Recycled Wool Ornament

The other day I showed you those cute little advent calendar bags I recently made.

So I thought I’d also show you what I stuck in one of the bags.

My oldest and his family just bought their first house. I can’t wait to go see it!

I couldn't find a First Home ornament so I thought I’d sew one up.

I just used some of the scrap pieces of felt wool that I have. The windows and doors were needle felted.

Then on the back I printed out Our First Home on some transfer paper and ironed it on some cotton fabric.

  Then machine stitched it on the back. The rest was hand stitched.

It’s not a Hallmark but it’s a cute remembrance of their first home together.

Can you guess what the roof is made from?

Linking up with:

Primitive & Proper
Coastal Charm

Advent Calendar

Gosh, time is flying by!

How are you? Are you freaking out yet?

Hmmm, maybe it’s just me.

I still haven’t shown you my pictures from Thanksgiving and now I’m rushing to show you this advent calendar I made the other day. I was late getting it out in the mail to a little special someone, so he’ll have to play catch up on a few days.

I saw a bunch of little advent bags on Pinterest. I had planned to order some plain bags but of course time got away from me and so I decided to just make the bags.

Here’s what I did.

I wanted bags about 4x6 so I cut my fabric 5x16. That gave me extra length to make the casing.

Fold the fabric lengthwise and mark the top 2 inches.

Sew each side up to that 2” mark. I ended up just putting some tape on my machine to show me where to stop stitching. It made the process go faster not having to pin them all.

To make the casing you fold in the side seam on the upper 2 inches that were not stitched together.

Then fold down the top 1/4 inch,

Then fold again down to where you stopped stitching the side seam.

It will look like this. The bottom pin is just to show where the side seam stops. Stitch across one end and then the other. I top stitched in a green thread for some contrast.

When you stitch one end it will look like this.

Then turn them right side out.

Now you’re ready to put the numbers on! Print out your numbers on some iron on printer paper and set it to flipped or reverse on your printer. So when you iron them on they will look right. I found these numbers on Pinterest. You can google, printable advent numbers, and a bunch will come up.

The bags go much faster than it seems. You find your own rhythm and what’s easier for you.

You’ll need to cut two lengths of twine and thread in one direction and then in the other direction. Then knot the two ends together on each side. You’ll then be able to pull each knot out and the bag will close. 

I hope that made sense.

Last but not least, I used some Washi tape to cover these little clothespins.

I think they came out pretty darn cute!

And they’re reusable. Just fill them up each year. I put in little toys and candies. 

But you can put in whatever your think your little special someone might like.

OH!

One more thing. Remember this little guy? I made him two years ago out of pumpkins.

Well, he’s making an appearance over at Huffpost Home getting his 15 minutes of fame! There are some other great holiday decorating ideas there too. So hop on over and check it out.

Let me know what you think of my little advent bags. They are super easy to make. And if you don’t want to made an advent calendar they would make cute gift bags in any size and you can decorate them any way you like.

Have a great weekend!

Linking up with:
My Repurposed Life
French Country Cottage
Primitive & Proper

Christmas Stocking

Have you entered my FOLK magazine and mini stocking giveaway?
Well you should. You only have until tomorrow.

So hurry!

I thought I’d show you the big stocking that I got out of that green sweater.

Ever have one of those days when you have something all figured out in your head, yet it still does not turn out like you thought? No matter how many times you go over it?

Here is how it started.

I cut it all apart.

Removed the seams so that I had a nice flat piece to work with. Save the seams you can use them later.

I printed out a pattern I found online and pinned it all and then cut it out.

 

Here is where I made a bit of a left turn and the craziness began.

I sewed the neck ribbing on to the toe of the stocking. Attached the cuffs to the top. 

Used the sweater seam for the hanging loop.

See how they are sitting? I should have just layered them like that, ribbing inside. 

But NO, when I went to the machine I lost my mind and did the opposite.

I took one look at my creation screamed a few colorful words. 

So, out came the seam ripper and I started again. 

The cuff was still not right either. 

I have a seam on the outside but you know what? It’s okay by me.

So I will not try to explain the sewing procedure, you are on your own.

As a matter of fact I should have just left an outside seam for the whole thing because of the weight of the wool. Which is what I did for the mini ones. It cuts nicely and doesn’t unravel.

And yes, I’m sure you noticed that every picture is a different shade of green.

The light has been so bad in the house and this time of year it’s even worse.

I only get morning light and I am so not a morning person.

