fabric flowers with tutorials

i made three different kinds of fabric flowers this week. i might be addicted.

the rosette
i found a great tutorial here for these little rosettes. i made 4 or 5 before i really got the hang of it, but after that it was a breeze! i never pass up a chance to use hot glue either. i love that i know how to make these because they are so versatile. they can go on wreaths, shirts, pillows, headbands, necklaces, etc.

the button flower
this tutorial uses felt to make these flowers, but i used regular old scraps of fabric because i don't really love the felt look. but i loved this tutorial because of the buttons and the "S" formation [genius!]. these were much easier to make consistent flowers and once again, i love hot glue!

the target flower or the mikki flower
mikki, congratulations! you've now been mentioned twice on my blog!
my flowers were originally inspired by a hairpin from target, but made possible by my friend mikki, who made a bunch of this type of flower for her bridesmaids and as party favors at her wedding shower-what a cute idea! the only sad thing about these flowers is that there is no hot glue involved. it's a shame really. i'm going to try to whip together a little picture tutorial later on today if i can figure out indesign.


as you can see, i've attached all of these to headbands. my adorable but bald niece is turning two next month and i'm working on a bunch of cute things to send her.

happy crafting!

rice pack tutorial

in honor of homebirth, here's a wonderful craft that is useful in many ways. i love using mine to ease back and neck aches and my mom uses something similar to help moms during labor. here's how to make it [with pictures!]:

step one: cut two 12"x7" rectangles from your fabric of choice. you can use whatever you have, but i chose flannel because it's nice and soft, yet sturdy.

step two: with right sides together, line up fabric. sew around the edges using 1/2" seam allowance and leaving a 4" opening at the top.

step three: cut corners

step four: turn right side out, making sure to push all four corners out all the way

step five: fill pack with rice. it doesn't matter what kind you use as long as it's not instant! as you can see [above] i used exactly three cups. you don't want it to be super full. if you're making a different size pack, you can see [below] that i filled it a little over half full.

step six: top stitch over the opening.

directions for use:

microwave pack for 1-1.5 minutes and use as needed!

this pack pits perfectly in the small of my back and also fits well underneath my neck. you could also try putting lavender or something similar inside to give it a nice aroma.

happy crafting!

How to make a "Quilted" Nursing Blanket

Disclaimer: I just teach myself how to do things, so I'm sorry if my lingo isn't correct. If it doesn't make sense, I'll just come over and teach you! : )

Things you'll need:

• Sewing Machine
• Fabric Scissors
• Lots of Pins
• (2) 1"-1.5" D-Rings
• (6) Different Patterned Fabrics, 12" cuts (to make two 12"x12" squares from each fabric)
• 1.5 yards of a solid fabric (for the back)
• Matching Thread

Step #1
From your fun patterned fabrics, cut out 12 (two from each pattern) 12"x12" squares. Try to get your cuts to line up with the pattern of the fabric. Another helpful tip is to really try hard for exact squares so that all twelve pieces are identical sizes to each other, this will make sewing a lot easier. Here are the fabrics I picked out:

Step #2:
Arrange your fabrics in the pattern of your choice in a 4x3 arrangement. When you love your arrangement, pin it ALL together. It may seem easier to sew the pieces together one at a time, but trust me, it's way easier to go through the work of pinning it and sewing a few straight lines. Mine looked like this after I got done pinning:

Step #3:
Sew it all together! I started with the two long stretches, then sewed the three shorter stretches. I used a 1/2" seam allowance to make the measurements easy. When you're finished sewing the pieces together, hem the edge by 1/2" as well. The front of your nursing blanket it done! Here's what mine looks like:
Step #4:
Cut out the backside. I used a plain white solid. If you were exact on all of your 1/2" seams and your cutting on the 12"x12" pieces, the backside should measure 45"x34". But I can never get things perfect so I made sure by simply laying my finished front side on the white fabric and cut around it, leaving 1/2" allowance on all sides.

Step #5:
Hem the back side by 1/2". Pin the front to the back, with all of the rough edged facing the inside and sew together the two short side and one long side.

Step #6:
You should have a long edge of your backside fabric. Cut this down to 2" wide. Fold in half, sew the rough edges together. Flip inside out. Sew a 1/2" seam on each side to make it look prettier. Cut about 5" off of that long strip.

Step #7:
On the edge of the blanket that has not bee sewn shut, pull the 5" piece of strap through the D-rings, and pin it to the edge of the blanket. I placed mine at the halfway point of the middle right square. Pin the longer strap opposite the rings, about halfway on the middle left square. Sew the last edge.




That's it! You're done! The last step will probably be to iron the finished project, as you can see I still need to do here: