Tag: handmade

The fuzzy forest is back!

Handmade felted wool Christmas tree

Felted wooly Christmas treesIt seems the festive season is upon us. With Halloween just around the corner, we’ll soon be galloping at an exhilarating rate towards the Holidays! Time to gather and slice the wood branches that have been drying out all summer, start felting some old wool sweaters, grab my scissors, and make some…

Wooden wall art of many colors

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This is the first artwork Mark and I have ever collaborated on. We planned to create a piece to transform a corner of our small garden, giving the seating area a chilled lounge-like feel. It was great working closely together (did I really say that? OK, mostly it was great), using his woodworking skills and…

Making appliqué patches—a very easy tutorial!

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The things I create usually have a tattered, frayed, vintage-y vibe, but I wanted a clean and modern look for my current project. So let me share with you how I made these super crisp-edged applique shapes. You’ll need the following: Lightweight cotton or linen fabric Lightweight fusible interfacing (I used this one) Pen or…

A rice bag fit for a party!

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We’re going to a fancy party this weekend. Our friend has reached the big 5-0! After making sure my favorite dress still fits (yay! It did! It’s been a bit of a feast this Christmas with way too many mince pies, Christmas cake, and wine), I decided this was the perfect opportunity to design a…

How to make fuzzy, cosy, wooly Christmas trees!

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I’ve just created a wooly, fuzzy forest of Christmas trees! I made these cuties by stacking concentric circles of felted sweaters and wool fabric samples. A malleable length of wire holds them together, and they sit upon wood slices from our recently trimmed trees. I topped some of them with a rusty barn-style metal star…

Feeling autumnal

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This is my favorite time of the year. Mostly for the colors. All those gorgeous hues of rich reds and burnt orange. I love that the California sun has lost some of its ferocity and there’s, fingers crossed, rain on the horizon. I can’t stop smiling as we drive past fields of pumpkins near Half…

Little works of art—Boro coaster tutorial

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When I started to put these modern little squares of fabric art together, they were destined to be coasters. The trouble is, the thought of covering them up with a mug seems sad, so maybe I’ll hang them on the wall instead:-) But anyway, they are a lovely slow-stitching project, and like so many of…

How to make a boro, slow stitched, primitive-style heart ornament

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I made this ornament yesterday, but it already looks like a family heirloom. You may know I’m a lover of vintage style, things that are a bit frayed around the edges, a little quirky, and this stuffed heart hit the spot. Using small scraps of gorgeous fabric from my stash, I was able to slow-stitch…

How to make tattered fabric flowers

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These decorative raggedy flowers are super quick and easy to make and can be used to add a shabby chic pop to all manner of things.   First of all, select your fabric. Choose something that’s going to fray. This is a great time to raid your fabric stash! I think denim works great, but…

5 ideas for creating gorgeous things from fabric scraps

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If you’re like me and can’t bear throwing anything away, even the tiniest remnants of beautiful fabric leftover from other projects, then scroll down for some lovely stitching ideas to whittle down your fabric stash. Belts: Great for the tiniest of scraps. Here I’ve used a length of 1.25″ cotton webbing and attached the textile…