A Year of Wreaths: August Felt Ice Cream Wreath Tutorial

This month’s wreath design is inspired by delicious ice cream, the trend for Instagram-friendly “unicorn food”, and the way we all share our holiday snaps on social media.

The wreath features a large, colourful felt ice cream topped with sequin and bead “sprinkles”, a pair of heart-eye emojis, an “OMG!” speech bubble, and lots of felt hearts.

If you don’t fancy making the whole wreath, the ice cream would look fab appliqued to a cushion cover or a bag, or worn as an awesome statement brooch. The emojis and speech bubble would also make cute brooches or patches - as well as stitching “OMG!” in the speech bubble you could also stitch “WOW!” or “YAY!” or other short words.

This tutorial originally appeared on The Village Haberdashery's blog - visit their shop for lots of crafty goodness! I'm sharing all twelve seasonal wreath tutorials here on my blog as the year progresses.

You will need:

The template sheets (click here to view, download and print the PDF)
A 30cm polystyrene ring wreath base
Half a metre of Kona cotton in Baby Pink (or other fabric of your choice)
Wool blend felt in the following colours: yellow, red, black, bright pink, white, light brown, light blue, light pink, and lilac
Sewing threads to match all the felt colours
Black embroidery thread
Embroidery thread to match the beige felt
Assorted sequins, bugle beads and seed beads in co-ordinating colours
Sewing scissors
Embroidery scissors (great for cutting out small or detailed felt shapes)
Sewing needle and pins
A small piece of semi-transparent paper (tracing paper, white tissue paper or baking paper) and a fine black pen, OR an air-erasable fabric marker pen
A glue gun and glue
A heat-proof mat for the glue gun
Newspaper to protect your workspace from any glue drips
Optional: a piece of co-ordinating yarn or ribbon for hanging the wreath

To make the wreath:

1. Use the template provided to cut out 25 pieces from your chosen fabric  for wrapping the wreath base. You may need to cut a few more strips later to finish wrapping the wreath, but it’s better to cut fewer strips to start with than end up wasting fabric!

2. Add the fabric strips to the wreath base one by one, using a glue gun to secure the ends at the back of the wreath. Overlap the fabric strips so there are no gaps where the polystyrene base can show through. For each fabric strip, add a dab or two of hot glue to the back of the wreath then carefully press the fabric into position. If required use the template to cut more fabric strips, adding them until the whole base is covered in fabric.

IMPORTANT: take care when working with the glue gun as the glue gets very hot! Always place it on a heat-proof mat when not in use, and use newspaper or other scrap paper to protect your workspace. Work slowly, squeezing the gun with care to control the amount of glue you’re using and keeping your fingers out of the way of the hot glue.

The wreath base will now look something like this:

3. Use the templates provided to cut out the emoji pieces: four yellow circles, four red heart eyes, and two black smiles. Arrange the small pieces on two of the circles, as shown, sewing them in place with running stitch and matching sewing thread. Then sew each decorated circle to a backing plain circle, joining them with yellow sewing thread and whip stitch.

4. Use the templates provided to cut out the heart pieces: six large bright pink hearts and eight small red hearts. Sew two layers of each shape together with whip stitch and matching sewing thread, making a total of three large pink hearts and four small red ones.

5. Use the templates provided to cut out two speech bubbles from white felt. Trace the “OMG!” text onto a small piece of white tissue paper, tracing paper or baking paper with a fine black pen. Position the text in the centre of one of the speech bubble pieces and pin it in place, sew it with large tacking stitches (avoiding the text itself) then remove the pins.

If you have an air-erasable fabric marker pen you can skip the paper pattern if you want and just write “OMG!” directly onto one of the felt pieces. 

6. Stitch the text with backstitch and black embroidery thread (using half the available strands – so, for six-stranded embroidery thread just use three strands). Then remove the tacking stitches and carefully tear away the paper.

7. Sew the decorated front of the speech bubble to the plain backing piece using whip stitch and white sewing thread.

8. Use the templates provided to cut out the ice cream pieces: one light blue top scoop, one lilac middle scoop, one light pink bottom scoop, and one each of the cone pieces from beige felt.

Pin all the pieces onto a large piece of pink felt as shown (any colour felt will do for this, but make sure to use the same colour again in step 9) then trim away the excess felt, leaving a rough border around the ice cream. The ice cream should be approximately 26 cm high.

