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Play Food - How To Make Felt Pancakes and Sausages

As part of my continuing series on how to make Faux Food items for your little girl to play with...here is how I made my felt pancakes and sausages. You will need to read through my list of supplies before you get started. They are completely handsewn, so no sewing machine is required. They work up quickly so its a great take-along project.

Supplies Needed For Pancakes:

Cream, Tan and Dark Brown Felt
Embroidery Floss - Cream, Tan and Dark Brown
Scissors and a Blunt Tip Sewing Needle
Pattern (see below)

Supplies Needed For The Sausage Links:

Dark Brown Felt
Dark Brown Embroidery Floss
Small Amount of Poly-Fiber Fill Stuffing
Scissors and a Blunt Tip Sewing Needle
Pattern (see below)

Pancakes Pattern: On printer paper, draw 5" and 4" diameter circles which will make your pancake. For the syrup, just free-hand a shape that measures approximately 2 3/4" in size.

Sausage Links Pattern: Draw a rectangle that measures 3 3/4" by 3" in size.

Note: All blanket stitching is done with two strands of embroidery floss.

Pancakes Directions: From cream colored felt, cut two 5" diameter circles. From tan colored felt, cut one 4" diameter circle and from dark brown felt, cut one syrup pattern. Center the dark brown syrup piece onto the tan pancake piece and blanket stitch around it to attach it to the tan piece. Fasten off on the backside. Next, lay the tan piece on top of the cream piece and blanket stitch around it to connect it to the cream piece of felt. Fasten off. Finally, place both cream colored pieces of felt together and blanket stitch around the entire circumference of the pancake. Fasten off by hiding your floss ends inside.

Optional: If you would like to make a simple pat of butter for your pancakes, just cut two 1" squares from yellow felt and blanket stitch them together. We decided to not attach the butter pat to our pancakes.

Sausage Links Directions: Use your rectangle pattern to cut three rectangles from dark brown felt. These will make three pieces of sausage. Use two strands of embroidery floss and hand sew a running stitch to connect the two long edges together to form a tube. Once the tube is completed, use the floss to hand gather one of the ends closed. Insert some poly-fiber fill into your u-shaped tube and firmly pack it in there. Once its packed in, use the embroidery floss to hand gather the end and fasten off.

You can find the rest of my felt foodie patterns ---> HERE I will be posting many more to my blog during the next few weeks so please follow my blog or bookmark it so you can find them.

~ Shelly ~

This pattern, instructions and photo are copyright 2009 by Shelly Hill. You can not reprint these instructions on your web site or blog...however, you can link your post or site to my blog post. All Rights Reserved.

FREE Primitive Owl Fabric Pattern

I have loved owls since I was a little girl and I have a very large owl collection ranging from clothing, purses, thimbles, bells, figurines, jewelry and even a quilt. There is just something about owls that I love.

I think these primitive owls would look cute sitting out for Halloween! You could make them in black & orange colors :)

A few weeks ago I found this FREE online pattern to make a primitive owl over on the Pattern Mart web site ---> HERE The designer of the pattern is Shweet Potato Dolls N Patterns.

This pattern is a free online printable pattern that also includes a primitive cat pattern. She says the pattern is for ornies and bowl fillers...although I think he looks great sitting in a primitive basket which is what I have done with the one I made. (see photo above of him sitting in a primitive basket that is filled with dried pods and pinecones).

I made my owl using vintage blue velour tweed type of fabric that I purchased at the thrift store a few months ago. For his nose, I used a tan tweed fabric and his eyes are made up of warm and natural batting, black felt and brown buttons. I was able to sew several of these adoreable primitive owls up in just one afternoon. Since that time, I have sold about 15 of them at a local craft show last month. The finished size of the ones I have been making measure 6" wide by 4 1/2" high.

So...if you love owls, head on over to the Pattern Mart web site and download the free owl pattern.

