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

Shrinking Sweaters Is Not Always Bad

I have a new obsession.

It might seem a little odd since I live in Florida.

But I can’t help myself.

It’s wool sweaters!

I am addicted to felting the wool. Have you heard of felting?

Just think of that nice cashmere sweater that your husband threw in the wash.
And it came out looking like something that would fit a toddler.

He felted it for you!

These are all nicely felted and ready to be made into something else.

The great thing is, you can cut them up and they don’t unravel. 

Sometimes they need to be washed more then once. 

Hot wash, cold rinse. I throw in an old towel to help with agitation.

 before felting

I keep searching for different colors and patterns.

I even found a hounds tooth wool skirt in some great earthy shades.

I’m loving the orange in this sweater.

Here it is after I washed it. Fuzzy softness.

Some I will put aside for projects next fall. 

Hey,I’m stocking up.

 

This one had these amazing pearl beads sewn onto the front.

I removed them before washing so it would shrink evenly.

 instagram shot

Now I am searching for some bright and fun colors for spring and summer.

I found just a few at Goodwill yesterday. 

Half off day!

I wish you could feel the softness. :)

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

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