Hello, Ollie Blog Tour: Swan Princess embroidery hoops

Hey guys! Today is my day to showcase the beautiful 'Hello, Ollie' fabrics by the lovely GoingHomeToRoost! Here's how she describes this soft and sweet line: Like the delicate trace left by a Swan’s dance on the water, this collection illustrates the image of spending an afternoon in the meadow by the lake. Named after Bonnie’s daughter, Ollie, sweetness is brought to life with dabbling swans, feathered fellows and garden blooms.

I was asked to create a few pieces for her fabric market booth to promote this beautiful line of organic fabrics so, of course, I put my own twist on things and somehow turned this into a hand-embroidery project. (If you're following me on Instagram you'll notice that I hardly sew anymore and only have the energy for hand work!) For my projects I decided on two size hoops, a 10" and an 8". I started with some swans, shimmery gold and perfectly matched embroidery threads.

I snipped up some tiny crowns using fabric and faux leather then attached to my hoop fabric with spray adhesive. Using a disappearing ink, I played around with different floral features. The wraps around the swan necks were my favorites, giving them a sense of play mixed with elegance. This was also my first time working with gold floss. Initially I was nervous about it, but it wasn't nearly as scary or stubborn as I had heard and even if it was, the end result would be worth a struggle.

If you've never tried your hand at embroidery, I highly recommend it! It's very soothing, rewarding and simple. Just follow some videos to learn basic stitches if you're a visual learner like me. I usually tell people to start on a favorite fabric, something you can match colors to and add detail work simply by 'coloring' the print. It's a very easy and fun way to learn. Here are some details from my two pieces:

For a more finished look, I wrapped my hoops with lace and bits of twine or coordinating fabric strips. A little bit of hot glue here and there (on the inside of your hoop) as you're wrapping will help keep everything in place. Don't forget to glue at the beginnings and ends of each part as well. Wrapping a hoop really adds an element of detail and makes your work look incredibly complete. Feathers here and there add a bit of whimsy as well. Basically, these hoops were all about the details for me. I wanted to take Bonnie's incredibly sweet print and just bring it to another 3D level.

And let's talk for a minute about the backs of those embroidery hoops. Don't just hand them to friends with all your threads hanging about for everyone to see! I trim my fabric in the back once i'm finished and everything is tightened. I use a thin layer of hot glue on the interior of the hoop back and press all the trimmed fabric to the inside. I use the wood hoop as a guide to cut out a piece of felt, stamp with a 'handmade' stamp and use some hot glue to attach that to the inside back hoop as well. Be careful to avoid any hot glue hitting your fabric work! You'll end up with a very professional looking piece of hoop art and you won't have to be ashamed of your backside!

I hope you guys have enjoyed these hoops and maybe I've given you enough information to go make your own! You really should look at ALL the gorgeous prints in the Hello, Ollie collection here. Bonnie's mother sells fabrics here, although I can't say I've never ordered from her. If she's anything half as nice as Bonnie, I'm sure it would be a great experience. A couple of my favorite (and frequently used) etsy fabric shops are: sewstitchinghappy and llamafabrics, both sweet women with amazing customer service, fast shipping and great selection.

Also, do me a favor and continue on the tour! Check out all the past and future makers here. We work hard to make something pretty and inspiring all the while trying our best to showcase the designers gorgeous fabrics. Bonnie from goinghometoroost posted an amazing free quilt pattern yesterday, and Lisa from mabeyshemadeit is up tomorrow!

Keep calm and craft on!
Cheri

Tinks Hexie Coaster: a tutorial

Are you guys ready to make some adorable hexagon coasters? I thought you might be, so let's get started!

 

Supplies:
Template
Fabric and coordinating fabric for backing
Fusible interfacing
Ribbon (optional)

With my template, I actually glued it onto thin cardboard and trimmed them to size. Now I have studier templates for use in future projects.

Step 1: Once you have your templates trimmed and ready, start cutting out all your front and back pieces using the 'fabric template', and your interfacing pieces using the 'interfacing template'.

Step 2: Iron an interfacing template onto the back of your front coaster fabric. Do this for however many coasters you've cut out. Leave the back pieces of fabric blank.