How To Make A Rag Quilt Throw Blanket

When it comes to quilting, one of the easiest quilts to make is a Rag-Style Cotton Quilt. Unlike traditional quilting, these type of quilts are quilted as you make them and they have exposed outer seams which you snip after you are done sewing them to make it fringe. After laundering, it rags which leads to your quilts country charm.

For this particular quilt, I chose to work in the purple and green color scheme and I used solid and print fabrics. All of the fabrics used are cotton as they rag and fray the best. You don't want to use polyester or nylon-blend type of fabrics in these type of quilts.

These type of quilts are reversible...one side will be raggedy like shown in the photo below:


The other side of your quilt will look like a traditional quilt, like shown in the photo below:


Supplies Needed:

Approximately 8 Yards of Cotton Fabrics
2 Packages Warm and Natural Cotton Batting
Scissors
Fiskars (tm) Rag Quilt Snipping Scissors
Sewing Machine and Basic Sewing Supplies
Rotary Cutter, Mat and Ruler


Picture of Rotary Cutter, Mat and Ruler That You Will Need.

Seam Allowances: I used a 3/4" seam allowance while making this rag quilt.

Finished Throw Quilt Size: 15 rows by 19 rows. (In other words, I have 15 squares in my horizontal rows and 19 squares in my longitude rows).

Fabric Preparation: Wash and dry your fabrics before starting. If necessary, iron them if they become wrinkled.

Cutting Fabric: I cut my fabric down to 4" sized squares using my rotary cutter. Try to make the squares an accurate 4" in size. You will need a total of 570 squares which will make 285 blocks. (2 fabric squares make up 1 block).

Cutting The Cotton Batting: You need your batting squares to be smaller than your fabric squares, mine measure 3" square. You will need one batting square for each fabric square so you need a total of 285 cotton batting squares.


Step 1: You need to make your fabric squares by layering a piece of cotton batting between to fabric squares. The right side of your fabric will be facing out and the batting will be inside. Use your sewing machine and sew an X through each square. You do this by going from the top left corner and down to the bottom right corner. Then flip your square and do the other side. It should resemble an X pattern on the center of your square. I leave 3/4" of an inch un-sewn at each corner. You will do this for all 285 squares.

Step 2: Clear off a large table or use a clean floor. Lay out all of your sewn fabric squares in a pattern or design that you like.

Step 3: Using a 3/4" seam allowance, so your squares together in horizontal rows to make long strips consisting of your squares.


Step 4: Using a 3/4" seam allowance, sew all of your horizontal rows together. As your quilt increases in size, it becomes a little bit difficult to hold and pull through your sewing machine...if needed, work it in 3 sections and then sew the 3 sections together to make it more manageable.

Step 5: Once you have all your rows together, you will have a rectangular throw quilt. You need to load it back into your sewing machine and go around all 4 sides with a 3/4" seam allowance. Finally...all your sewing is completed.

Finishing Your Throw Quilt: To finish your rag-style throw quilt, you need to snip all of your seams...you need to be VERY careful to not snip through any of your sewn lines/seams. If you don't own a pair of the Fiskars (tm) rag quilt snippers, I highly recommend that you get a pair as they are easier on your hands than scissors. (however, you can use regular sharp fabric scissors too). This next snipping step for will take a long time, so sit down with a cup of coffee and put a movie on. Using snippers or scissors, you need to snip/clip all of your seams to make the fringe. I like to clip mine every 1/4" and the closer together you clip them, the more your quilt will fray and rag when you launder it. You will do this on all of the seams and around the outer edges of your quilt.

Washing The Quilt: Now its time to make it all raggedy. I wash and dry mine 2 complete cycles. Put your quilt into the washer with a little laundry detergent and some fabric softener and wash it on the normal cycle. Once it is done, dry it in the dryer and then repeat the washing and drying again.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your quilts will shed a ton of threads and lint during the washing and drying process for the first few cycles. You need to clean your lint traps frequently, especially while drying them. I set a timer and check my dryer lint trap every 10 minutes as I don't want to catch anything on fire. After they have been laundered a few times, the shedding will stop.

