Scoomer Giveaway (CLOSED)

If the etsy shop, Scoomer, doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.  The owner, "Scoomer" (a nickname since childhood), created her shop from her love of felt and making accessories for her daughter.  Hmm ... she sounds like a kindred spirit!

Scoomer currently sells headbands, hair clips, and the most adorable felt brooches you'll ever see. Each item is completely handmade, and is created in her home studio with occasional help from her husband.  I wonder what her secret is ... how do you convert husbands to crafting?

My favorite item in the Scoomer shop is definitely the pinwheel bobby pins.  Ruby might need a set in her Christmas stocking.  And I might need to borrow them until she has sufficient hair growth to wear them.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering!

What's your favorite item in Scoomer's shop?  Check it out and then leave a comment on this post by November 26th, and you could get exactly what you wish for.  Scoomer is offering a lucky winner their choice of any item from the shop!


The winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 29th.  This giveaway is available to U.S. and international readers (yay!).


I hope you know the rules by now:

1. There is only one entry per person.  If you accidentally enter more than once, please delete your duplicate comment(s). 
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you!  Either your profile must link back to a public blog, or you must leave me an email address.  Anonymous comments (with no contact information) will be deleted.

I plan to eat copious amounts of sweet potatoes and a variety of pumpkin desserts today.  How about  you?  Happy Thanksgiving!

headbands, headbands, and more headbands

I got a little crazy with the hot glue gun this weekend and made a bazillion baby headbands.  Don't worry, they are not all for Ruby.

 Not needing to re-invent the wheel, I used a bunch of tutorials from around the internet:

the purl bee - felt rose barrette
little miss momma - scrunch fabric flower pom pom tutorial
little birdie secrets - fabric rosebud tutorial
not martha (on holidash) - felt dahlia
i am momma - hear me roar - rolled felt flower

These are my favorites:

 After all that hot-gluing, I am a bit short on fingertips.

In other news, I inherited the crafty contents of my ward's Relief Society (the women's organization at my church) closet.  Which means I have a big box of vintage supplies.  Actual vintage, not "vintage."  I'm so excited.  More to come on that later.

join the felt playhouses flickr group!

Hey ya'll. I have been getting SO many emails and comments from people who have made a felt playhouse. And they are turning out really
cute! I love seeing photos of what you all create.

Since I thought other felt playhouse fans might want to see them as well, I created a felt playhouses flickr group.

Share your photos and join the party!

birthday shirt, a new template, and updates

Last night I played, "how complicated can I make a simple project?"  Using Dana's 90-minute shirt tutorial, I sewed a birthday shirt for Oscar's friend (happy birthday, Audrey!).  Then I appliqued the cupcake, hand-sewed the crocheted lace trim, and used my Silhouette cutter to add the text.  Yowza.  I think it's cute.

Here's a copy of the cupcake template I sketched out (right click to save the image to your computer.  re-size and print as needed):

Advent Sew-Along

I'm so excited that many of you want to join me for this project!  Here are the frequently asked questions so far:

1)  What kind of felt am I using?  I love Rainbow Classic felt, which is made of 100% eco-fi (polyester made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles).  It is a good thickness, comes in gorgeous colors, and very economical - hence, my favorite non-wool felt. You can buy it in yardage at fabric.com, among other places.

I wish I had a big enough craft budget to use wool felt, but that is not reality for me.  If you are willing to spend some extra money and truly make an heirloom piece, I would definitely recommend using wool or wool-blend felt.

2)  When will I be posting about the advent calendar?  Look for updates and assignments every Wednesday!

Ruby Blessing Dress

My apologies for the wait on the Ruby Blessing Dress pattern and tutorial.  Tutorials take a long time to put together, and unfortunately birthdays, holidays, and real life just keep getting in the way.  It will be posted as soon as possible!

Have a lovely weekend!

Ruby's Halloween costume: baby aerobics instructor

Ruby's current wardrobe basically consists of onesies, leg warmers and headbands, so her Halloween costume was an easy choice - baby aerobics instructor it is!

