I have really been into using felt lately. It’s like the wonder material – you can make so much with it, it’s inexpensive and so easy to use. I had bought some little boys shirts for cheap ($3 at Walmart, and they are nice, too) and decided to use them to stitch some felt applique’s on. So I decided on a catepillar and a lion. Once I cut out the shapes I needed in the colors I wanted, I added any embellishments (like eyes, mouths, ears, etc) and then just secured them on the shirt using a blanket stitch.

I finished up with a few other accents and voila – cute (and boyish) felt applique shirts. Each one cost approx $4 and about an hour to make from start to finish.

I love to combine crafts when I can. This idea has worked best for me to create embroidery patterns using my rubber stamps. Here I made a travel pillow for my son’s first birthday with a cowboy theme.

1. Use washable ink and press the rubber stamp firmly to make sure it shows up dark on the fabric. It needs to be dark because through the process, and because your hoop and hands will rub it, your pattern may disappear before you can finish embroidering it. (hence why my cowboy’s gloves are a little unclear) Also, I wouldn’t choose a stamp that was really tiny or detailed. The good side of using washable ink is that it will fade by the time you are done or you can wipe it off with a damp cloth. I like using this method because I can also alter the pattern, like I chose not the stitch the cowboys’ mustache.

2. Cut the fabric in the shape/size that you want if making a pillowcase, center the design and stamp. Then embroider the pattern Before sewing the pillowcase together.

3. I left the ends of my pillow case open so it could be removed and washed. The cowboy print side is flannel and the brown side that I embroidered on was a light-weight, suede-like material. This is the first time that I used fringe trim but it will not be the last! I thought it was so easy and cute and I have been looking around the house for what else I can sew it on to with the extra I had leftover.

4. The actual pillow I made using cheap white fabric and good old poly-fil, since I could not find the shape I wanted at the store. In total the whole project cost me less than $4.

Using rubber stamps for your embroidery pattern is also great because you can make things to match. For his party, for example, I made the pillow, cowboy birthday thank you cards, and gift bags for the other children.

This method has opened up tons of options for me since I often want to embroider but don’t trust myself to draw the pattern and don’t often like what there is for iron-ons (and I have hundreds of stamps).

Have you ever wanted to make a needlepoint project with a particular picture on it, or perhaps incorporate some words into your knitting or crochet?
Check out this great free resource, knitPro 2.0. This is a great site that allows you to upload a picture into the program, and it generates a chart for your use as a pdf file, allowing you to follow it and make any personalized project you desire.

This program will generate charts for needlepoint, cross stitch, crochet and knitting. A great way to make a special personalized gift and expand your techniques!

This will be my son’s first Christmas, and I wanted to make him something special. I’m not really into stuffed animals, so I haven’t bought any for him. But since he’s taken an interest in the ones he already has, I decided to make him one using a fabric that’s inexpensive, washable, and easy to work with: felt.

You can make any animal you choose, I just chose a penguin since I’m really into birds right now, and I wanted his to be cute but also boyish. So first you’ll want to pick an animal, draw it out and then get it blow up using a copy machine, to however big you want it. Cut out the shapes and trace them onto cardboard, then cut those shapes out. When you’re cutting feet, arms, or anything that’s to go on the edge of the animal, you’ll want to add a little extra, maybe a quarter to a half-inch, to the place where you’ll adhere the piece to the edge.

Place your shapes on the pieces of felt you’ve chosen and secure them with a needle or pin. Cut around the shapes. Since you’ll need a front and a back, and you have sharp enough scissors, you may want to double up the felt to cut the pieces so the pieces match up perfectly.

Next you’ll want to stitch your top pieces onto the body of the animal. Place pieces in desire places and secure with a pin or needle. Here I put the belly on first, then the beak. I also added a little polyfil to the belly and beak to give the pieces a little more dimension. I used a blanket stitch for all the pieces but you can use any stitch you’re comfortable with. I then stitched the eyes on using a seed stitch.

Next you’ll want to stitch together the feet, adding a little polyfill to them before closing. Stitch the feet onto the piece that will be the backside of your stuffed animal.

After all your pieces are placed, then you can stitch the front and back side together, stopping when you’re almost done to add the polyfil. Add as much fill as you want. You don’t want to overstuff your animal, but you also don’t want it really flat either. If your animals has tight corners, use the end of a pencil or pen to push the fill into them. Place a pin or needle close to the edge of where you’ll stitch to keep it close together so you’re final stitches will be straight. Finish up the seam and voila! A finished (and adorable) stuffed animal.

From start to finish this project took about 3 hours so it’s something you can do while watching TV or if you have some spare time. And as always, have fun with it. Don’t worry if your animal isn’t perfect or even a little choppy (like mine). I think imperfections add to it’s character and cuteness, and I’m sure who ever you’re making it for won’t mind at all.