But in the end I’m happy with my soft fuzzy stocking. I love the color. The last couple of shots are most accurate since they’re in the living room where I have sky lights. I need to change my overhead light in that sewing room. Much too shadowy.

Okay, that’s it. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

And don’t forget about the giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. CONGRATS ALLISON!

Linking up with:
Funky Junk Interiors: SNS 111 Stockings

FOLK Magazine Giveaway and more

CONGRATS TO ALLISON FOR WINNING!

Were you wondering if I had forgotten?

I almost did.

It’s been a busy week. I planned on doing this yesterday but then Henry got sick.

We had to take him to the vet for a bunch of tests. 

I was getting worried. He was lethargic and trembling.

Turns out he has pancreatitis. 

He’s doing much better now and is starting to eat again.

I am so relieved.

So I wanted to do a quick little giveaway.

I just so happened to get two of the Nov/Dec issue of FOLK so I thought I’d pass one along to one of you. They are a new magazine and this is just their 2nd issue.

Donna from Funky Junk Interiors is a contributor for FOLK. 

She shows you how she made that cool twiggy garland.

This is from FOLK’s website.

(felted snowball garland. I’m getting addicted to the felted wool!)

It’s a beautiful magazine .

They focus on handmade and made in America items as well.

So I thought I’d add a little something handmade too.

I’ve been sewing with those wool felted sweaters and whipped up with these mini stockings.

They are the perfect little size to tuck a gift card in. 

You could add them to a package or hang them on your tree.

I don’t have a tree up yet. Shocking I know. It still feels early to me.

So I stuck them on a wreath for a picture. 

I think they'd be a great addition for a wreath that you’re putting together.

So what do you think?

Would you like a chance to see what FOLK is all about?

Just leave me a comment below and let me know how far along you are with your holiday decorating.

Are you just beginning? 

Already finished? 

Or do you wait until the last minute?

I will randomly pick a winner on Monday night.

Please make sure there is an email for me to contact you. 

Feel free to spread the word :)

That's it, easy peasy.

Good Luck!

Using Up That Sweater

So I had some leftover sweater material from the pumpkins I made.

The sweater did not felt like I thought it would when I washed it because it wasn’t all wool.

But it still was really soft so I thought why not a pillow.

 

I had a bed pillow I wasn’t using so I just cut it down and used it as the insert.

Then I cut the body of the sweater from armhole to armhole.

 

I had already cut the sleeves off since that is what the pumpkins are made out of.

Then just a straight stitch across the top with my machine and stuff the insert inside.

 I became addicted to making these cute little flowers.

There's a great tutorial that Beth from A to Z posted. She even made a video.

I had a gray sweater as well (which felted better) so I decided to combine the two colors.

 

I cut out some leaves and then outlined them with my sewing machine.

It wasn’t showing up enough so I hand stitched them on top with some embroidery floss.  

I whip stitched the bottom by hand as well. It was very fast.

And I managed to hot glue them on without any injuries!

Not too bad. I was really happy with it.

It’s a great size for my bed.

Plus I love the texture it adds. 

Now I just have one sleeve left to use.

Linking up with:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest
My Repurposed Life: Catch As Catch Can
Freckled Laundry: Air Your Laundry

July 4th Pennant Banner

I know I’m running a little late on this.

But it’s not like there is a July 4th season right?

I just wanted something a little festive to hang outside.

I had no time to go to Joann's for fabric so I just used what I could find.
Which happened to be bandanas.

I wanted this to be fast and easy so here is what I did.

It took me about 30 minutes.

I folded them in half. Used a paper template to give me a general size idea.

Then cut them out with a pair of pinking shears.

Then I took a long piece of jute and folded over the edge and sewed a zig zag stitch.

It went really fast and I wasn’t all that neat about it either.

I hung it on the mantel to get a few pictures.

Tomorrow I will hang them by the pool.

I was going to just glue them but the tacky glue was not water proof.

The sun would have probably softened any hot glue.

I was going to try to find something that was water proof since they would be outside.

But really, for $3, I don’t care what happens to them.

I got 2 strands out of 3 bandanas. Not too bad.

I’ll show you how they look outside after I finish up a few more things out there.

I really wanted striped fabric and I was a little worried they looked too western.

Oh well.

The old west seems very American to me. :)

update: I have kept this banner up all summer. It's hanging by my pool and I've loved it!

Linking up with: 

Freckled Laundry: Air Your Laundry
My Repurposed Life: Catch as Catch Can
Funky Junk Interiors: SNS 88 and SNS 97

see ya,