Pompoms and Patchwork

I've been making lots of pompoms this week...

... they're so much fun to make! They've also given me an idea for a special pompom-themed project which I'm really looking forward to working on. More details in a couple of months time :)

As well as making lots of pompoms, I've been sewing together some fabric squares to fill in the final corner of my old patchwork quilt project.

Plus thinking about what kind of wadding, binding and backing I'm going to use to turn the patchwork into a proper quilt. Lots of decisions to be made!

Felt Christmas Stocking Tutorial for Crafttuts+

Remember those pretty supplies I blogged about last month?

Well, this is what I was making with them: a colourful felt Christmas stocking!

I designed the stocking for a new crafty website - Crafttuts+.

As they put it, "Crafttuts+ is focused on teaching everything crafty — fundamental craft skills, decorations, ceramics, crochet, jewellery-making, embroidery, candles, paper-craft, knitting, woodwork, printmaking, as well as how to market, sell, and promote your craft work."

I had lots of fun covering this stocking with pretty ribbons, trims, polka-dots and pompoms in those bright candy colours... mmm.... pompoms...

You can check out my tutorial and learn how to make your own Christmas stocking, HERE.

UPDATE: 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.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

Free Tutorial from Christmas Crafting In No Time: Pompom Decorations

As I mentioned yesterday, today I've got a lovely free project to share with you guys from Christmas Crafting In No Time by Clare Youngs - pompom decorations!

Templates for the decorations are included at the bottom of this post. If you've never made pompoms before, you may find this tutorial helpful.

Pom-poms are enormous fun to make and a great way to introduce children to craft. These decorations have a homespun, folky appeal, but are brought bang up to date by using cool colors in cream, pale blue, and green. Pom-poms in bright colors also make a lovely addition to gift-wrapped presents.

MATERIALS
Cream wool yarn
Pencil
Scissors
Air-erasable pen or dressmaker’s pencil
Scraps of felt
Cream embroidery floss (thread)
Embroidery needle
Pom-pom trimming in matching color
Felt balls in matching and contrasting colors
Sewing needle and matching thread

1. These instructions are for the heart-shaped decoration. To make the other shapes, use different combinations of pom-poms and felt pieces. Make some pom-poms using cream yarn. For the heart-shaped decoration, make a small pom-pom, approx. 3⁄4 in. (2cm) in diameter or use pom-poms from a length of trimming.

2. Copy the heart template on page 163 and cut out two heart shapes from felt.

3. Use an air-erasable pen or a dressmaker’s pencil to draw the embroidery design on one felt heart, following the guidelines on the template.

4. Using embroidery floss (thread), embroider the design on one of the hearts.

5. On the other felt heart, pin the pom-pom trimming to the inside of the heart, all around the edge. Sew in position with small stitches and matching thread.

6. Thread a small pom-pom taken from some trimming onto some embroidery floss (thread) and thread on a felt ball. Take a couple of small stitches (without going all the way through the felt) across the heart with the pom-pom trimmed edge. Bring the needle out at the top of the heart.

7. Thread on some more felt balls or homemade pom -poms. Take the needle back down through the last pom-pom on the thread, leaving a loop to hang the decoration. Secure the thread.

8. Place the embroidered heart shape on the back heart shape, wrong sides facing. Sew together with small stitches all around the edge.

To print the templates - right click on the image and select to view it in another window or tab, then click again (if necessary) to view them full size and print.

Christmas Crafting in No Time by Clare Youngs is published by Cico books at £14.99 and is available from all good bookshops. All images are © Cico Books

Gift Wrap Idea: Yarn Plaits

I often use yarn instead of ribbon to decorate my gifts, but this year I thought I'd do something slightly different with it and made plaited (braided) ties:

The ties are super-easy to make, and though they do take time you can make lots while watching TV one evening and it's a very relaxing process. They're also a great way to use up leftover yarn from any knitting projects you've been working on during the year, so you can clear out your stash at the same time. If you're not a knitter but really want to give these a try, ask a knitting friend or relative for some of their leftover yarn - if they're anything like me they'll have tons of the stuff in loads of colours.

You can use any colours you fancy, to match your wrapping paper or just some nice colour combinations from the yarn in your stash. I chose festive colours - a red, green and natural brown mix, and a pepperminty red, white and turquoise mix (the white yarn has a slight sparkle to it, which is rather awesome, though it doesn't really show in the photos).

 

I used three colours per plait, and two strands of double knitting yarn in each colour to make a nice thick plait that's still thin enough to use as a ribbon without any problems.

 

I found that 100-120cms was about as long as I could cut the yarn before it became unmanagable when plaiting it. Because of this, the ties work best for smaller gifts but you could also use two ties for wrapping a larger present.

Knot the six strands together at one end, plait them until you run out of yarn (not too tight!) and knot them again to secure the plait. Then trim the ends neatly.

 

I found that my finished plaits were about 20% shorter than the yarn I started with but yours may differ depending how tightly you plait the yarn and how thick it is. It's worth taking a note of this percentage if you can in case you want to make a plait of a certain length and need to calculate how much yarn you'll need.

 

To use the ties, simply tie them round your gifts like normal ribbons. Knot them simply, or tie the loose ends in a bow.

 

 

The plaits also look great when topped with pompoms (click HERE for a guide to using pompoms to decorate your gifts) - make pompoms from the same yarn you use to make the plaits. Just one pompom looks fab, but three looks amazing!

 

Please feel free to borrow one or two photos 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 tutorial on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this gift wrapping idea? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


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

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

Fuzzy Goodness

Oh my goodness I've been busy this week!

I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule soon I promise, but in the meantime please join me in oohing over the cuteness of these mini pompoms:


They're 2cms wide each, so adorable and available from the always awesome Big Fish over on Etsy.

Any ideas for what I should make with them when the madness of this week has passed?

How To: Make a Fun Pompom Headband

Today I was overcome by a sudden urge to make a pompom headband... and I had so much fun I thought you might like to make one too! (pompoms are very trendy, apparently)

 

Making pompoms is dead easy - there's a great tutorial HERE that explains it all very clearly if you need a refresher.

 

I used a lovely chunky yarn made up of a mix of colours for a soft, mottled look to my pompom, and used a roll of sellotape as the template for my card circles (making my pompom quite large). You can of course use any colour yarn you like, and make your pompoms as large or small as you fancy (a selection of different sizes/colours would look pretty fab together).

Make sure not to trim the strands used for tying the pompom together - you'll need these to help you attach
the pompom to the headband later.

  

Using six long strands of matching yarn and plaiting with two strands at a time, make a thick plait long enough to tie around your head easily. Knot the plait tightly at each end and trim any excess yarn.

Using the two strands hanging from your pompom, tie it onto the headband and try it on in front of a mirror so you can work out where you'd like the pompom to sit. When you've decided, use the pompom strands and a darning needle to sew the pompom securely in place, knotting any loose ends and trimming them neatly.

 

 

Et voila, a fun pompom headband!

Sew your pompom onto a smaller plaited band to make an awesome ponytail bobble:

 

Or maybe wear your pompom as a necklace?

 

Please feel free to borrow photos 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 tutorial on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


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

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns: