Angry Birds Blanket!

Over the weekend my boys went to an Angry Birds themed birthday party. Of course they needed a theme-appropriate gift for the birthday boy!
With their direction as to which characters to include (as well as a few hints from the birthday boy's mom as to the birthday boy's favorites!), I whipped together this fun little fleece blanket, using my SUPER versatile Fleece Applique Technique. (A list of ideas for this technique is at the end of this post!)

Of course there's the ever-famous BIG red bird...

...the king pig...

...and the bomb bird!
(please excuse his one wonky eyebrow -- it definitely should have been longer. It's going to bug me for the rest of forever!)

Here's the back -- LOVE!


I started with 1 1/2 yards of blue fleece for the blanket. The selvages are at the top and bottom of the blanket. I then used pieces from my fleece collection for the birds. The technique is the same as for my Tiny Kitten in a Box tutorial -- using a tissue paper pattern and free-motion foot.

Here's a quick explanation:

Draw an "actual size" image of your bird on a sheet of light-colored tissue paper. I free-hand sketched mine. REMEMBER that your finished bird will be a mirror image of your sketch.

(Yes, this is a different bird now!)
You will need to think in "layers," starting with the main background color. Place your tissue paper pattern on the BACK of the blanket, positioning it where you want it, and pin it in place around the edges of the pattern. Layer your first color of fleece on the FRONT of the blanket, making sure the entire area of the pattern will be covered, and pin the fleece in place around the outside edges.

SEW from the pattern side, directly on your drawn lines! I use a free-motion foot for this, but you could use a regular sewing machine foot. Once you've completed your shape, cut away the excess fleece from around your stitching line using finely pointed scissors. You can trim very close to your stitching line -- fleece will not fray!

NOTE: Leave your tissue paper pattern alone! You still need it!

Continue adding layers of fleece, pinning your fleece in place and sewing from the tissue paper side. After sewing each layer, trim away the excess.

Keep adding layers of fleece until you've completed your image.

That's it! Once you are all finished with your birdies and pigs, you simply tear your tissue paper patterns from the back of the blanket. Done!!

More examples of this SUPER FUN and EASY technique:

Tiny Kitten in a Box
Angry Birds Plushies
Snowflake Embellished Scarf
Easy Pirate Doo-Rag
Fleece Creatures
Fall Leaves Fleece Throw
Black Cat Blanket
Peep Quack and Chirp Blanket

Angry Birds Plushies -- All the Tutorials!

If you are here visiting for Celebrate the Boy -- WELCOME! I'm so glad you stopped by. I hope you'll stick around for a little while!

Today I am sharing my tutorials for Plush Angry Birds.
Click each image below to find the pattern and instructions for the character you are dying to create! All links include patterns and instructions. Each bird is an adaptation of the original red bird, which is where you need to go to find easy step-by-step instructions.






You'll have a whole angry crew to toss around in no time!

!!YAY for boys!!

I have added a new category over in my right sidebar filled with BOY projects --

Be sure to check it out!

Tiny Covered Notebook Keychains

Today I am over at Dollar Store Crafts sharing my Tiny Covered Notebook Keychains!
Come on over and check it out!

Love Week -- Covered Notebooks!

Day Two of a week's worth of Valentine projects...

Welcome, Craftiness is not Optional readers!

Today I want to share how to make these SWEET little covered notebooks. Aren't they perfect for a little Valentine's Day gift for a sister, mom, grandma, or friend? (HA! Maybe I'm the only one who considers Valentine's Day a bit of a "sisters' holiday!")

What you need:
mini composition book (3/$1 at Dollar Tree!)
fabric scraps
velcro (a tiny amount! bonus points if it matches!)
scrap of posterboard to make your pattern

STEP ONE: Create your pattern! Open your notebook flat and trace around the perimeter, as shown.

Mark your pattern as follows:
Measure and mark the center point of each side -- all four!
On side A: 5 1/8" from the edge, center a rectangle that is 1/4" high by 3/8" wide, and cut it out.
On side B: add a mark 1/4" from the top and bottom of your center point.
On the top and bottom: add another mark 1/2" from either side of your center points, then connect the new marks using a straightedge.
Your pattern is ready!

STEP TWO: Cut out your notebook cover pieces.
Cover: Cut two rectangles 3 1/4" wide x 5" tall
Spine: Cut one strip 1 1/2" wide by 5" tall
Pockets (what the cover tucks into): Cut two rectangles 3" wide x 5" tall
Closure: Cut two strips 2 1/2" wide x 1 1/4" tall
Velcro: 1/2" x 5/8"

STEP THREE: Fold one long edge of each of your pocket pieces down 1/4" and press. Sew, using about a 1/8" seam allowance.

STEP FOUR: Lay your closure straps right sides together. Using a pencil, draw a curve at one end, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Sew, starting on one of the long edges and using a 1/4" seam allowance. Follow your drawn line, and sew all the way back around along the opposite long edge. Clip off those rounded corners near your stitching line, and turn your closure tab right side out.

STEP FIVE: Sew your three cover pieces together -- with the spine piece in the middle, as shown -- using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press the seams out from the middle. Also press your closure tab.

You will then topstitch around your tab closure and next to your seam lines on your cover.
All your pieces are just about ready!

STEP SIX: Attach the "scratchy " side of your velcro to the end of the tab, as shown, and trim the length of your tab to 1 7/8"

STEP SEVEN: Lay your cover right side up, with the "front" (if your fabric is directional) on the right. Place your pattern on top, lining up your seam lines at the top and bottom with the long lines you drew on your pattern, as shown. Center the pattern vertically. Draw an X -- corner to corner -- in the hole. This marks where to attach the soft side of your velcro.


STEP EIGHT: After attaching the soft side of your velcro, carefully line up your pattern on top of your cover again. This time you will center your tab, velcro side up, between the two marks. Pin. Sew it on with a 1/8" seam allowance to keep it in place.

STEP NINE: Layer your pockets on top of your cover, right sides together, with the hemmed edges toward the middle.

Once again, line up your pattern on top, centering it and using your drawn lines as a guideline. Using a sharp pencil, draw all the way around, directly on your fabric.

STEP TEN: Sew directly on your pencil line all the way around. Don't forget to backstitch! Using pinking shears, trim around the rounded corners. Or, notch with regular scissors. Trim close to the stitching line, but be careful not to snip your stitches.

STEP ELEVEN: Turn your cover right side out and carefully press your seams. At the center points, carefully turn the edges of your cover up just BARELY past your stitches and press.

STEP TWELVE: Gently fold the covers of your notebook back as shown and carefully slide your cover on. You're done!! :o)

Another idea: Make your tab a little bit longer to accommodate a pencil!

These little guys are SO fun and SO inexpensive to make. I've made about 25 (so far!) to give to my sisters, friends, mom, and grandmas!

Tiny Stuff for Tiny Pets

My niece T is celebrating her birthday over the weekend, and I have had grand plans for her gift for months now! Like me, her mom collects tiny little stuffed animals. As for T, she has one specific pet that is special beyond any of the others: her pet cow she named Nostril.


Now. Nostril has all KINDS of creative adventures. Recently Nostril put on a tapdancing show for a bunch of little friends, who were all seated on tiny chairs. (The chairs are from the Jenga-like stacking game called "Chairs." The stage is a Littlest Pet Shop thing.) I also hear that Nostril enjoys wearing a little grass skirt, and a "night cap" borrowed from a Littlest Pet Shop. Nostril also enjoys going camping, sleeping in a sock sleeping bag.

Well, everyone knows I am a sucker for tiny things. So of course I had to make some little accessories for Nostril and pals! I started with some little sleeping bags -- no more sock sleeping bags necessary! -- and some party hats.

Then I raided my Barbies and picked out some glasses. They fit these little guys perfectly! Then I found some sparkly, ruffly sheer elastic trim stuff and created a tutu. Doesn't this ensemble look lovely on Ms. Hippo?


Teeny tiny! :o)

I had to get out some cocktail swords, which fit perfectly around the little pets' appendages. And then of course they needed eye patches! I simply folded tiny ovals of black felt over some small hair elastics and hand stiched them in place.


And then winter gear! Yeeeeeeeears ago, I bought a stripey lambswool scarf on clearance, not knowing what I would ever do with it. I never wore it; it just sat in the closet. A couple years ago I cut into it and made some hats and scarves for my freaky tall dolls, which was perfect. Well, it turns out that the scale of the stripes is just perfect for these little pets, too!

Last but not least -- T loves Red Riding Hood, and even dressed as Red for Halloween. What could be more perfect for Nostril than a tiny Red Riding Hood cape??

It was super simple to make -- I just whacked out a shape, sewed around it, added some ribbon trim and ties, and VOILA!

Oh, how I wish I could be there when T opens her package!

A Spiced-Up Hooded Towel!

It's my nephew's 2nd birthday party this weekend. He is BIG into tractors, and BIG into water -- so I whipped up a little tractor-theme hooded towel for him! He can use it at home after the bath, or to wrap up and get cozy in after swimming or playing in the sprinklers!

This is my favorite hooded towel, because there's no "conehead" business going on with the hood -- it fits close to the head. The hood is also not uselessly placed in the corner of the towel. They are made from REAL towels (unlike those weird nonabsorbent polyester-y baby hooded towels you can buy), AND, these towels will fit kids for a long time -- my 3-year-old and 5-year-old still love wrapping up in theirs after a bath!

(Many apologies for the washed-out photos; I promise that green is so much more vibrant in "real life!")

I used one bath towel, half of one hand towel, and 1/3 yard (you may need less) of the tractor fabric. I got my towels at Walmart for $2.50 each (silly that they cost the same!), and used my 50% off coupon at JoAnn for the fabric. SCORE!

I started by making the "binding" edge for the towels. I made three strips -- one for each edge of the bath towel and one edge for the hand towel. I carefully cut my strips so that once they were folded and pressed I would have a long row of tractors.

I removed the two shorter finished edges of the towels to reduce bulk when attaching the binding. I did the same for one edge of the hand towel.

I folded the binding over the raw edge of the towel.

I folded the ends inside to enclose all the raw edges and make them nice and neat.

I carefully pinned them in place, making sure that the bottom side of the binding matched up with the top side

Sewn!

Once I had my three edges bound, I referred to my HOODED TOWEL TUTORIAL to finish the job. (It's been so long since I made one, I actually had to take the laptop into the sewing room with me!)

Ta-Da!
All ready for me to wrap it up with a few bath toys and take it to the party!