitting together whenever possible but it can be tricky when dealing in Home Décor. Knitting is most often shawls, sweaters and mittens. Clearly it is apparel heavy but just a little bit here and there and knitting lends itself very well to Home décor.

Yes, I am familiar with knitted afghans and pillows but those are so definitely winter items and not a good fit for summer decorations. Flowers, however, are just what we need to bring knitting into our living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms. Knitted and crocheted flowers are quick, fun and challenging (if you want them to be) and with a few swipes of the hand needle can be applied to pillows, duvets, table cloths, and chair covers to bring the outside in. Should you like wildflower bouquets, you can choose several flower patterns and mix them up together either in one color or complimentary colors. For those who prefer a huge monospecific bouquet might, instead, choose a favorite flower pattern and knit up as many as you need in either one or multi colors. Some patterns are meant to be felted, others are not and I would suggest an acrylic blend yarn to make them washable.

Since my Burlap Transfer Pillow was such a success, I decided to make a complimentary pillow out of the rest of my burlap with one huge, magnificent flower in the center. I used Berroco Weekend in Orchid and #154 from Vogue Lace Stitchionary but I recommend any of these great free flower patterns on Ravelry. You can adjust the size of your flower by your yarn gauge, needle size, doubling your strands and continuing a pattern. Be sure you take into consideration where this knitted piece will be used. Mine is strictly decoration (not too many want to lay their heads on burlap) but given that I have a toddler, it is all washable. I followed the same instructions as for my previous burlap pillow but I left the edges raw to contrast with the neat, precise lace flower in the center. I do not suggest fabric glue for joining knits to Home Décor pieces, hand sew when possible. The amount of use these items are likely to see coupled with the weight of the home décor fabric is not a good combo for glue.

Check back tomorrow for an exciting blog post. Here's a hint: June Weddings!

Another chapter in our Felt Play Dress Up series: Magic Wand Edition. Nothing is more fun than imagining magic and casting spells. Every wizard needs a wand of their own in their favorite color or designed to order. But you also need proof of magic: to see it streaming out of your wand and cascading down upon the intended recipient of charm. My Felt Wand with Magic Streamers is soft to the touch for rambunctious playtime and has visible, wispy streamers that give the appearance of magic shooting from your wand. Customize your wand to match your room, favorite blanket or to match your best friend's wand. I created mine in purple with pink and blue polka dots. For Boys, I recommend stars, stripes or mini-fire trucks and dinosaurs!

Here's what you need to make your own Felt Wand with Magic Streamers:

1 sheet of felt for wand (I used Purple)

Several sheets of felt in various colors for decorations (baby pink & baby blue)

¼  yd of sheer fabric (Crepe, Chiffon, Organza, etc)

Coordinating thread

Small amount of stuffing

Downloadable Felt Wand and Magic Streamers Pattern

Cut out Felt Wand with Magic Streamers Pattern pieces. Cut 1 wand and wand bottom from wand colored felt. Cut out several polka dots from various colors of felt. Stitch your polka dots (or other embellishments) onto the right side of felt wand. Set felt wand aside.
Cut Sheer fabric into small strips the length of the fabric (about ½ to 1 in. wide each). Stack sheer strips on top of one another and stitch together at the top with an X. Stitch this stack onto the top, wrong side of the felt wand piece. Roll up wand along the length and overlap by 1/8 in. and whipstitch closed. Firmly stuff your wand (I made mine a bit lumpy to give it the old, wonky wizard look). Whipstitch your wand bottom onto the felt wand to close. Swish your wand around and watch the magic fly around the room!

Summer Vacation is on us and many of you parents may be looking for play ideas for your kids to stay busy. Dress up is a favorite of many kids and is a great play date or sibling activity to keep your kids entertained while you catch up on the gossip rags, make dinner or take min for yourself. Unfortunately, most store bought dress up is quickly and cheaply produced and won't last the summer. Why not make it yourself and turn one activity into 2. By creating your own Dress Up items you and your kids can work together, picking out the supplies, deciding on the design and creating the final project. You may even find that homemade items are more gently handled than those purchased in a big box store...Naw, I didn't really believe that last one either.

A popular dress up theme, especially in June, is weddings. You can either whip up a super lovely felt bouquet or spend every day with one eye on the back door keeping your kids out of your Hydrangeas. You only need a few supplies to create this darling pint sized bouquet.

Materials:

2 sheets of flower colored felt (I used dark and light pink)

1 sheet of gray colored felt (When my sister married, she gave her bridesmaids Victorian-styled pewter bouquet holders. I wanted to recreate that look)

1 sheet of green felt (for the top)

Small amount of stuffing

Coordinating thread and hand needle

Cut out your pattern pieces and felt pieces. Roll your main piece so the 2 straight side edges meet and overlap by ¼ in. Whip stitch in place. Hands sew your bottom piece onto the main piece (it may help to turn your main piece inside out). Hand sew your top piece ¾ of the way onto the main piece (you will have to make this piece fit. It should look like an ice cream cone when finished. The top needs to be rounded and puffy). Firmly stuff then finish sewing on the top.

Using your flower colored felt create 10-15 flowers using Creative Jewish Mom's tutorial (number of flowers will depend on their size). My circles were 3 ¾ in. (Psst: you can use the top pattern piece for your flowers). Hand sew or glue in place. You are done! Enjoy your felt bouquet with a felt crown or a dino tail for the ultimate wedding!