Sewing adorable wool felt animals

 Leisure Arts recently sent me the cutest book to review - "Crafty Critters" by Vickie Clontz of Annie's Keepsakes.

This fun little book has patterns for purses and pincushions, coasters and magnets and lots more projects. The directions are well written and easy to follow.

The hedgehog pin cushion is my absolute favourite! Look how cute it is with pins sticking in it!

If you've got an outdoorsy little girl on your Christmas list, there are two adorable purse patterns - this little fox purse and a raccoon one too!

  

This book is available in print or as a ebook right from the Leisure Arts website or look for it at your local bookstore or craft supply store! Have fun sewing up a zoo full of adorable wool felt animals!

52 Week UFO Challenge - Projects #17 and #18 - Modern Wool Pillow and Tea Cozy

I've had these two wool pieces, unfinished, in my studio for so long that when I dug them out I couldn't remember what I was planning to do with them. I knew the one was supposed to be a tea cozy when finished, but the square piece could have been anything. I was obviously having fun with my Accuquilt Studio cutter and circle die one day, but for some reason I never even started to stitch these pieces.

I decided that the square piece would make an awesome pillow as it was about 16" square, so I got to blanket stitching all of the circles using my Razzle and Dazzle threads from WonderFil.

Blanketstitching done with Razzle and Dazzle threads

After the circles were all sewn, I used a blanket stitch all of the way around to secure the back of the pillow and then left a small opening to stuff with PolyFil.

Hole left for stuffing

 Here is the finished pillow! Wouldn't it be fun in a teenagers room?

The tea cozy was a bit more complicated to finish. Fist I blanket stitched all of the circles to the background.

 Next, I cut two pieces of batting about a 1/2" smaller (all around) than the wool background.

  I then used my 505 Spray to stick them to the back side of the fabric I wanted to use for my lining. Check out the hot pink!!

I used my walking foot to machine quilt a grid of lines through the batting and lining.

 I then sewed the two pieces of quilted lining right sides together along the curved edge, leaving a small unsewn section for turning.

I placed the wool front and back together with right sides facing the sewed along the curved edge.

I turned the outside of the placemat right side out then placed it inside of the lining (with right sides together) and pinned them together. The next step was to sew the lining and the outside together with a 1/2" seam.

Then I had to pull the whole thing right side out through the hole in the lining, I stitched that hole closed and then top stitches around the opening of the tea cozy.

Here it is - all finished!!

These two items are available for purchase in my Fairfield Road Designs Etsy store. Check out these items and more at this link.

52 Week UFO Challenge - Project #4 - Embroidered Felt Ornaments

Practising embroidery stitches on the train

Two years ago, Mike and I took the train from our home town in Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Enjoying supper on the train.

 We had a great time, the food was wonderful, the train was nice and relaxing and Halifax was so fun to explore. There was ample time to read, play on my iPad and to stitch, so I took along some felted wool, an new embroidery book and some WonderFil threads that I was testing out for QUILTsocial.

The samples that I made on that trip have been sitting in a basket ever since because I had no idea what to do with them. So I got them out and decided to finish them off in a few different ways. The first ones I finished were the circles and hexagon ones.

Some of the embroidery samples.

I decided to make them into ornaments, so I cut a matching backing for each of them with my Accuquilt Studio Cutter, and then cut a cardboard centre that was just a bit smaller. I sprayed the back side of each backing with 505 Spray and then centred my cardboard pieces on each one. 

I'm using a large flat box to do my spraying in, to protect my cutting table.

Then I sprayed the cardboard and placed the front on top. I cut a 5" ribbon, folded it in half and slid it in between the wool layers at the top of the ornament. Then I blanket stitched all around the edges of the ornament.

Embroidered hearts

Hexagon ornaments

The finished circle ornaments.