FLUFF Project - Free Tutorial for Whaley & Starla stuffed friends!

 It's taken me longer than I had hoped, but nonetheless, I finally have the tutorial for my Whaley & Starla stuffies ready to share with you! They are chunky, squishy friends that I hope you enjoy making and the children that receive them love!

Start by printing and assembling your templates here: 

WHALEY Page 1

WHALEY Page 2

STARLA

Fold your fabric so that you can easily cut 2 of your whale/star shape. 

For your whale, you will be adding a tummy shape from an alternate fabric. Before pinning in place, be sure the pieces will line up properly once sewn together as shown. 

 Pin & stitch the tummy panel in place. 

Poke a hole through the center of the eye marks on your templates to allow for you to easily transfer the marking to your fabric cut outs as shown. 

When using snaps as I did, you'll want to reinforce with a scrap of fabric. This also isn't a bad idea if you plan to use the safety eyes.

Place your whale/star body pieces right sides together, pin and stitch leaving the designated opening for turning. If you wish to add ribbon or ric rac accents, do so before stitching.

Carefully clip a "V" shape from the tail.

Clip curves around your stuffed toy. I like to use pinking shears for this step. 

Turn your toy right sides out, and using a turning tool or other pointed object, smooth the edges. 

If you lined up the belly and eyes as instructed above, they should nicely match now as shown below.

Stuff your friend and stitch the opening closed. I like to use a simple Ladder or Slip Stitch for this.

Textured fabrics, various trims, button eyes, embroidered features....

The possibilities are endless, so have fun sewing up a bunch of these!

I'm sharing this free tutorial in hopes that in addition to personal use, it will be used to create toys for donation to children in need, and happily welcome any you'd like to contribute to our FLUFF Project. 

Thanks for taking the time to GIVE BACK!

FLUFF Project.....upcoming delivery!

My current box of stuffed friends for the FLUFF Project is beginning to fill and so I will be planning another delivery near the end of this month. Thank you all who continue to sew and/or purchase and send these special gifts for children in foster care, it truly means so much, and I of course WELCOME all you would like to contribute! :)

Here's some of what will be delivered next.

 From Dona at Sewing Miles of Smiles....

From a local friend.....

From Echelon Florist....

I have a couple more I've made and a few more in the works, plus some from the April Project that have arrived and will also be included, so I'm hoping for a very nice bundle. 

You can get all the details and find out how you can be a part on the FLUFF Project page here. 

As always, thank you so very much for helping to spread the word too!

Apron Kit GIVEAWAY in support of our JULY PROJECT!

Are you interested in sewing along this month and could use the extra supplies to make a special Fidget Apron to donate for our July Project? Then this giveaway is just for you! 

That's right, if you'd like to take this stack of goodies and turn it into an apron for donation this month, simply leave a comment on this post saying "Yes! I'd love to use these goodies to sew an apron for donation!" or similar, and I'll choose a winner at random 7/15/13 and mail this sweet stack to them so they can get sewing!

COMMENT #1 was randomly selected as the WINNER!!! Congrats! You have been emailed! :) US Shipping please. One comment per person. Be sure to leave an email for me to contact you if one isn't linked to your profile.  

What's included????

A Serenade Apron Panel donated by Butterfly Kisses Fabric.....

......and a bunch of fun "fidgets" for you to add on!

Buttons....bobbles....ribbon and trim! Everything you need to make a perfectly fun apron!

Here's one of the aprons I've been working on....

Selecting and arranging all the trinkets is such fun! Each one is different! The possibilities are endless!

Be sure to download your free Busy Hands Fidget Apron pattern over at Fishsticks Designs if you haven't yet, and let's sew and share these special gifts all month long!

Retro TEEN Party with Print Your Fiesta!

 When my friend Ceci at Print Your Fiesta first shared about her new party printables business, I immediately mentioned my teenage daughter's upcoming birthday and how much she would love something "retro" themed. Little did I know that she already had something SUPER CUTE in the works, so when she showed me her completed 80s Retro Party Kit, I was thrilled! I knew it would be PERFECT!

Boom Boxes, Cassette Tapes, Shades and NEON lights! 

TOTALLY RETRO!!!! 

Everyone loved playing around with the fun photo booth props that were part of the kit too!

Just like with the Ballerina Party we had for our youngest daughter, I simply made my personal edits to the printables, saved them to our USB Memory Stick and took it to Staples for printing. Quick & Easy! We had a lot of fun with it too! :)

  I think the pic below of one of her FAVORITE gifts clarifies just how perfect this party kit theme was for her! Thanks Ceci! :)

Find the 80s Retro Party Kit along with a growing collection of various party themes in the Print Your Fiesta shop here! I bet you'll find something perfect for your next celebration too!

I'm taking the CHALLENGE! A Lovely Year of Finishes - My 1st EVER quilt!

Ok....so here goes.
I'm putting it in TEXT, right out there publicly, so that should mean NO TURNING BACK!

Well, at least I'm hoping it will especially motivate me to finish this month.
My friend Melissa at Sew BitterSweet Designs has been hosting this challenge all year called, A Lovely Year of Finishes, to try and challenge us to FINISH those projects that we have started....whether tangibly or in our head. And until last month, my project existed only in my head.....and the multiple messages I had sent Melissa asking how to go about starting my 1st quilt! :)
(Thanks again for all your help and suggestions Melissa!)

So, I'm officially declaring that JULY will be the month that I finish my 1st quilt and it becomes a lovely finish! I'm joining the challenge by adding my post to the "Goal Setting Party" here. And, YOU can join too!!!! :) Get all the details here.