The more you wash and dry your raggedy quilts, the softer they will become.

If you don't have time to make your own raggedy-style country throw quilt, you can contact me about custom ordering one from me. I make them in any color combination and can make them in just about any size that you desire. You can email me at Ravish30(at)aol(dot)com


Enjoy your new quilt!

Play Food - How To Make Felt Strawberries

I was having a little difficulty with making the perfect felt strawberries for my grand daughters felt food playset that I have been making the past few months and then found this great FREE online Tutorial over on the Mr. Monkey Suit Blog. You can head on over and learn how to make them too at ----> HERE

Instead of making 'stitched' strawberry seeds, I chose to use tiny white seed beads and hand sew them onto my felt strawberries...I just prefer the look and thought it made them look more realistic. I also played around with the pattern size because I wanted small and medium strawberries...after all, strawberries vary in size :) I also added a little green stem using 6 strands of dark green embroidery floss.

You can find the rest of my felt foodie patterns ---> HERE I will be posting many more to my blog during the next few weeks so please follow my blog or bookmark it so you can find them.


Happy Crafting!

~ Shelly ~

How To Make An Easy Felt Holiday Coaster

For the past few months, I have been teaching my teenage nieces how to do some hand sewing and embroidery work...so recently we decided to stitch up some Christmas holiday coasters from felt. These are really easy to make and great for a beginner. They are also the perfect size to tuck inside a holiday greeting card. You will need to add an additional stamp to your envelope if you are doing that!

We decided to do ours in the traditional Christmas colors of red, green and white. This is a great take-along project too, since it is all done with hand sewing.

Supplies Needed:

Red, Green and White Craft Felt
Red and Green Cotton Embroidery Floss
Sewing Needle
Scissors

Pattern: We drew a free-handed pattern...my one niece says its a Christmas Flower and the other one says its a star LOL! Ours measures approximately 4 1/4" in diameter which is the perfect size for a coaster.

Directions: You will cut 2 flowers from red colored felt. From green felt, you will need one circle that measures 2" in diameter and from white felt you will need one circle that measures 1" in diameter.

Using two strands of red embroidery floss, blanket stitch the white circle to the center of the green circle, fasten off. Using red embroidery floss, blanket stitch the green circle to the center of your flower. (see photo for placement) Fasten Off. Place both red flower pieces together and using two green strands of embroidery floss, blanket stitch the two pieces together...going around the entire circumference of the flower/star and then fasten off. Your coaster is now complete.

Fasten Off: When we fasten off, we hide the ends of our embroidery floss inside the felt sections so that they are not visible on the outside of the coaster.

Tips: You can use regular crafting felt or wool felt...although for these we used regular craft felt. When doing your blanket stitching, don't pull your stitches too tightly as it will cause your coaster to buckle...you want it to lay nice and flat.

Play Food - How To Make A Felt Peanut Butter Sandwich Pattern

As part of my on-going faux food (play food) toy series, here is how I made a peanut butter sandwich out of craft felt. This felt sandwich is completely handsewn, so no sewing machine is needed.

Supplies Needed:

1 sheet of white craft felt
1 sheet of tan craft felt
white cotton embroidery floss and needle
scrap of quilt batting or poly-fiber fill stuffing
Scissors

Pattern: I made my own pattern by tracing around a slice of bread onto a piece of printer paper. Once you have your shape, cut out on your traced line.

Cutting The Felt: Using your paper bread slice pattern, cut two pieces from white felt. For the peanut butter, you will need a tan colored strip of felt that measures 1/2" wide by the circumference of your bread slice. I also added a 1/4" to my circumference measurement so that I could over-lap my seam while sewing.

Hand-Sewing: I used 2 strands of cotton embroidery floss for all of my stitching. Starting at the bottom of your bread slice, blanket stitch the tan felt strip to the white bread slice. You will want to blanket stitch the whole way around and fasten off. Place your other white piece of felt on top and blanket stitch it to the tan felt but stop once you reach the last corner. I cut down a piece of quilt batting to measure slightly smaller than my bread shape. I folded it in half and placed it inside my sandwich. Once it was flat inside the sandwich, I finished my blanket stitching and then fastened it off.