9. Begin sewing the ice cream pieces to the backing felt, using matching sewing threads and sewing only along the inside edges of the shape (i.e. not where you’ll be trimming away the excess backing felt later). Whip stitch along the bottom edges of the top two ice cream scoops then sew the top edges of the cone with one stitch between each scallop.

10. Sew a crisscrossed design on the ice cream cone to create a waffle effect. Use backstitch and half strands of matching embroidery thread, sewing lines in one direction and then the other as shown. Sew the lines freehand (they don’t have to be perfectly straight!) or use an air-erasable fabric marker pen to draw guide lines for your stitching.

11. Decorate the top scoop of the ice cream to look as if it’s been covered in sprinkles. Add seed beads, bugle beads, and sequins, or use lots of different colours of embroidery thread to create stitched sprinkles. I started with large sequins, then added bugle beads and smaller sequins, and then filled in the spaces with seed beads.

12. Carefully trim the excess backing felt from around the ice cream, taking care not to accidentally snip any of your stitching.

13. Use the ice cream as a template to cut out a matching backing piece of felt (I used pink felt for this, as before). Pin the layers together then whip stitch around the edges. Sew each section with matching sewing thread, removing the pins as you sew.

You should now have a collection of felt elements ready to add to your wreath.

14. Arrange the felt pieces on the wreath as pictured and use pins to hold them in position.

One by one, remove the pins and secure the felt pieces with a dab or two of hot glue. To attach the large pieces, add some glue to the wreath base then carefully press the shapes down into position.  To attach the smaller pieces, add a dab of glue directly to the back of the felt shape then very carefully press it in position on the wreath.

Your wreath is now finished! Add a length of yarn or co-ordinating ribbon for hanging the wreath, or hang it directly from a hook or nail.


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This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to make as many wreaths as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

5 Ways to Customise a Denim Jacket

Today I'm sharing five fun and easy ways to customise a denim jacket so you can get crafty and turn that plain jacket in your wardrobe into something really special.

I love the 90s vibe of the current denim jacket trend - I was a 90s teen and denim jackets totally make me want to start listening to mixtapes, spend hours chatting on the phone to my friends, and maybe write a zine or two!

Whether or not you're a nostalgic 30-something like me, if you've got a plain and boring denim jacket you want to customise then you've come to the right blog post. I'll be showing you how to personalise your jacket with custom lettering, sequins, patches, embroidery and badges, creating a fun and colourful look.

This post is sponsored by StickerYou, where you can create custom die-cut stickers, labels, badges, temporary tattoos... and custom printed patches!

Custom patches are great for small businesses, clubs, and for creating things like wedding favours, but there are no minimum order requirements at StickerYou so you can also use the site to create totally unique patches to match your personal style. You can upload your own artwork or even photos to their online editor, or use StickerYou's selection of fonts and artwork to create your designs.

Click here to see StickerYou's full catalogue and to order a free sample pack of their different materials!

1. Lettering.

Use felt or fabric to add a nickname or other word of your choice to the back of your jacket - I decided to add the word "CRAFTER" to my jacket in bright rainbow felt letters. If you also want to join the crafter club you can use the templates provided at the bottom of this post to cut out your letters. To write a different word, either draw your own large letters on a piece of paper to create your templates or print the word of your choice in a very large font size.

If you're using fabric for your letters, back them with some iron-on interfacing to make them sturdier (and easier to handle when you sew them to the denim) and help prevent the edges from fraying.

Pin the letters along the top of the back of the jacket, using a tape measure or large ruler to help you position the middle letter in the centre of the jacket and to evenly space the other letters.

Sew the letters in position with whip stitch and matching sewing thread(s).

2. Sequins.

You can't beat a bit of sparkle! I decided to add a few lines of sequins to my jacket, using five bright colours to create a rainbow design. You could also use sequins to make sparkly shapes on your jacket, or to further embellish the lettering.

If you're just using sequins in one colour, use sewing thread to match the sequins. If you're using multiple colours like I did, use blue thread to match the denim.

I used two stitches per sequin, so the stitches formed a roughly straight line, following the lines of the jacket. If you're sewing decorative shapes with your sequins, use an erasable fabric marker to draw the shapes on the denim then use the lines as a guide when adding your sequins.

I stitched two long lines of sequins down the back of the jacket...

... one line along the front...

... and a mini sequin rainbow on each of the cuffs.

