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Felt Handwarmers

Posted by christy in Christmas | Craft | Holidays | Needlework | Projects | Sewing - (1 Comments)

Today I have a quick and simple craft that makes a great stocking-stuffer or gift for a teacher or bus driver.  I’m going to package these up with some treats and hot chocolate for all of the para-educators, bus drivers, and teachers that work with my children.

Supplies:

Felt

Pinking Shears

Thread

Rice

Lavender (optional)

Cut 2 pieces of felt into 2 1/2″ X 3 1/2″ rectangles. I used embossed felt from Eco-Fi.  I mixed two different shades of brown but you can really use any mix of colors or type of felt.

With right sides out, sew around three sides. Place a few spoonfuls of uncooked rice inside. If you have any lavender or potpourri lying around, you can add a bit of that as well.

Sew up the open side. Trim thread. These are also small enough that they can be sewn completely by hand. Maybe add an initial or decorative stitch before seaming it up.

Finish it off by cutting around each edge with pinking shears.

There you have it! What are you making for the teachers this year?

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Friendship Bracelet Swap

Posted by christy in For Kids | Needlework | Projects - (1 Comments)

Amy from Things We Make is hosting a friendship bracelet swap and with my friendship bracelet history (here’s the post with the shrinky dink charms), I thought I’d join in on the fun!

I made my traditional friendship bracelet but decided to add a little bling.  I added three pink beads in the center of the bracelet.  To do that, all you do is place the bead on the middle two strands of floss when you get to the place where you would like one, and then continue on.

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Embroidered Coffee Cup Sleeve Tutorial

Posted by christy in Holidays | Mother's Day | Needlework | Projects | Sewing/Fabric | Tutorials - (5 Comments)

This project is a true collaboration with my daughter. Today is her last day of preschool and we are going to miss her teacher, dearly.  Her teacher loves coffee so we thought a coffee cup sleeve would be a good idea.  I was just going to make a generic one with some cute fabric and then I had a grand idea!  I had my daughter draw on some felt and then I embroidered her drawing.  Genius, right?

great teacher gift embroidered coffee sleeve

Supplies:

Felt

Embroidery floss

Needle

Elastic hairband

Button

Washable marker

1.  Cut two pieces of felt into the shape of a cardboard coffee sleeve.  You can go and get your own coffee sleeve next time you’re at the gas station or coffee shop and trace that (allowing 1/2″ seam allowance on all sides).  I also found a few templates online.

2.  On one piece of felt, draw your design using washable markers.  Eva wrote her name and added a flower, heart, and a butterfly.

3. Begin stitching your design using the embroidery floss and a needle.  I use a combination of stitches to add some variety to the design.  It will really depend on what you have drawn out on the felt.  Eva picked out every single color on this particular project.  I think she did a great job!

4. Sew a button off to the side.  Eva chose this button as well.  I attached it using embroidery floss and I tacked it down pretty securely.

5.  Get your second piece of felt and place them right sides together.  On the opposite edge from where you placed the button, place your elastic hairband in between the two pieces of felt.  Pin it in place so about 1/2″ of it is sticking out.  The picture below shows what it will look like after it has been sewn.

6.  Time to sew!  With your sewing machine, stitch around all four sides of the coffee sleeve leaving a 2″-3″ gap so you can turn it right side out.

7.  Once it is turned right side out, use a needle and thread to stitch the opening closed.

Eva wants to be an artist when she grows up.  I think she’s well on her way!

Make Make House Shaped Pouch

Posted by christy in Needlework | Projects - (0 Comments)

I bought a kit at Purl Soho when I was on vacation in NYC in 2008.  It is from Japan and the title in English is “Make Me Happy Make Make Make Happiness In Your Heart”.  Okay, then!  This project (once I finally opened it) did make happiness in my heart!

My daughter wanted to have a little photo shoot with it outside.  She wants the purse to live in the trees so the little people and animals can go inside.  I did persuade her to bring it back in the house, but I couldn’t resist the pictures.

The base is felt and there is a zipper for access.  There is a door and window embroidered on the other side.  The top is crocheted out of a wool/mohair blend and attached to the felt through the blanket stitches.  The handle is artificial leather tape and it attached to the top of the roof with embroidery thread and two buttons.

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Embroidery Class Mother’s Day Project

Posted by christy in For Kids | Mother's Day | Needlework | Projects - (2 Comments)

I’m teaching a class at a local elementary school for a few weeks.  It is part of their after school enrichment program and my class this time is embroidery.  We have a great time and the girls are so fun and are picking up the concepts rather quickly.

We’re working on a Mother’s Day project now.  The girls traced their hands on a piece of felt and we are backstitching around the outline.  If we have time this week, I’ll teach them french knots but I think most of the time will be spent finishing up these projects.

We’re going to cut out the handprint with pinking shears and stitch it to another piece of felt.  I think I might go and pick up some lavender or something to put inside and have it be a little sachet.

I’m making one for my mom.  Don’t  you think she’ll be super excited to get a hand embroidered handprint sachet from her middle-aged daughter?  I thought so, too.