All she required was a major accessory:

 Check out these legs.  She definitely has the physique to pull this look off.  Watch out, Jane Fonda!

 Comfy costumes make for happy babies.

 I have to admit ... I love my felt boombox!  It's almost as cute as Ruby.

rollie-pollie pumpkin

Oscar is a Halloween kid through and through.  He waffled on his costume selection at first (bat, pirate, star wars guy), but eventually he had only one request: a pumpkin! 

When I asked him to try on his costume for a photo, he said, "wait! I need a pumpkin.  It looks just like me."  So cute.

The hat was made using Delia Create's hat-ette tutorial.  It was so fast and easy to put together (literally less than a half hour!) and totally completes the look.  I used elastic instead of a ribbon tie, because I wanted it to be quick to put on and take off.

For the felt pumpkin suit, I used the Rollie Pollie bean bag pattern from MADE, with the small bag pattern pieces scaled down slightly.  The zipper in the pattern makes the costume really easy to get in and out of.  Instead of adding the top and bottom pieces, I made an elastic casing.   I cut arm holes in the side, and edged them with "bias" tape made from felt.   The arm holes are cut a little too large, but you can't win them all.

Or maybe you can?

For the actual costume day, he's going to wear and orange t-shirt and his green legging pj pants underneath, and we are going to stuff the pumpkin to fill it out a bit.

I am also going to be a pumpkin, but don't require any stuffing in my costume.  Only 3 weeks to go before baby girl #2 arrives.  :)

Lickety-Split Birthday Crown

 

Need a last-minute birthday crown?  The one Oscar is wearing took 5 steps and  less than 30 minutes to make.

Supplies:

• two paper-sized sheets of felt
• approximately 8 inches of elastic (depending on the size of your child's head)
• the usual sewing supplies.

Instructions:

1. Using the template below, cut two crown pieces, one circle, and the number of your choice.
2. Sew the birthday number to the circle piece.  I cut out my circle with pinking shears for a little extra interest.
3. Sew your now-numbered circle to the center wave of the crown.  Add any other embellishments you'd like - ric rac, ribbon, trim, etc.
4. Lay your two crown pieces together, right sides out.  Sandwich one end of the elastic between the crown pieces and sew in place.  Repeat on the other side.  Make sure your elastic is not twisted.
5. Sew around the entire outer edge, and you're done!  Time to party.

 

felt playhouse Q&A (and a mailbox template)

I am overwhelmed by the response I'm getting from the playhouse.  Thank you so much!  I am really pleased with how it turned out, and it is always fun when other people love it, too.  So thanks again!

Here's one last template. Everything else on the playhouse is either a really basic shape that should be easy for you to cut on your own, or is just too big to do a template for.

I've been getting tons of the same questions in the comments.  Rather than make you read through them all, I thought I'd round them all up in a post.

1.  Did you think of this idea yourself?  No way!  I'm not quite that clever.  The first fabric playhouse I ever saw was on Nothing Fancy, who made the sweetest little playhouse out of a duvet cover and twin sheet set.  Then I saw an awesome playhouse at This and That, which won me over big time because it is full of cuteness on the inside too (I so did not take the time to line mine and decorate the inside ... but I do have some future plans).  This and That's SIL, Sew Much Ado, also made a fun all-boy playhouse (with a tutorial!) and linked over to Imaginative Play Toys on Etsy.  That's when I knew, I wanted to make an all-felt house.  So, no - the felt playhouse itself was not my idea, but I think all of the decorations and embellishments are pretty unique.  I tried to make it one of a kind.

2.  How do you hang it/make it stand up?  The playhouse is essentially a slipcover made to fit my kitchen table.  Kind of like a tablecloth with sides?  The top is a big rectangle of felt.  I sewed the side pieces to the top piece, and then I sewed the side edges together.  Presto-chango-playhouse!

3.  What are the playhouse's dimensions?  It is 48 inches wide, 30 inches tall and 36 inches deep.  When I was cutting my side pieces I added an inch to all of the dimensions for seam allowance.  However, this is made to fit my kitchen table.  So whether you are making a playhouse to fit your own kitchen table, a folding card table, or a stand you make yourself, please use your own measurements!

4.  Where did you buy your felt?  How much felt do you need to make it?  How much did it cost? What exactly did you order (colors and amounts)?  I bought my felt by the yard at Fabric.com.    Here is my exact order:  3.5 yards Rainbow Felt Peacock, 1.5 yards Rainbow Felt White, 1 yard Rainbow Felt Orange, .5 yard Rainbow Felt Walnut Brown, .5 yard Rainbow Felt Yellow, .5 yard Rainbow Felt Cashmere Tan.  I have a mountain of leftover felt, so you really don't need this much.  But I don't mind, because I LOVE having lots of felt on hand.  I know I reference Fabric.com a lot around here, but I've just had a great experience with them.  They have free shipping for orders over $35, and there is usually a coupon code floating around the internet.   In my felt order the accidentally forgot to include the white felt, so they over-nighted the missing fabric.  Now that's what I call service!  (and no, I am not affilliated with fabric.com in any way).  My order, taking advantage of a coupon code and free shipping, only cost $26.

5.  Why did you use felt, as opposed to cotton or another fabric?  I wanted my entire playhouse to be made out of the same material.  And I didn't want to spend forever finishing seams or appliqueing on details.  Felt was a good choice for me because I didn't have to finish any seams (yay!) and I could just sew (not applique) all the decorations directly to the playhouse walls.   Felt is not the best choice if you expect to wash your playhouse frequently. 

6.  Do you sell these?  A big no to this one.  I'm not going to lie ... this project was a ton of work.  Unless someone I love very much asks me to make one for them, I don't see this being a repeat project for me.  Good news is, you can get a beautiful custom playhouse at Imaginative Play Toys (an etsy shop).  She makes over two dozen different designs!

7.  Was it hard to sew together (since it is so large)?  It really wasn't very hard to sew together, despite all that fabric.  As long as you add all of your embellishments before sewing the sides together, you should be fine.  I added mesh to the window panes after it was all put together, and that was a serious pain in the neck.  Embellish first, assemble second!

Great ideas that came through the comments:

From Prairie Girl - "Wouldn't it be cute to make velcro Christmas lights to "hang" around the roof or on the tree. Or how about a snowman to "build" on the side of the house."  Yes, velcro Christmas lights are about the cutest thing I've ever heard of.

Someone else suggested (and I can't remember who - I couldn't find the comment.  sorry!) that I could build a frame for the house using PVC pipe.  Great idea!  This is definitely something to consider when we get a different kitchen table.

flower, fruit and vegetable templates

Happy Friday!  To use the following templates from my felt playhouse, right click on the images to save and print as a full 8.5x11 sheet of paper.  enjoy  :)

 

Flower instructions:

• Cut two of each flower.
• Cut one center for each (except tulip).
• Embellish the front of the flower with a felt center, button, etc.  Set aside.
  
• Sew a tube of green felt for the stem.  Insert a pipe cleaner for added stability.  I folded my pipe cleaners in half and twisted the ends together to keep them from ripping through.
• Sandwich 1/2 inch of stem between the two pieces of flower.
• Sew around the outside edge, leaving an opening for stuffing.
• Stuff flower with polyfill.
• Sew the opening closed.

 

Can I get away with not posting full instructions for all of the produce?  In brief - for each item, cut two.  Attach a square of velcro to the back piece if you want it to stick to the playhouse.  With both pieces together, sew around the outer edge, leaving an opening for stuffing.  Stuff with polyfill.  Sew the opening closed.  For apple and carrot, insert stem (use a 3 inch piece of ribbon or trim (folded in half) for the apple) before sewing the opening closed.  Easy, peasy!

For the corn, cut strips of white and yellow felt and weave into a rectangle, slightly larger than the template.  Cut two additional yellow corn pieces using the template.  Sew one solid yellow piece to the woven rectangle, going around the outer edge.  Trim off excess woven pieces.  Layer your woven corn piece with the other yellow corn piece and sew around the outside, leaving an opening for stuffing.  Stuff with polyfill and sew opening closed.

 

felt playhouse

I'm so excited to finally post this project!  Welcome to apartment 9 ...

 

So far, these flowers in the window box are Oscar's absolute favorite.  They last about 2 seconds in the box before he has plucked them all, and then drags them around all day.  The stems have a pipe cleaner in them to give them support, and as a bonus, makes them satisfyingly bendy.

A close second favorite for Oscar is passing items through the mailbox.  In, out, in, out ... he could do it all day long.

 

Woof, woof.  We are not really dogs-in-the-house kind of people, but we love seeing them when we go on walks.  I think this faux-Sharkey makes the perfect pet. 

 

I enlarged and modified this french bulldog template on marthastewart.com to make the little guy.

 

 

The animals on this side of the house were also made with borrowed templates.  The squirrel is from matsutake, and the owl is my interpretation of the Petit Collage template on marthastewart.com.

I added this mesh (formerly a laundry bag) to the windows over the weekend after Oscar made repeated attempts to jump through the window panes.  So for those of you interested in making one of these yourself, consider either making the windows small or adding some kind of mesh/vinyl/etc.  I almost did clear vinyl, but I wanted to keep the air flowing inside.  A felt house can get stuffy!

 

Apple picking time!  I tried to make this tree look pretty similar to the one found in Oscar's quiet book.  He has been enjoying picking apples and can even put them back on the tree.  I think I'm going to make lemons for the tree for a little variety. 

 

On the back of the house, you'll find a big garden, ripe for harvest.  The soil has many pockets to fill with veggies (with room to grow as I make more).

 

I think the corn on the cob is my favorite part.  It was my brilliant basket-weaving mom's idea to weave the  white and yellow felt together for the corn cob.  Too cute!  It slides easily in and out of the husk.

Hungry for a BLT?  We have lettuce ripe for picking.

I could probably write up a month of posts on this playhouse, but I'll try to stick with just a few more. 

UPDATE:  I have posted some playhouse templates here and here.  See the felt playhouse Q&A post for frequently asked questions on the playhouse.  Thanks!

ruby and george go camping

Yesterday was Oscar's fourth birthday.  I have to admit ... this one made me ache a little.  How did my baby get so big so fast?

Late last week I got into birthday prep mode, which explains why I fizzled out of kcwc.  Oscar loves camping and playing camping, so for his birthday, I made him a little felt campfire set.

But wait ... that's not Oscar, you say!  Well, after hours of embroidery, the campfire set was unceremoniously tossed aside in favor of his new Star Wars Lego sets (I could have seen that one coming).  Ruby, on the other hand, has been playing with it ever since.

I made the logs and fire using a pattern from the book, Big Little Felt Universe.  The only thing I changed from the pattern was to stuff the fire with polyfill instead of gluing the pieces together (in the book, it is flat, in kind of a tripod shape).

I also made a felt marshmallow that fits on a wooden dowel skewer after seeing something similar on a campfire set on Etsy.  I need to work on the proportions a bit, but maybe I'll post a template for it later.

I'm sure Oscar will get around to playing with it eventually.  In the meantime, this campfire is in good hands.

three more quiet book pages

Another quiet book ... DONE! Well, I still have to make a quick cover, but that won't take any time at all. So, without further ado, here are the last three pages.

First, a little something for Halloween:


boo! I love the friendly ghost.

Then, a bit of circus animal fun:

The balloon has a squeaker inside. Yes, I know that is not exactly quiet. But it is FUN!

My mom is in town for Oscar's birthday and helped me crank out these last two pages. She did all the little french knots for the popcorn. Doesn't it look delicious?




Serious progress was made on the playhouse today. So excited!