3. Patches.

Here are the custom patches I ordered from StickerYou (I love the idea of being in an actual Cat Lady Club, don't you?). 

I found StickerYou's patch editor really easy to use, and was able to put together my three patch designs from their selection of images without any hiccups or computer rage (hurrah!). StickerYou are based in Toronto, Canada, so it took a little while for the patches to reach me via the international post but they were shipped very promptly and arrived in good condition.

When you've got your own patches ready to add to your jacket, decide on the placement of the patches and sew them in position one by one. I stitched two of my patches on the front and the third on the shoulder of my jacket. Use whip stitch and matching sewing thread and take care to only sew through one layer of the denim!

If you sew a patch to a pocket like I did, make sure you start your stitching at the top of the patch (and thus the top of the pocket) so that when you've sewn around the patch you won't have to reach too far inside the pocket to finish your stitching.

4. Embroidery.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to embroidering a denim jacket! You could go big and bold, or just add subtle interest with a few stitched details. I decided to roll with my 90s nostalgia and decorate the back of my jacket with a retro geometric pattern - choosing embroidery thread to match my rainbow theme.

You can use the geometric patterns provided at the bottom of this post to decorate your jacket, sketch your own designs, or find some patterns you love in craft books or online.

Trace each pattern onto a piece of tissue paper with a fine pen. Use large tacking stitches to secure the tissue paper to the denim, then sew along the lines with your chosen embroidery thread. I used three of the six strands in my thread and stitched my geometric patterns with backstitch (for a bolder line, try chain stitch).

Once your stitching is finished, remove the tacking stitches then carefully tear away the tissue paper. I gradually filled the space in the central panel of the jacket with geometric shapes, creating a colourful abstract design. 

 

 
5. Badges & Pins.

Last and by no means least, it's time to add some badges and pins! Denim jackets are perfect for showing off your collection of enamel pins, kitsch badges from your childhood, and any other fun pins you've picked up over the years.

I pinned a single badge on one side of my jacket...

... and a whole cluster down the other side, to create a pleasingly asymmetric look.

You'll need to remove the badges and pins whenever you wash the jacket, of course, but that just gives you a chance to mix things up and add in some new faves! I'd definitely recommend hand-washing your jacket once you've added the custom letters and other embellishments, to help keep your jacket looking at its best.

Click on the images to open the templates and/or embroidery patterns in a new window or tab. Download the image or make sure you're viewing it at full size and print at 100%.

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by StickerYou, where you can create custom printed patches, die-cut stickers, labels, badges, temporary tattoos, and more.

Fancy some more crafty goodness? Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Christmas Ornament Tutorial: Sew a Sparkly Felt Star

Time for another free festive pattern: a sparkly star!

This sparkly star ornament is part of a set of cute felt Christmas decorations I designed for docrafts Creativity magazine last year.

So far I've shared tutorials for making a snowman bauble, a stripey stocking and a reindeer bauble. The rest of the projects will be posted on my blog over the next few weeks... so stay tuned! 

 

 
To make the star, you will need:

- templates (see the bottom of this post)
- royal blue felt
- silver star sequins
- white and royal blue sewing thread
- white embroidery thread (floss)
- white narrow ribbon
- toy stuffing
- sewing scissors
- sewing needles and pins

To make the sparkly star:

1. Use the templates provided to cut out two star shapes from royal blue felt.

2. Sew on silver stars. Start in centre and work outwards. Sew stars in place with 3 stitches of white sewing thread. Leave space at edges to sew together.

3. Cut a 15cm (6 inch) length of narrow white ribbon. Fold the ribbon into a loop and sew the ends to the top of the undecorated star shape. Use whip stitch and royal blue sewing thread, sewing into the felt not through it.

4. Place the front and back star pieces together so the ends of the ribbon are sandwiched between the two layers and the loop sticks out the top of the ornament.

Hold or pin the two star pieces together and blanket stitch around the edge, using half strands of white embroidery thread. Stitch most of the way round and leave a gap for stuffing.

5. Add small pieces of stuffing to gradually fill the star, stuffing it lightly so it's evenly filled but still very squishy. Then sew up the gap with more blanket stitches and finish your stitching neatly at the back. 

This tutorial is for personal use only: you can use it to stitch as many felt ornaments as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a photo or two if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to the original source, and do not reproduce my entire post or share the pattern itself on your site. Thanks!

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Click here to view the template sheet, make sure you're viewing it full size then print it at 100%.