Step 3: This one is optional. Ive decided to embellish my coasters at this point with some hand-embroidery. Totally unnecessary, but completely adorable.

Step 4: Place the back and front pieces of your coaster together, right sides facing. Follow your interfacing as a template and stitch all around the coaster, leaving a 1.5"-2" opening on one side (I've made purple marks where my opening is).

Step 5: Trim the corners of your coaster and flip inside out. Push the corners out from the inside using a pencil or chopstick (or a fancy tool if you have one). Clip or pin the opening. I like to give it a good iron at this point to make sure it looks the way I want before finishing with a top stitch.

Step 6: Top stitch around the edge of your coaster on your machine.

Step 7: (Optional) Add a ribbon embellishment.

DONE! That's it, you've made a pretty coaster! (Or several....) Enjoy guys, and join me on Instagram to show off your creations. Just use hashtag #tinkshexiecoaster so I can see what you make! Thanks again and happy crafting!

xo, Tink

A scrappy necklace tutorial

What do you do with all those teeny precious scraps? Well, keep them of course! And make lots of teeny adorable things, like these easy wood and fabric pendant necklaces... They're perfect with summer tees and denim. I wore mine yesterday with a teeshirt and my painting jeans for a quick run to pick up more basement floor paint. Covered in paint and I still felt pulled together! Ha! SO here we go:

Some supplies you'll need: Little wooden shapes. I found mine in the scrapbooking section of a local craft store. You can find them online or in your craft stores or Tjmaxx/Marshalls stores. Small jump rings and coordinating chain. Scraps of your favorite fabrics. Needle nose pliers. Scissors (not pictured). Mod podge and a sponge brush (not pictured). Seam ripper. Pen or disappearing ink pen.

Step one: Using your seam ripper or a sharp pointed object, poke two holes into the wood piece.

Step two: Trace your wood shape onto your fabric scrap and cut out. Make sure to cut a bit inside your traced line.

Step three: Spread a drop of mod podge onto your wood piece and place the cut scrap on top. Press down with your fingers to ensure the scrap is evenly attached.
Step four: Spread a drop of mod podge over the top of the fabric to seal it.

Step five: After dry, poke back through your holes to create holes in the fabric. Now attach your jump rings, first through the hole in the wood/fabric and then onto your necklace. Close the jump ring and attach the second one.

That's it, you're done! Now go make a million of these, they're so addicting and the perfect way to show off your textile love. Happy crafting!

The cozy blankie tutorial

So....it's been a while! This is my official first blog post for 2015. Let's make it a good one, shall we?

Who wants to learn how to make the easiest softest cutest blankie? You do? Great. You're going to need a few things.

Supplies:

Half yard cut of 'the soft' fabric...Seriously. I don't know what it's called but it's the same material all those really cozy throw blankets from TJMaxx and HomeGoods are made out of.

FQ of coordinating cotton fabric

Scissors

Pins or clover clips

Intermediate or above knowledge of sewing

Okay. Cut your cuddly fabric to approximately 18x24". Cut your cotton fabric to approximately 16.5x22.5". Lay your inner piece on top of the cuddly piece (centered), wrong sides facing each other. Now start folding your cuddly fabric over the edge of the inside fabric, pinning as you go. Just like you would a binding. If you need help on instructions for a 'faux binding' try a quick search on Pinterest. There are lots of great tutorials out there. 

Now it's time to sew. Can you manage a straight line? Then you can make one of these. 

Just stitch all the way around with a top stitch, making sure your cuddly fabric doesn't come unfolded. You won't see it if you have to unpick and restitch but it's a pain! (PS: I like to add a little tab of ribbon as an accent, just tuck it under your 'binding' before sewing.) Once you've managed to make your way around all the edges, you are done! Congrats. Now wasn't that easy? See? I wouldn't lie to you. Happy making!

Hi, my name is Cheri, and I made two quilts.

There it is, quilt number two. Based on a woodland themed nursery that's going to be mostly neutral. Since we are expecting number two, I figured it would make sense to get this out of the way now. So three years from now there's limited fighting over the single quilt. I'm just ensuring an argument-free future by doing a little late-night sewing, that's all.

