DIY Hoop Art

I love how we have a whole holiday centered around being thankful -even though gratitude should not just be expressed one month out of the year. This embroidery hoop -though fall in colors is a good reminder of where our hearts need to be rooted all year. You'll also love this diy -it's full of tips that will really help a beginner embroider -in fact I've made several more since I learned the secret to transferring patterns to felt! You'll also learn how to add the laurel leaf applique -it's all about the finishing touches, right?!

Items you'll need:

-- Wool Blend felt by Benzie, we used the colors Mustard and Zucchini.

-- Large Oval Embroidery hoop

-- Embroidery floss, we used Zucchini

-- Wreath Frame Die Cut by WRMK

-- Fusible adhesive, our favorite is Wonder Under

-- Fabric stabilizer, we used Sticky Fabri-Solvy

-- Pen or Marker

-- Embroidery Needle
-- Iron (not shown)

We tried a brand new product this month called Sticky Fabri-Solvy -and it couldn't be more perfect for transferring patterns onto felt! It's 'sticky' meaning that after you trace (printable sheets are available too!) peel off the back like a giant sticker and press onto your felt. SO easy and quick! But there was one caveat holding me back -the stabilizer has to be soaked and rinsed off! It made me super uncomfortable getting my project wet -and I didn't like the idea of having to wait for the embroidery to dry. But the alternatives of tracing pens and pencils don't work well on felt; tissue paper works but it's fragile and time consuming to pick out the tissue at the end. But I was encouraged by two of Benzie's guest curators that use it in their projects. Check out Wild Olive's detailed blog post and MmmCrafts enthusiastic endorsement. 

Now that I've talked you into using Sticky Fabri-Solvy we can get back to this diy! First trace your design (this is the one I used) onto the stabilizer. I used a black thin point permanent marker. Then stick it on your felt (I used a 9x12" sheet) and threaded my needle with Zucchini DMC floss and got to work using a back stitch!

After you're done stitching soak and rinse your design using warm to lukewarm water. This will dissolve the stabilizer. You don't want to make it too hot -or your felt will start to shrink! Gently pat dry. It will take several hours to dry completely.

While the embroidery dries you can work on the laurel wreath.
1. Take fusible adhesive and attach to your felt. We chose the color Zucchini.
2. This photo is a bit muted to see -but this is the die cut plate for the wreath. Run your felt through your diecut machine 2-3 times. I explain more about the Evolution die cut machine over here.
4. You can see the felt after it's been cut,  fusible adhesive side up. It's rather delicate -but you'll get a clean cut.
3. Your perfectly cut wreath ready to adhere to your hoop! Isn't that any easy way to add detail to a hoop design?

Carefully arrange the laurel wreath on either side of 'thankful'. Use your embroidery hoop as a guide. Iron the applique on, center hoop on design and finish back. You've mastered hoop art and learned some new skills right? Happy stitching and more importantly, happy thanksgiving!

Hexagon Pom-Pom Coasters

We are now blogging over at www.benziedesign.com -don't miss out!

You guys, you've seen felt balls before right?! These amazing little round balls of crafty, felted sweetness? Over at Benzie we prefer to call them pom-poms because they are more then just a ball -it's a felt ball of cheer (or a pom-pom)!! We picked up Benzie's smallest size (1cm) and Lifestyle Crafts thin cork and got to work making ourselves a set of cozy coasters.



Here are supplies you will need:
-Benzie's Pom-Poms in 1cm size. We used 61 poms per coaster but suggest getting a few more as some poms run large or smaller then 1cm.
-4x12 Cork Adhesive Sheets from Lifestyle Crafts
-Hexagon Nesting Dies from Lifestyle Crafts
-Glue, our all time favorite is a basic, easy hot glue gun but you can use whatever you have on hand.

To make the cork base for the coasters you can cut out a basic hexagon shape with a scissors -but I like using dies cuts makes the process easier and more precise. The nesting dies from Lifestyle Crafts always offer a variety of sizes -but we chose the one with the 1 7/8th sides as a perfect mug size and fit for 1cm poms. But try the largest die and make a trivet too! We used the Evolution Die Cut Machine with our die and cork lined up on the Genius Platform. Cut out two hexagons.

The cork is backed with adhesive -so you have 2 really large stickers. To provide your coaster with a base -you'll want to attach them together -one right on top of the other. Then peel the second hexagon sticker off the top -this sticky side is what you can start placing your poms on. I found that the adhesive really aided me when placing the poms -this will help if you decide to make a pattern or try a different size pom (they won't roll all over!). I started in the middle of the hexagon by placing 9 poms down the center with hot glue. It comes together quickly when making one long strip of glue down the middle and lining up poms one after another.

Try different color combos or try making a large one for a trivet! Make this project and tag #benziefelt -I want to see what you're making!

Mermaid Tail DIY

Read more on the updated diy here!

I just got my daughter a shirt that read "I'm a mermaid at heart" -and it true -all she ever has wanted to be is a mermaid. And she insists she will grow up to be one. I'm not sure we can promise that -but I can indulge her imagination and creative spirit and create a mermaid's greatest accessory -her tail!

The tail is composed of circles -or scales attached to the base. It comes together very quickly once all the circles are cut! Our tail and measurements are based on a tall 7 year old -you can adjust the measurements to the height of your little mermaid. 

Materials used:

-1 1/2 yards of a basic cotton fabric (we wanted to keep the tail light weight) but if you want to go no-sew we suggest using 1 1/2 yards of felt.

-10 12x18" sheets of Benzie Felt. We used our Mermaid Lagoon collection. 

-Sewing machine 

-Approximately 275 2" circles (we used the Nesting Circle die from We R Memory Keepers)

-2 yards of twill tape or ribbon 

-fabric glue

First you will need to make the base of the tail. Take your fabric and lightly freehand a pattern similar to the one you see above. The waist is about 27" wide and the length is 40" long. You will notice that the tail is asymmetrical -I wanted it to wrap around the waist and tie at the side to give the illusion of a more full bodied tail. If you are using felt -you are done -just cut out the shape! For cotton -we cut out two pieces, sewed both sides together and flipped inside out to hide the raw edges. Iron flat.

After you have the base of the tail you will need to sew ribbons on for ties. You can do this with a sewing machine or by hand. We suggest sewing as opposed to glue to make it a strong hold.







Now for all those circles! We have several different options to cut out these circles -from using a scissors, purchasing precut circles from Benzie or using a die cut method. We are going to focus on the Nesting Circles die from We R Memory Keepers -there are several different sized circles in this kit -but we used the 2" size. Here is an explanation of how we use the Evolution manual die cutter. To cut out the circles a bit quicker, we used two 2" dies at the same time. I love how the die cut makes them a perfect circle each and every time. And it's a great way to get your child involved in making their very own costume!

After you have cut out your circles attach them to your tail base. You can sew these on -but I love having easy projects that I can do around the rest of the family -so we used fabric glue. Start on the bottom of the tail and attach circles by placing a bit of glue (it doesn't take much) along the top 1/4" of the circle. Go row by row, attaching circles about half way up from the previous row. As you can see with the above photo we spaced somewhat randomly as we accommodated the widening tail.

Tie the ribbon to the mermaids side -a costume perfect for the little fish in your life!

Mini-Garland Topper DIY

Everything in miniature is just cuter right? Little garlands are no exception -and these are super easy using We R Memory Keepers nesting pennant die -there are two slits right in the die that makes it simple to string ribbon right through!

The toppers can be used on cakes, cupcakes -or succulents! We planted succulents in little canning jars - and gave them away as gifts -to teachers, hosts or favors. You will also need the We R Memory Keepers Nesting Pennants die, ribbon (we love this 5/16" twill), skewers (cut to size) and felt of course! The Benzie colors we used are Lilac, Foxglove, Guava, Swan, Pistachio and Sky.

The pennant dies come in several different sizes -we ran the smallest one through our die cut machine until we had all the triangles we needed. Then string the triangles together -when making a long garland I found that I liked using a needle because it went a little faster. We tied the ribbon to the skewers and inserted into our glass jars.

And here's a happy little trick for you -see the lid around the jar? It's magnetic -we added a button magnet and used it to hold notes to our recipients. It made the gift really personal and the magnet is something that can be used long after the plant is gone. Happy crafting!

DIY Felt Bows in Minutes

I recently taught my 7 year old daughter how to die cut felt -and one of our favorites are felt hair bows -just because they are so quick!! We worked as a team -she ran the felt through the die-cutter while I glued and we had a whole set in no time at all!

