Felt Food: Bacon Tutorial

I don't think my felt breakfast collection could've possibly been complete without bacon.

And it was important to me that the edges curl up like real bacon (something that was easily achieved by adding thin wire between the layers of felt).

Although this was the fussiest, most applique intense, food I've made to date- it wasn't difficult. Actually quite the contrary, it's the first time I've ever sat comfortably with a sewing project. So who knows, maybe applique will turn out to be my sewing niche!

To make some felt bacon of your very own:

Cut two strips from dark brown felt for each slice of bacon. I cut a shape that looked good to me. It ended up measuring 1.25 x 5.5 inches. But really, you can make strips any size you like.

Next cut some wavy bits (that's a technical term) from light tan felt. I made these shapes freeform; some were long and curved, others were short and more angular. Cut enough tan pieces for one side of each brown strips.

Whipstitch around the perimeter of the tan felt to attach it to the brown strips.

Once you have all the tan attached it's time to add wire*. I used thin wire that was easy to bend by hand but holds it's shape under the weight of the felt. I don't know the gauge but to give you an idea- it's a little thinner and easier to bend than a paperclip. Another good place for thin wire is ribbon. I tried pulling the wire out of a few scraps of ribbon and it worked perfectly!

*A note on safety: Adding wire to a toy for small children isn't safe. Wire should only be used if children are older and parents decide it's safe. Bacon can easily be made without the wire- simply cut the dark brown strips so the edges are wavy instead of straight. 

Cut two pieces of wire almost as long as the bacon. Bend the ends of the wire into loops so the sharp ends won't poke out through the finished bacon. Don't bend the wire back on itself too tightly- keep the loops open, it'll be handy in the next step.

Take one strip of brown and sew two pieces of wire down either side of the back (non-applique side). The loops in the wire come in handy here because they help to hold the wire in place. Start by knotting the thread through the loop at one end. Sew down the wire with a shallow whipstitch (you don't want the stitch to go through and show on the applique side).  Then knot the thread through the loop at the bottom of the wire to secure. Repeat on the other side. Be sure to leave a bit of room between the edge of the felt and the wire because you'll need room to sew both brown strips together.

Place the both felt strips (one non-wired and one wired) wrong sides together. Whipstitch around the edges and you're done. Crinkle it up now or keep it flat until it's "cooked".

I didn't do it- but I bet you could also add my sizzling egg sound effect to the bacon strips. That'd be fun!

Felt Food Strawberries with Free Berry Container Template

Here's the latest item from my Christmas gift felt food-athon. (Try saying that five times fast.) A pint of fresh strawberries. Complete with a berry basket made from felt too.

Since there are a ton of great strawberry tutorials out there, I'm not going to go into detail on how to make the berries. (Instead I've included a few links to tutorials below.)

But when I decided I wanted to make a felt basket to hold them all- I couldn't find an example or tutorial anywhere. And I ended up winging it...

First I cut a rough berry box shape out of paper and revised it until I was happy with the size and shape. Then used my paper version as a template to cut the basket shape from a sheet of stiffened craft felt.

Once the basket was cut, I folded it and used an adhesive made especially for craft felt to glued the tabs in place on the inside. (If you don't have felt glue you can use Tacky, or most white craft glues instead).

I taped the corners with painter's tape to hold the basket together while the glue dried. When it was dry I removed the tape and had a nice sturdy little basket for all my berries.

And because I had such a hard time finding a pattern for a felt berry basket; I decided to make mine into a FREE downloadable template.

Click here to download a copy of Felt Berry Basket pattern. 

This pattern is available for personal, non commercial use only.

And if you want step by step instructions for making some berries to go with it- here are a few links to some great tutorials that use the same basic technique I used for mine.

Great beaded strawberry from whileshenaps.typepad.com
Pdf tutorial by breadandbuttons.typepad.com
Tutorial from helpinglittlehands.com- this site has some other wonderful felt food tutorials too!

Enjoy!

Felt Food: Pancakes Anyone?

My foray into felt food continues with another breakfast classic- pancakes!

I seriously love pancakes. On weekends The Mister makes really good pancakes, and these felt versions have me wishing it was the weekend already.

And you can't have pancakes them without some syrup, right?

A pat of butter too, ok.

Or maybe a few strawberries. Yum! (More on those berries later.)

The pancakes were pretty easy to make: For each cake I used two ivory circles and two light tan circles (cut about a 1/4 inch smaller than the ivory). First I whipstitched the tan circles to the ivory. Then I placed the ivory circles together (with the tan circles facing out) and sandwiched a thin piece of batting between them. The ivory circles get whipstitched together to finish the whole thing. Before you know it you have a nice little stack of pancakes!

Eventually I might try my hand at making my personal favorite- blueberry pancakes. But for now I have a lot of food to make before Christmas (not to mention the fact that the craft store was very low on the two colors required to make pancakes) so I'll have to move on to something else.

Besides, I think these pancakes, and the eggs I made the other day, could both use some bacon to keep them company. 

Fried Felt Eggs with Sizzle Sound Effect

There's nothing quite like the holidays to get you making things you never imagined you'd be creating.

Like felt food.

I know it's been wildly popular for quite a while, I've just never had a need for it. When you add in my relatively poor sewing skills and general lack of using felt as a crafting material, it's not a likely project for me.

But the kiddo in my life has a new found love for pretend cooking... and Christmas is coming. So this Auntie has turned into a felt foodie.

These fried eggs were my first project. My favorite thing about them is the "sizzle" sound they make when you press on them.

Here's how I made the eggs:

I cut a circle, approximately 1 inch in diameter, out of yellow craft felt. Then cut two matching freeform "egg shaped" pieces out of white felt.

Using yellow thread I whipstitched the yellow circle onto one of the white pieces.

When it was stitched 3/4 of the way around, I added a bit of stuffing between the yellow and white felt to puff up the yolk. Then I stitched the rest of the way around the yolk.

For the sizzle sound effect* I cut two matching pieces from a plastic grocery bag. The pieces were the same general shape as the egg but smaller. I left about a quarter of an inch of the felt will show all way around the edge.

*A note on safety: Obviously if you are putting small pieces of plastic into a toy- it's not a toy that's safe for small children. There is a risk of choking or suffocation anytime a small child comes in contact with plastic bags. So this toy is not suitable for a child who might put this toy (or the plastic inside, if the toy were to break open) into their mouth. It's definitely not for children under 3 (or perhaps even older depending on the child).

I sandwiched the plastic between the two white pieces and sewed the whole thing together by whipstitching around the edge with white thread.

That's all there was to making these yummy looking, sizzly sounding fried eggs.

Now that these are done I'm moving on to another felt food project. My plan is to make a variety of foods before Christmas arrives.

Pant Hem Zippered Pouches

My time in the SYTYC competition continues. I made it past week 1 with my Scrappy Project- Pant Hem Zippered Pouches.

Before I get into the tutorial I just wanted to remind you that voting opens today (and goes until Thursday) for Week 2. This week's theme is "Repurposed". I know there are a bunch of cool things this week so go have a look and cast your vote!

Pant Hem Zippered Pouches:

I can't quite believe I made a sewing project for this competition (some of you already know that sewing is not my greatest skill). Add to that the fact that I've never sewn a zipper before and you can see why this was not the smartest choice for a project to go with.

But once I had the idea for these little pouches I just wasn't satisfied with any of my other ideas. So I went for it and sewed a zipper for the first time (minus a zipper foot on my sewing machine, because it turns out my machine doesn't have one).

It took a bit of trial and error but I was thrilled with how they turned out. I hope you'll believe me when I tell you this project really is quick and easy! Because trust me- if I could make these you can definitely make them!

Start with the cuffs from hemmed pants. I took about 3 inches off one pair and 3.5 off the other.

Incidentally, I normally don't have to take so much off. But the store didn't have these pants in the length I normally buy, but they fit really well so I bought them anyway. But now that I know I can make bags with the scraps, I just might start buying all my pants too long.


Anyway, back to the tutorial...

Three inches really isn't enough to make a pouch, but luckily there's usually about an inch or half inch of fabric turned under the cuff. Rip that seam as well as the side seams. You'll windup with two flat pieces of fabric. (The seams may want to fold back up so iron them flat if you need to.)

Cut 2 pieces of lining fabric to the same size.

Note: If you want to make a clutch style bag you can iron interfacing to the pant fabric and make it stiff. This was a scraps challenge and I didn't have any interfacing. Without it, these bags are perfect for things like makeup, or money. You can also make them shorter and they'd be perfect for change.

Lay one piece of pant hem fabric right side up. Place the zipper on top, right side facing down. Put the lining fabric on top of the zipper, right side down. Pin the zipper fabric sandwich together along the top and sew(preferably using a zipper foot).

For the next step it's super important to unzip the zipper halfway. Don't forget! (If you do it's not good, trust me).

Make the same fabric zipper sandwich again, this time using the side of the zipper that hasn't been sewn.

Once you have the fabric attached to both sides of the zipper lay the fabric out so the lining sides are together and both pant fabric sides are together. Pin all the way around the edge.

When you sew, go almost all the way around. Leave a few inches in the middle of the lining side unsewn, you'll need that open space to turn the bag right side out.

Once it's sewn, iron the seams, and cut the corners at a 45 degree angle so they're easier to turn.

Turn the bag right side out- here's where it was important to leave the zipper half way unzipped- and Ta-Da! (I always feel like saying that when I've successfully sewn something). You have a cute little bag made from pant hem scraps.

Last but not least, hand sew the opening in the lining closed and you're finished!

The bag only uses the hem scraps from one leg- so you can actually make two bags from one pair of pants! I think they'd make really cute little gifts. You could probably add some handles and make an adorable "grown-up" looking handbag for a little girl.

If you want to embellish the bags, do that before you close the gap in the lining. I added a few extra buttons I had laying around to one bag. On the other I used the hem scraps from the other leg to make a ruffle.

Make A Customizable Family Tree Pillow- Free Printable

This is Part 2 of my Simply Screen Custom Silk Screen Kit Review- The project reveal.

If you missed Part 1 you can check it out here.

Lately I've been doing some genealogical research. And it sparked my interest in making a family tree project. (Plus I really needed some new pillows on the couch and have been meaning to try and make some for a long time now.)

Not only is this pillow something you can make for yourself but it's also a great gift for anyone on your list this holiday season because it's completely customizable.

First I used the custom silk screens I made to print a tree onto t-shirt-like fabric. That'll be the front of the pillow. For the back I used this cute little striped fabric.

Once the screened image is printed and dry, if you are making the pillow for yourself you can go ahead and write your family names around the tree leaves.

If you are going to give the pillow away as a gift, move straight to the next step which is sewing the pillow.

To make the pillow I followed this fabulous tutorial for an envelope pillow that Tracey Pereira put together as a guest post during my sewing 101 week.

Once the pillow is done (and by the way thank you so much Tracey because I actually, finally, sewed my own pillow and it was easy), turn it right side out and stuff it with a pillow form.

If you are going to gift this pillow include a fabric marker, and a nice card or tag letting the recipient know how they can easily customize this pillow with their family names. Another nice thing to include is a piece of cardboard. The recipient can place the cardboard inside the pillow when writing the names onto the front and the marker won't bleed onto the back of the pillow.

If you'd like to make this pillow for yourself or as a gift, I've made my screen design available as a free download here. All I ask is that you please respect the time it took me to make this design by not using it to produce items you intend to sell. It's for personal use only.

Crutch Convenience

Truth is they still really aren't convenient...but they are way better. Soon after I gave the

se babies a cute makeover I realized they also needed to be more functional.

Basically I just wanted a way to hold my cell phone while I was tottering around the house because what kept happening (over and over again) was that the mister would run out to do errands and would call to make sure I was doing ok while he was out. But since my knee was swollen and hurting I'd be wearing yoga pants or pajama pants (both of which have no pockets) and would miss the calls. By the time I'd get back to the phone he'd be starting to worry and I had twice as much unessesary crutching around.

Long story short- I needed a crutch pocket!

I don't know why I only feel like sewing while I'm sick or injured but it's definitely a theme with me. This time thought I decided to forgo using the machine and opted to sew my handy dandy pocket by hand.

I'm actually really happy with how it came out. It holds a few essentials and seriously makes the crutches about a thousand times better.

My knee is getting better- in fact I only need the crutches some of the time now. If I've iced and rested my knee I can do a bit of limping around without them. And tomorrow I have my first PT appointment so soon I think I'll be back to my regularly planned March crafting.

Thanks for all the nice comments on my first crafty crutch post wishing me well! : )

Sew a Paper and Fiber Card: Sewing 101 Week

Today is the last day of my sewing 101 week. And my last project is something that I've never done before but always wanted to try- a paper and fiber sewn card.

I gathered loose bits of fiber, a few pieces of a yarn I liked and some bits of paper.

Then arranged them on a blank card. And took them to the sewing machine.

This was the most comfortable project I've ever attempted to sew.

I make a lot of cards. And this, well, didn't take really any sewing skills. I didn't worry about sewing a straight line and I didn't care if what I was sewing creased or folded.

Turns out though that I may have stumbled on a great way for me to practice because I did sew straight lines. Anything that curved I did intentionally. And anything that creased or folded- that was on purpose too.

I love the way the loose and yarn swirls around the torn pieces of paper. And my favorite thing is the contrasting yellow thread I used for the sewn lines.

This was really fun and I'm definitely going to experiment with making more of these cards. It'll be a great way for me to practice sewing!

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoyed sewing 101 week. If you missed yesterdays post: a tutorial for reversible tote by Jane from Maiden Jane, you can find it here. It's a great beginners project!

Tutorial- Reversible Tote From Maiden Jane. Sewing 101 Week

Today Sewing 101 week continues with a fantastic tote tutorial by Jane of Maiden Jane.

I love Jane's blog, her photographs are gorgeous and every sewing project I've ever seen from her is something I'd love to have!

So without further adieu I give the blog over to Jane:

Meg invited me to share a "Sewing 101" tutorial with you today. I am Jane from Maiden Jane. I have a few tutorials on my blog to show how to make simple pillows and totes. I believe when you are learning to sew it is best to pick a fun project and give it a try! I started sewing by machine when my first son was born, 18 years ago. My first project was a fabric doll for my niece. I hit some road blocks, but my mother-in-law was able to help me. Since then, I've stitched thousands of miles on my Singer and ripped out quite a few miles as well. I have learned perseverance and received much enjoyment from this wonderful hobby.

It is my hope that you will try this simple reversible tote and learn a few things along the way. The end result is a simple bag, perfect for carrying your library books. The teens love these to toss in their gym clothes or extra belongings for school or extracurriculars.

Reversible Canvas Tote Tutorial

Materials Needed:

• 1/2 yard canvas fabric, 45" wide

• 1/2 yard coordinating canvas fabric for lining, 45" wide

• 2/3 yard interfacing, Pellon 911 F or comparable

• tube turning tool

• thread

Skills Learned:

• apply interfacing

• make a fabric tube

• topstitching

Use 1/4" seam allowance.

Instructions:

1. Cut Fabric: Fold fabric so that selvages meet at the top.

2. Mark the fabric at 13 1/2 inches wide.

3. Mark the fabric 16 inches from the fold. Connect marks to create a rectangle and cut out fabric.

4. Use this folded fabric piece as your pattern for the contrasting lining piece and cut. You should now have two rectangles, each 13 1/2" x 32".

Tip: If you plan to make a lot of these bags, make a simple pattern using pattern fabric (as shown in this photo), wax paper, or freezer paper.

5. Cut two rectangles for the handles: each 3 3/4" x width of fabric (in most cases 22 1/2").

6. Interface the handles. This provides stability for the handles so that they don't crinkle up too easily. I use Pellon 911 F interfacing.

• Cut the interfacing using the handles as a pattern.

• Trim a 1/4" from one short side and one long side of the interfacing. This will help prevent getting interfacing on your ironing board.

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions to apply the interfacing. I typically use a damp handkerchief and apply a hot, dry oven for 15 seconds. When the application is done I iron the handle pieces.

7. Sew handles: With right sides together, fold long edges of handle pieces together. Stitch long edge. Repeat with other handle.

8. Turn handles inside out. There are a number of products you can use to do this. I use this Clover product.

Press the handle. You can stitch along the long edges of the handle, if desired. Stitch close to the edges, approximately 1/8" from the edge. Have your eye focus on the needle and edge of the fabric.

9. Sew bag: With right sides together, sew long sides of fabric. Press seams.

Tip: Pressing helps set your stitches and create a professional-looking seam. Use and up and down motion (not back and forth like ironing) to move along the length of the seam. Then press the seam to one side.

10. Repeat with contrast lining fabric.

11. Make a mock box bottom.

• Pull the fabric so that the seam is in the center and a triangle forms at the bottom of the bag.

• Find the point at which there are 3" across the base of the triangle and draw a line. Sew along this marked line.

• Trim the triangle about 1/4" from sewn edge.

• Repeat on the remaining bottom corners of both bags.

12. Pin handles to the bag front, right sides together, 3" from each edge. Stitch in place.

13. Insert bag with handles into the lining bag, right sides together.

14. Start at the side seams and pin the fabric together around the top edge of the bag.

15. Stitch around the top of the bag, all layers together, leaving a 2-3" opening for turning. I like to leave the opening where there is no handle. I start by back-stitching, stitch around the circle and then back-stitch at the point I stop.

16. Pull the lining fabric through the opening.

17. Push the lining fabric inside the main fabric.

18. Press around the entire top, pressing the seam allowances at the opening under. Pin the opening closed.

19. Top stitch around the top edge. First stitch 1/8" from the edge and then repeat at 1/2" from the edge.

20. Give the bag a final press and enjoy!

Thanks, Meg, for sharing your blog! It is my hope you'll stop by my blog or Etsy shop.