So here she is in all her glory:

Craftilicious: hold my hand...warmers

With cooler weather approaching, I've been inspired to sit inside my sewing room during nap time and whip up some of these adorable and easy rice-filled hand warmers. As you can see, I think I made more than enough. They work fantastic too. I tested one out last night as a foot warmer in the bottom of the bed and it seems I need to make a couple of larger ones since the husband decided to share mine. I only microwaved it for about a minute, but it stayed warm for close to an hour. Perfect for those chilly nights, especially if you hate wearing socks to bed, like me...

I loosely followed this tutorial, using my own size measurements. {Pinaholics, you can PinIt here.} I also made myself some larger rectangular versions, for eye pillows. Two of them are filled with 2 cups of flax seed but the other one is filled with 1 3/4 cups of rice. You can also add some lavender in with the flax seed if you want something with a lovely scent. I have an old one I made for myself years ago that I use consistently when the husband is taking too long brushing his teeth in the bathroom before bed and the lamp is glaringly bright.

The project was easy and simple, and quick! {Not to mention a fantastic way to use up those small fabric leftoevers.} It took hardly any time to sew and stuff these. I think I'll make some more for handmade Christmas gifts. How sweet would these be inside a mug along with some tea bags or hot cocoa mix? Think about all the cold hands you could keep warm this winter? Do your part. Craft your hearts out.

DIY personalized memo board tutorial

The other day I decided I wanted something less formal and more functional above our bed. Artwork that was a little more me. I happened to have a bunch of supplies around so I whipped up a quirky little memo board that I can use as art by itself, or to hang and showcase different prints or photos.

Supplies you'll need:
embroidery hoop
embroidery needle
embroidery floss
staple gun
fabric of your choice
stiff but then fusible interfacing
hammer
scissors
posterboard
canvas {I used a thrift store find, which was just large enough for my space and only cost me a few dollars.}

To get started, just cut your posterboard to the size of your canvas and stick it on with some glue or tape. It doesn't have to be extremely permanent since the fabric will be holding it all together eventually.

Now get started on your embroidery. I cut a paper heart out as a template and then traced it onto my fabric. I then freehanded the letters and numbers. Place your fusible interfacing on the back of the fabric {behind your art} and iron on, then put that whole area inside the embroidery hoop and pull tightly. Once everything is secure, you can start sewing the outlines with your floss/thread. I did a very simple stitch to keep it casual. {And I don't know how to do any fancy stitches anyway!}

 

 One you're finished with your embroidery, you can start stapling your fabric to the canvas. Start at one end and put a few staples in, one in the middle and one on each edge, then pull tight on the opposite side making sure your fabric is flat and straight, then staple tight on that side. Continue all around your edges until you have a nice taut piece of fabric on the front. Try to fold your corners in neatly and secure with staples.

 At this point, you're basically finished. You can hang that baby, throw some thumbtacks in it and marvel at your awesomeness. For me, I wanted to go a step further. I took some clothespins, added some wood stain and once they were dry I used e6000 glue to adhere some thumbtacks to them. I now have a completely personalized piece of decor for our master bedroom. And I love it. I hope this inspires you to make a custom piece for your room, office or kitchen! Cheers!

Craftilicious: Trivet cork boards

After seeing a photo on Pinterest, I figured it was easy enough to figure out on my own. So I did. It took me all of ten minutes to make all three of these trivet fabric-covered cork boards. You'll probably have a harder time picking your fabric choices. I know I did.

I only used two in this space. The third one didn't coordinate as well as I thought, so I scrapped it to use elsewhere.

Simply choose and cut fabric to fit around the cork trivet from IKEA. Hot glue around the edges and pull fabric tightly to the back. I did this in a pattern. Top then bottom, left side then right side, then filled the in between just to make sure it was all smooth. In the back I trimmed and glued the excess fabric down and then used 3M velcro tabs to hang it to the wall.

I have to pick up some more. I'm planning to make a set to hang in the living room and use as a rotating picture display, like this: