Come creare Decorazioni Natalizie con i triangoli - Tutorial per Natale in Festa #TopBloggerKreattive

Natale in Festa ed ecco che arrivano le TopBloggerKreattive! Grazie Rosa per questa bellissima iniziativa che raccoglie tante idee originali e tutorial per delle creazioni natalizie speciali. Noi ci siamo siamo dedicate alle decorazioni per la casa e per i pacchetti regalo, usando triangoli di stoffa.

Ecco che cosa serve per creare la decorazione Alberello di Natale, da usare come decorazione per la porta di casa, per l'albero di Natale oppure per decorare un pacchetto regalo:

• 4 pezzi di stoffa, ognuno circa 9cm x 11,5cm
• 1 pezzo di stoffa da usare per il retro dell'alberello circa 20x20cm
• Imbottitura
• 1 pezzo di nastro lungo circa 8 cm
• 1 bastoncino di cannella lungo circa 20cm
• Decorazioni aggiuntive come campanelli, bottoni, nastri... a piacere.

I margini di cucitura che abbiamo usato sono da 1/4 di pollice (circa 0,65cm).

Inizia tagliando i pezzi di stoffa ad un'altezza di 8.5cm e poi, usando le linee da 60° sul tappetino per tagliare (oppure una squadretta), taglia i lati di ciascun pezzo di stoffa per formare un triangolo. 

Disponi i quattro pezzi di stoffa nell'ordine desiderato. Noi abbiamo tagliato le punte per rendere più facile cucire insieme i triangoli. Adesso cucire i tre triangoli inferiori insieme, come nella foto. Poi cucire il triangolo superiore, centrandolo sopra i tre triangoli già cuciti.

Stirare e poi posizionare i triangoli cuciti a faccia in giù sopra la stoffa per il retro. Piega il nastro a metà e posiziona in cima, tra le due stoffe, come nella foto. Usare degli spilli per tenere il nastro e le due stoffe in posizione. Adesso cucire tutto intorno, lasciando uno spazio aperto in fondo per rovesciare il tutto. Taglia via la stoffa in eccesso.

Rovescia le stoffe e, usando una matita oppure un attrezzo a punta, spingere delicatamente in fuori le punte. Iniziare a riempire con imbottitura ed infilare, centrandolo, il bastoncino di cannella. Aggiungere ancora imbottitura e poi chiudere l'apertura cucendo a mano.

La decorazione Alberello di Natale è pronta! 

In cerca di altre idee per Natale? Ecco la lista delle TopBloggerKreattive da visitare per NATALE IN FESTA:

• I colori di laura - Folletti di Natale
• Acchiappaidee - Barattoli natalizi 
• Think - Decorazioni in feltro
• Colori idee e creatività - Ghirlanda con mollette di legno 
• Mami chips & crafts - Decorazione con sorpresa 
• My Little Inspirations - Decorare palline trasparenti per l'albero 
• Farecreare - Stelle di Natale a uncinetto 
• AbcHobby.it - Decorazioni natalizie in metallo
• Ella and Nesta's Little Room - Decorazioni Natalizie con i triangoli 
• Pane, amore e creatività - Centrotavola di Natale 
• IsLaura- Palla di Natale lavorata all'uncinetto con cuori 
• Briciole e Puntini - Countdown per Natale: lavagnetta dell'avvento - 
• Le Pecionate - Decorazione per l'albero fai da te 
• Caseperlatesta - Natale: decorare con le luci 
• Alessia scrap & craft - Pupazzi di neve da appendere all'albero di Natale
• Kreattiva - Centro tavola con pigne e palline
• Emozioniinpatchwork - Un filo natalizio per le finestre 
• Speedy Creativa -Paesaggi natalizi in 3 D 
• Tutti guardano le nuvole - Portacandela e Stella di Natale multiuso 
• Penso invento creo - Ciondolo di natale 
• MyCandyCountry - Candy canes di Natale riciclando 
• BimbumBeta - Biglietto minimal-chic 
• Creatività Organizzata - Albero a uncinetto
• Elegrafica - Presepe su tavoletta di legno
• Oltreverso - Luci di Natale di legno con casette degli uccelli 
• LUNAdei Creativi - Biglietto di Natale con Big Shot Facilissimo 
• My lucky - Pannello natalizio
• Carta e Cuci - Tag chiudipacco

Fabric Gift Tag Tutorial - Japanese Furin Wind Chime for Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Linky Party + Giveaway

Have you already started thinking about wrapping up Christmas presents? We bet you have! It's an important part of the present, isn't it? We have an easy tutorial today for making Fabric Furin Wind Chime Gift Tags. The Japanese Furin is a beautiful and poetic wind chime or wind bell. The Furin is traditionally hung from the eaves of a house or in front of a window. The sound of these wind chimes is a symbol of mental relaxation and said also to bring good luck. 

These Fabric Furin Wind Chime Gift Tags, once the present has been unwrapped, can really be used as a wind chime and make a pretty decoration. 