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Portable Crafting

Posted by christy in Knitting/Crochet | Needlework | Paper | Projects - (2 Comments)

For the past several days I’ve been nursing a sore back.  I haven’t been very mobile and just the thought of sitting at a sewing machine has me wishing for pain medication.  It got me thinking about all the crafts I could do while resting my back in bed.  These crafts are not only great for those on bed rest, but for any crafter on the go.

knitting1. Knitting/Crocheting

This is a great craft for portability.  All you really need is a set of needles (or a hook) and some yarn and you’ve got hours of crafting pleasure.

I always have a portable knitting project on hand in my purse or car for those spare moments.  They can really add up and before you know it, you have a completed project!

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2. Needlework

Embroidery and cross stitch are fun and (mostly) portable projects.  I wouldn’t want to bring an 18″ X 20″ cross stitch pattern into my bed or try and carry it around in my purse, but for some smaller projects, this is totally feasible.

The project to the right was a good example.  I did this pattern on a tote bag.  It was perfect to carry around because I could put all of my supplies in the bag while I was working on it!

3722288036_1282e73d2a 3.  Friendship Bracelets

I can’t forget to mention these beauties!  This is the ultimate portable craft!  I started making these when I would ride the bus to school.

For this craft you need a safety pin and some embroidery floss.  So portable you can fit all of that in your pocket!

4. Drawing/Doodling

I don’t really do much drawing but I love to doodle.  With a sketchbook and your favorite pens/pencils, this is an activity that can go anywhere.  I like to sketch out ideas for crafts on paper and while my drawings aren’t great, I enjoy doing it.

What are your favorite portable crafts?

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Make. Customized Tote Bags with ECOBAGS

Posted by christy in Needlework | Projects | Reviews - (2 Comments)

ecobags embroidery

Straight out of the embroidery hoop (sorry I didn’t iron it before taking the photos), I bring you an embroidered tote bag.  This was a lot of fun to make and it reminded me just how much I love to do embroidery.  It isn’t the quickest way to embellish an item, but the look can’t be duplicated by any other means.

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For this project I used an ECOBAG.  This one is a cotton/hemp blend.  The fabric is sturdy but lightweight enough that it seemed like the perfect canvas for embroidery.  I found a pattern I thought would look cool and kitschy on the bag and went to work!

ECOBAGS provided me with these samples to try out.  The bags I received use organic cotton but theyIMG_1937 also carry bags out of recycled cotton and hemp/cotton blends.  I thought it only fitting that try to finish this project in time for Earth Day.  In fact, this company has been around for a long time, launching their bags on Earth Day in 1990.  The bags are affordable and can be around $5-$8.  They offer discounts if you buy in bulk and there are wholesale opportunities as well.

My new favorite tote is the shopping tote.  It is so large and sturdy!  IMG_1936 I decided to applique on it.  I applied some Heat n Bond to the red fabric, cut out the word “books”, and ironed on each letter.  This is my new library bag.  I’d like to try to keep all of my library books in this bag so I don’t have to go hunting for them every time we want to return them.  Maybe this bag will end up *saving* me money from all those overdue fees!

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Make. Needle Felting Projects

Posted by christy in Needle Felting | Needlework | Projects - (1 Comments)
needlefelting mosaic

After my video tutorial on needle felting, I thought I would share some pictures of a few of my other needle felting projects. I made these when I was first learning. It shows a few other ways to incorporate needle felting into your craft arsenal.

The sheep is a wall hanging. I used long locks of wool for the body and lightly felted that area. It is done on one 11 X 14 piece of wool felt.

The turtle is a 3-D project made by starting with felting a ball of roving. You basically poke it until it becomes stiff and you can shape into your desired shape. I added colored roving on top to mimic the shell. It is a fun, small project.

Share your own needle felting projects at the christynelson.net flickr group.

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Make. Stitch a Name for the Mother’s Day Project

Posted by christy in Needlework | Projects | Stuff I Like - (3 Comments)

janelle king
Janelle F. King died in Baghdad on August 14, 2008. Her hometown is Merced, CA and she was 23 years old. She was a health care specialist in the 115th Combat Support Hospital and she died from a “non combat-related cause”. She was laid to rest at Fort Sill in Lawton, OK.

I know all of this about Janelle because of The Mother’s Day Project. I volunteered to stitch a name of a woman that died while serving our country and hers was sent to me. I didn’t know how profoundly this would affect me. Merced is just about 20 miles from where I lived as a child. Lawton isn’t far from where I lived as a young adult. Her cousin, LaVeta King, said about her, “She lived her life from one passionate whim to another”. She loved the Food Network. I’m glad that I have this opportunity to share a little bit about her here on my site.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect with this project. It started out as a way to draw attention to the human cost of the Iraq War. No matter what your views on the war, the fact is that people are putting their lives on the line and some of them don’t return. This was my small way to pay tribute and be a part of something bigger than me.

They are still looking for volunteers to stitch names. Send your contact information to mothersdayproject AT sbcglobal DOT net if you would like to participate.

I also wrote a little bit about the project at Crafty Nation. You can see my blog post there.

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Learn. How to Make a Friendship Bracelet

Posted by christy in For Kids | Jewelry | Needlework | Projects | Tutorials - (6 Comments)
friendship bracelet

In a video tutorial that should have taken less than a minute, I spend five minutes going on and on about friendship bracelets. Sometimes I can’t help myself. Just like I can’t help myself from making more and more of these bracelets. Warning: addicting!

Share your finished friendship bracelet pictures at my flickr group.

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