If you saw my posts on facebook, this is where my quilt currently is....

I'm doing Quilt As You Go (QAYG), and have 9 Patch I-Spy blocks with a dark gray solid border to separate them.

Here's what I'm working on now...

 I had originally bought this rainbow chevron as the backing....but found an alternative that was highly favored by all those sharing their opinion on facebook when I posted. Thanks all! I really think I'm going to like the alternate backing better!
However, I had to find a way to use a bit of the chevron since I loved it and it's so happy! :) It will be the main boarder around my quilt top. The problem.....I decided it would be a good idea to quilt EACH. WHITE. CHEVRON. And while I love the look....OH MY WORD this is taking FOREVER!!!! lol! :) Remember....I'm a total newbie, and this isn't just QAYG, but design and learn as I go too!

And by the way....is quilting normally this messy or do I have a problem???

JULY 31st.
My first completed quilt and my first Lovely Year of Finishes project.
It's ON!!!! 

Let's Talk Textiles - An educational series brought to you by Fabric Outlet and Hopeful Threads

 

I'm so excited to have Kim from Fabric Outlet here today to help kick off a new educational series for us called, "Let's Talk Textiles". Kim is going to help us learn more about the products we love. 

Hi!  My name is Kim and I LOVE fabric!  I don't just love fabric...I am addicted to fabric! I love trims and notions and needle crafts and beading too! I love it all so much I had to open a store.  I own the Fabric Outlet in Yucca Valley, Ca. and online at my website and on facebook.  We started in 2005 and have now grown to include 3,500 sq ft of all the stuff I love.

  Now that introductions have been made lets talk textiles, my favorite subject.  I know that you sew a project every month and this month is a fidget apron.  The best fabric to buy for this project would be cotton, cotton broadcloth, light canvas or poplin.  What's the difference?  

  Regular quilt weight cotton is a bit misleading because it can come in many different weights!  The weight is determined by the thread count. The thread count is the number of threads per one-inch square of fabric, including vertical (warp) and horizontal (weft) threads woven together.
Some of the less expensive cottons can feel thin and/or have a loose weave similar to gauze.  These may tend to look thread bare after just a few washings. On the other hand sometimes the less expensive brands can feel sort of heavy and stiff. They still do not have a high thread count but each strand has been individually "fattened up" with starch before it is woven or starched to an inch of its life after the fact! 

   Cotton broadcloth IS actually made on a wider loom but the strands are twisted with higher fiber content.  So it may or may not feel a bit heavier but it is always a tighter weave. Poplin is a tight weave also and can be all cotton or a blend. Its characteristic crisper yet "satiny" feel is a give away. Canvas comes in all sorts of weights, from a lighter apparel weight to a home decor weight to upholstery and outdoor weight.

  Your time is valuable and if you are going to take time to sew something you should use something worthy!  That doesn't mean the most expensive materials you can find but there is no shortage of fabric choices out there.  My husband can tell you that!  

  

Sample Album

We support Hopeful Threads and would like to give each of you 2 free zippers and a 20% discount on all orders this month! Simply mention Hopeful Threads when ordering. Check out the sample album here for some great options for this month's project. 

Be sure to visit the Fabric Outlet online shop and follow on Facebook for all the weekly deals and promotions!

July 2013 - Monthly Project Announcement

I'm very excited to share this month's project with you!

And I have to give a BIG THANKS to Bonnie from Fishsticks Designs who has helped to design a special pattern just for our project! And it's AWESOME too!

For July, we will be sewing Busy Hands Fidget Aprons.

You can download the pattern FREE at Fishsticks Designs in support of our July Project.

Most all of us have at some point had our lives touched by someone with Alzheimer's, Dementia or similar. It can be a difficult and emotional journey for families. Our hope is that the items we sew this month will help ease some of that. 

The idea for this project was first introduced by one in our Hopeful Threads community, Cheryl. Cheryl has personal connection to a family that this project is especially meaningful for and that has a connection to a local facility where the items will be donated.

Here's more of the details shared by Joanne, the family member that will be delivering our sewn donations this month.

"I lost my father to Huntington’s Disease in 1979 and 30 years later lost my brother to HD.  Having lived with family members who suffer from chronic illnesses, I have a special place in my heart for anyone battling a chronic illness especially those that affect the brain.

My family became close to Carol Ann Lawler while my brother was under Hospice care.

When Carol Ann approached us about working with her to have special aprons made for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, we knew this was a ministry close to our heart and one that our Rag Bag (a fabric and crafts store) customers would willingly help.

We realized this is an excellent project for those who would like to provide a gift to Alzheimer’s or dementia patients, and a great way to get many people involved in a worthwhile project. 

Once ready, your items can be shipped to:

The Rag Bag of Shelby

 810 W. Warren Street

 Shelby, NC 28150

The aprons will then be collected by Carol Ann Lawler the Communities of Faith Liaison of Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region and distributed to Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients in the Charlotte, NC Region. 

  Bonnie is sharing all kinds of suggestions and shopping tips for different types of fidgit items on her blog. Here are a few interesting items I picked up too to give you ideas on the variety of options. When you start thinking with "fidget" in mind, all kinds of possibilities reveal themselves! I was especially pleased with the little stretchy, spiral hair bows. :) There is also an album on Facebook here with other fidget ideas/images.

 I look forward to sewing with you all this month to support this meaningful project!

Our goal is to provide 100 aprons that will hopefully be matched by local Rag Bag customers to provide a donation of a at least 200 aprons.
Are you ready????
Grab the badge, spread the word and let's sew!