Supplies:

--Bow die cut, there a a couple of really cute bow dies in this set (it's a must have!)

--Evolution die cut machine (instructions here)

--Benzie Felt, we used Rose, Ochre and Blue Spruce -and check out the image above to see how we laid out the die -we are able to make 3 bows out of just one 6x9" sheet of felt (that's 3 bows for less than $1!)

--Hair Clips

--Glue

After you run your felt through your die cut machine -just fold and glue as shown above. Feel free to use whatever hair clip works for your hair. I made some for me using french clips just last week -I loved how I could make a hair accessory in just minutes!

And then we went extra fancy and packaged up the bows -we were giving these in addition to a birthday gift -but wouldn't these make great favors? We used We R Memory Keepers "Captured" set. Can I tell you how much I love all the Albums Made Easy card collections? I always have some laying around -they are great for writing notes, keeping lists or crafting with -and so pretty too! 

I grabbed one of the large cards and used my x-acto to cut vertical slits to match up where I wanted to clip the bows. Then I attached a coordinating card and taped it to the back using Sticky Thumb and finished the design with some ribbon and an eyelet. After that was all set up I slipped the hair clips in the precut slot. Perfect little gift right? And easy -the best combo! 

Can I wash wool blend felt?

This is a craft question that I get asked quite often -can I wash wool blend felt? And as you can see from the felt star appliqué -yes you can! But before we get to care instructions let's talk first about fiber content.

Our felt contains both wool, ranging from 20-35%, and rayon. Rayon, or known as viscose, is made from wood pulp -a renewable source too! Most of us know what happened to our adult sized wool sweater when we tried to wash it -it shrunk down to a child's size! Wool should be treated with much care or it will shrink. We suggest dry cleaning or spot cleaning to keep our wool blend felt in its original condition. It's easy and already looks great!

But there are times that a toy or a t-shirt just needs be washer friendly. Before cutting into your design or appliqué -the felt must first be washed. Prewash in a sink of hot running water -immersing the felt completely. We use soap and gently squeeze the felt into a ball, rinsing and repeating until the water runs clear. This process does two things to the felt. First the hot water gets any excess dye out. Not all colors bleed -but this bright Carmine did! Second, the combination of hot water, soap and gentle squeezing is further felting the fabric -binding the fibers even closer together and causing the felt to shrink. Lay flat to dry -or use a blow dryer to speed things up. A washing machine on the delicate cycle is a great alternative to prep large batches.

In the image above you can see the difference between our original felt and felt that has been pre-washed. The washed felt is bubbly or wrinkled -and is thicker then its un-washed partner (this can be flattened by ironing though). Also it has shrunk. The 6x6" square shrunk to about 5 3/4x 5 1/2". Now you're ready to craft!

Grab a t-shirt and your favorite color of Benzie's felt. To make cutting ultra easy we used the Nesting Star die from Lifestyle crafts -but old fashioned pattern and scissors will work just as well. We also found that we really liked Wonder Under's fusible adhesive. It's didn't make the felt appliqué stiff and it made a permanent bond to the fabric.

But before you do any of these steps -your felt and your shirt must be prewashed! Follow the washing instructions for felt above.

1) After the felt has dried -iron your fusible adhesive to your felt.
2). Use your favorite die to cut a shape our of the felt -adhesive side up. We love the Evolution and explain how to use it here.
3. Peel off the top layer of your fusible adhesive -you can see the transparent paper star in the above photo (throw that away), carefully place your star where you want it and iron down. Iron from both the front and back of the shirt to ensure a permanent bond.

It's not necessary -but I think the added machine stitch adds detail and helps the star to stand out among the stripes. To care for your felt appliqué shirt and prevent further felting we suggest washing inside out, cold and delicate with a gentle dry.

I want to see what you are making too -hashtag #benziefelt and have a Happy Independence Day!

Felt Flower Tutorial

Update -Benzie is now blogging over at Benzie Design - don't miss any of our new tutorials or news!

We are blog hopping today with my friends at We R Memory Keepers -scroll down below to find more diy's and to enter in a giveaway!

My favorite felt craft has to be flowers -always beautiful and I love being able to use all the colors of Benzie's rainbow! These remind me of wildflowers -pretty, bright and whimsical -you'll be crafting up a whole bouquet in no time!

Supplies needed:
Benzie Felt (we love how Fern, Foxglove, Guava and Periwinkle look together)
Benzie PomPoms in Foxglove, Lemonade and Fern, 1cm and 2cm size
Oval Punch Dies from Shop We R
Wire flower stems
Hot glue

First you'll going to want an nice pile of large and small ovals using your die cut machine and the Oval Punch Die. I love this die and find it quite versatile (check out our Succulent DIY -we can't stop using it!) -it makes so many at one time!

To make filler stems and leaves on flowers you will use the large oval die -place a dot of glue on the bottom of the oval and pinch around the floral wire. Space to your liking. 

These little flowers remind me of Cosmos -I love all the colors! We use our small 1cm felt balls and attach to floral wire with a little hot glue (you may want use a needle or an awl to pre-pierce a hole). We use 4 small ovals -place a bit of glue on the bottom and pinch along the base of the felt pom. 

Our large flowers used 12 large ovals total -but this can be varied to adjust the look and style of your bloom. The first layer uses 4 ovals -we pre-pinched each petal before attaching to the base. This helped form the flower.

To finish the flower keep adding ovals around the pom-pom -add a green leaf or two to finish it off!

Don't forget to checkout We R Memory Keepers other diy's this week!

Aimee's Armoire	http://aimeesarmoire.typepad.com
Benzie Design	http://benziedesign.blogspot.com
Cokie Pop Paper	http://cokiepopaper.blogspot.com
Cutesy Crafts	http://cutesycrafts.com
Ginger Snap Crafts	http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com
Gluesticks Blog	http://gluesticksblog.com/
Homework	http://www.carolynshomework.com
Kutz Paper Scissors	http://andreayokley-jessup.blogspot.com
Making the World Cuter	http://makingtheworldcuter.com
Midwestern Girl Missy Dear	http://www.midwesterngirldiy.com http://www.missy-dear.com
One Scrappin Mama	http://onescrappinmama.blogspot.com
Popsicle Toes	http://shellypop.com
Pretty Providence	http://prettyprovidence.com
Scrap Time	http://scraptime.ca
Sew Craft Create	http://sewcraftcreate.com
Snapping Monsters	http://snappingmonsters.blogspot.com
The Creative Mom	http://www.thecreativemom.com
Tried and true	http://triedandtrueblog.com
Waffleflower	http://waffleflower.com
We R Memory Keepers	http://wermemorykeepers.wordpress.com
Worley House	www.andreaworley.com

Go to We R Memory's Keepers facebook to enter to win their Crafters Tote too (love the color -looks like Benzie's Peacock!).

DIY Felt Stickers

I want to plaster these felt stickers all over everything -to seal love letters and place them on gift tags. My daughter has already claimed the extras and we find little bunnies on notebooks and on our clothes. And the secret to making fabric stickers is in the adhesive sheets by Lifestyle Crafts -super affordable at only $5 a pack!

1. You'll need Benzie's felt (we use Calico here), adhesive sheets and a die. We use the Easter die from Lifestyle Crafts -love the silhouette of the bunny! (Don't forget to use BENZIE to get 20% off your We R Memory Keepers order!) Cut your felt and adhesive to the same size -peel the back off the the adhesive and stick to the felt.

A note about dies: some dies come with white ejection foam in the die (like our bunny did); this ejection foam helps paper to pop out easily after being cut -but because felt is so much thicker than paper -it best if you pull that foam out first. You'll have much better success cutting this way.

2. Roll this through the die cutter with die cut side down on the felt. For best cut I used the Evolution die cut machine with Sizzix cutting pads. You can also use the Genius cutting pads -but I found I had to roll it through a few extra times to get a clean cut because of the thickness of the adhesive paper adds to the felt. And there you have your sticker!

3. Stick it to anything -I love how easy the backing comes off and even sticks well to the cotton bag of rabbit tails!

I used my rabbit stickers to adorn a tea bag holder -perfect for a spring or Easter brunch.

I used the Matchbook die from We R Memory Keepers to make the tea bag holder. Sticky Thumb adhesive was the perfect fit to adhere the tea bag to the matchbook -just sticky enough to hold but removable enough to actually use! For a finishing touch I added Benzie's Pom Poms in Natural at the tag for the tea bag.

Happy Easter friends!