Here is what you will need to make a Fabric Furin Wind Chime Gift Tag:

• Small pieces of fabric to make the Furin bell shape: four pieces about 3"x2 1/2" (7,6x6,4cm), two for the lining of the bell and two for the outside.
• Metal bell
• Embroidery thread or thin cord
• Strip of thick paper 5"x1" (about 12,7x2,6cm)
• Eyelet and pliers for inserting eyelets

Start by drawing the bell template or print our .pdf template here. Our bell shape is about 2 1/2" high and 3" wide (this includes a 1/8" seam allowance).

Use this template to trace and cut out four pieces of fabric, two for the lining of the bell and two for the outside. 

Place one piece of the fabric for the outside of the bell on one piece of lining fabric, right sides together. Sew along the straight line at the bottom. Repeat for the other two pieces of fabric.

Open the seam pressing flat in the center. Now place the fabric pieces you have sewn right sides together and sew right around the edge, leaving an opening (on the lining fabric side) for turning right side out. 

Once turned right side out, close the opening and then push the lining inside the bell shape.

Insert the eyelet (after making a little hole) with pliers onto the paper tag and tie the tag using embroidery thread or a thin cord. Tie a knot on the paper tag and a knot to fix the metal bell into place. Pass the other end of the thread through the inside of the fabric bell and out through the center. Tie a loop above the fabric bell to hang the gift tag. To keep everything in place, turn the fabric bell inside out and tie a knot close to the top of the inside of the fabric bell.

Write a name and message on the paper tag and add a stamp. Fix the gift tag to the present with a piece of washi tape to finish off. Here is your Fabric Furin Wind Chime Gift Tag, a present in itself, to keep and hang up as a pretty decoration. Christmas themed fabric will make for a keepsake Christmas decoration!

If you'd like to see our first tutorial for the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Linky Party, then have a look here for: Fabric Covered Drawing Pins. 

You are still in time to enter the Ho, Ho, Ho and On We Sew Linky Party here for a chance of winning this incredibly beautiful Liberty fabric generously offered by Duck Egg Threads.

The winner is Vicki with this crowd of Snowmen!

 

Fabric Covered Drawing Pins Tutorial - Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Linky Party + Giveaway

Have you already joined the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Linky Party? If you're sewing something for Christmas then enter this fun linky party for a chance to win some beautiful Liberty fabric offered by Duck Egg Threads.

The first of our tutorials for the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Linky Party is a very quick make and a useful present: Fabric Covered Drawing Pins. Choose a special fabric and gift these drawing pins in a pretty box or small jar. A box of them is a good stocking filler too!

Here is what you will need:

• Self cover buttons, sized 15mm (you can use a different size if you like)
• Small pieces of fabric to cover the button. We used Bonnie and Camille's Miss Kate mini charms to cover our buttons
• Metal drawing pins (not covered with plastic)
• Hot glue gun

Start by covering your buttons. As we can’t find, at the moment, flat backed self cover buttons here in Italy, before covering the buttons we took out the metal hook from the back, using a pair of pliers. To cover the button, draw a circle on the fabric about 1/2” inch wider all around the button, cut out the fabric and then fix it over the self cover button. Close the back of the button following the product instructions.

You can really enjoy yourself covering the buttons with fussy cuts from scraps of fabric to create special themed drawing pins.

Using a hot glue gun, put a dab of hot glue on the head of the drawing pin and glue the pin to the back of the self cover button, centering it. 

Now you just need a pretty box or small jar to pop your new (and original!) Fabric Covered Drawing Pins in.

Don’t forget to enter the Ho, Ho, Ho and On WeSew Linky Party here to join in the fun and for a chance of winning this incredibly beautiful Liberty fabric generously offered by Duck Egg Threads.

The winner is Vicki with this crowd of Snowmen!

 

How to make a Small Project Bag with Minky Handles - Tutorial

Lately I've been carrying a small paper bag around with me in the car when I go to work, hoping to find a few minutes to do some hand sewing. Then I thought: why do I have to carry around this miserable paper bag when I can sew myself a bag that's the right size for little projects. So I got out two lovely The Makers Happy Crafty panels by Cori Dantini and made myself a Small Project Bag with minky handles. Why minky handles? Because they are so soft and comfy to use!

If you'd like to make one yourself, here's an easy tutorial for making a Small Project Bag with minky handles:

Here is what you will need:

• Two The Makers Happy Crafty panels by Cori Dantini (or two pieces of pretty fabric, size 10.5" x 12" each);
• Two pieces of fabric size 10.5" x 12" each for the lining;
• Cotton Batting, two pieces size 10.5" x 12" each
• Two strips of minky fabric size 2.5" x 18" each
• Button
• Coloured hair elastic
• Embroidery thread and hoop (optional)

All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise stated.

To start (this is optional) embroider details on the panel using embroidery thread and an embroidery hoop. Choose the details you would like to stand out and embroider directly over the lines. There are lots of examples of embroidery stitches on the Internet you can use. Try the tips here at Flamingo Toes, for example.



Make the handles by folding each strip in half, lengthwise, with right sides together. After pinning (or using clips), sew along the long edge. Turn the handle right side out using a turning tool (I use a Clover turning tool but you could use a chop stick because the minky fabric is quite easy to turn).

Now you're ready to make the bag. Lay down one piece of batting, then place the lining fabric on top, right face up. After finding the middle of the top edge of the lining fabric, center one minky handle, facing downwards, with about one inch of the handle overlapping on top (see photo). Make sure the minky handle is lying flat and hasn't turned. Place the fabric panel you are using for the front of the bag face down on top. Pin along the top edge and make sure the handle is pinned in place too. Sew along the top edge of the fabrics, making sure to pass several times backwards and forwards over the handle ends to secure them.

Repeat for the other side of the bag, this time using the panel you are going to use for the back of the bag and pinning the hair elastic (after cutting off the metal part) in the middle of the top edge. Open up the two sides of the bag you have sewn and place one on top of the other, right sides facing. Make sure to line up the lining fabrics and the panel fabrics. Take care pinning all around the bag, making sure the handles are out of the way of the seam allowance. Be sure to line up and pin carefully the edges you have already sewn.

Now sew right around the edge of the bag leaving an opening on the short edge of the lining fabrics for turning and sew backwards and forwards a few times at the beginning and the end, to reinforce the opening.

Trim the excess fabric on the four corners of the bag. Turn right side out through the opening and iron. Slip stitch the opening closed and then push the lining inside the bag, carefully pushing the corners out using a blunt tool (chop sticks are good for this!).

Top stitch around the edge of the bag, making sure the minky handles are out of the way while stitching.



Check the position of the button on the front panel of the bag and then sew  it on the centre top of the bag.

And here is your Small Project Bag with minky handles and some special embroidery, ready to fill up with your latest small project... or two! I used these lovely panels by Cori Dantini and I'm so happy I did because they are absolutely beautiful!

 



Laminated Fabric Charm Square Trays

We have been sewing some more Charm Square Fabric Trays as they are so fast and fun to make. This time we thought we'd use laminated fabric so you can use the little trays for food too and they are easy to wipe over. This fabric is Remix Slicker Laminated Cotton Polka Dots Pastel, designed by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

A cup of tea, anyone? It's still super hot here in Italy. So if you prefer a cold drink, we know you're not going to say no to macaroons!

The free tutorial for these Charm Square Fabric Trays is on A Spoonful of Sugar here.

Can't resist a pretty polka dot... and tea with macaroons, of course! 

Yesterday we found these lovely jars with a pink lid, made in Italy by Bormioli Rocco. They are so pretty!

They are called Vaso Fido and come in other colours too. They are a great size for storing buttons and whatnots in our sewing room too!

We have a feeling we are going to be getting more of these...

DIY Origami Crane Mobile Party Favour Tutorial

When I was about four years old, I became very good friends with a girl at school, Rie. Her family came from Japan. Her Mummy organised a birthday party for her and it was the first real birthday party I went to as a child. It was great fun and when it was time to leave Rie's Mum gave each of us a present: an origami crane mobile. Would you believe I still have that mobile after nearly 40 years (time passes, no calculations please!) and it is in really good condition, even though it is made out of paper.

When Rie moved back to Japan with her family we wrote to each other for a while and then suddenly my cards returned with an "unknown address" stamp on them. I lost contact with her completely but that little party favour has kept the special memory of one of my first friends bright.

The Origami Crane is a symbol of good luck and so we thought we could spread some good luck to friends for our DIY Origami Party too. 

Here is what you will need to make the Origami Crane Mobile Party Favour:

• 3 origami paper cranes (search for "origami crane" to find lots of clear instructions for folding an origami crane)
• 3 small beads
• a piece of wire about 5 inches long (12cm)
• nylon thread
• a needle
• a pair of pliers
• a metal ring (like the ones on keyrings)

Take the piece of straight wire and turn both ends of the wire (which must be a little stiff so it doesn't bend under the weight of the cranes) around the point of your pliers. Then thread your needle with the nylon thread and thread it through the centre top of the body of your crane and then come through the hole underneath the crane. Thread a small bead on this end of the nylon thread and tie a double knot around the bead so it stays in place under the crane. If the bead passes through the hole underneath the crane then use a larger bead.

Once you've threaded the crane, tie the other end of the nylon thread to the closed ring you've made on one end of the wire. Repeat with a second origami crane, fixing it to the other end of the wire. Now pass another nylon thread through the third crane, tie the bead underneath the crane leaving a length of thread you'll tie in the middle of the wire. Tie the ring to the other end of the nylon thread and use the ring to hang up your mobile. Here is your Origami Crane Mobile Party Favour!

We made pretty boxes to gift our Origami Crane Mobile Party Favours using Chinese Take-Away Boxes from Self Packaging. Among many colours, we chose pink and white and love how they turned out. The boxes were really fun to assemble. We decorated the handles (included with the noodle boxes) with wooden beads.

Gift some good luck with these Origami Crane Party Favours!