Notes: I chose to use quilt batting as I felt the fiber-fill made my sandwich too fluffy looking...so if you are using fiber fill, don't over-stuff your sandwich!

You can find the rest of my faux food patterns ---> HERE I will be posting many more faux foodie patterns in the coming weeks so follow my blog so you will be notified when new patterns are posted. Thanks!

~ Shelly ~

Primitive Tree Make-Do Holiday Decoration

A few weeks ago I made up several of these little Primitive Tree Make-Do's to decorate my home for the holidays. I love tucking them in on our holiday tree or Christmas displays around my home. I also made a few of them up to give along with some of my handmade holiday gifts.

This project costs less than $1.00 to make because you are repurposing some of your fabric scraps and empty wooden thread spools. I was able to make one in less than 20 minutes...so they are quick and easy.

Supplies Needed:

Handmade Simple Tree Pattern
Green Check Homespun Fabric (small piece)
Red and Green Plaid Homespun Fabric Scrap
Poly-Fill Stuffing
Empty Wooden Spool
Metal Jingle Bell (Rusty or Brass)
All-Purpose Tacky Glue
Sewing Machine and Basic Sewing Supplies

Tree Pattern: I found mine in a child's coloring book, you can draw your own simple tree pattern. Mine measures 4 3/4" tall by 5 1/2" wide at its widest point.

Trace your tree pattern onto 2 pieces of green homespun fabric and cut out right outside of your traced line. Place your 2 fabric pieces together and sew around the tree, leaving the bottom tree trunk edge open. Turn your tree inside out so that the right side is now outside and lightly stuff with some poly-fiber fill. Position the little tree trunk stub around a 1 1/2" tall wooden spool and use tacky glue or a hot glue gun to glue it into place. (Hold it in place for a minute or two until its stable).

Take a piece of scrap homespun and cut it down to a 1/2" by 6" long piece and tie it around the wooden spool. You can trim your length if its too long. Using a piece of thread and a sewing needle, sew your rusty metal jingle bell to the top of your tree.



~ Shelly ~

Crochet Beautiful Curly Q Scarf Pattern

Today's project is from my guest blogger friend Chris who made this beautiful crochet scarf for us this week. I really love the unique look to the scarf and I think it would make a very stylish winter accessory or a great gift for someone on your holiday list.

Here are her instructions.

Curly Q Scarf

pattern courtesy of Patons http://patonyarns.com

Ch 145 loosely

1st row: in 5th ch from hook, 1dc and 1ch 5 times. 1dc and 1 ch in each ch to the end, omitting last ch at end of row. Turn

2nd row: ch 3. 1dc and 1 ch in each st to end of row. Fasten off

Tips from Chris: If you are using a thick yarn, you may not need the 2nd row. I also added 15 ch to the foundation row and started in the 2nd ch from hook.

Thank you Chris for your guest blogger post and project this week!

McCall's Fabric Star Shaped Santa Holiday Tree Ornament

Ho-Ho-Ho! It's almost Christmas Time! I hope that everyone had a lot of fun crafting up a slew of homemade goodies this year!

I found a vintage McCall's Crafts (tm) sewing pattern #707 and was able to make some last minute fabric Santa ornaments for package toppers and for our Christmas Tree. The pattern packet is copyright 1991.

What I really like about this vintage pattern packet is that it has numerous holiday designs and patterns. You can make a fabric heart shaped wreath, a tree centerpiece for your table, large star shaped Santa pillows along with little fabric candy cane, hearts, stockings, trees and of course the star-shaped Santa tree ornaments that I made.

The pattern is really easy to understand and use. The star shaped Santa ornaments really work up quickly and they were an easy project that used up a lot of my little holiday print scrap fabrics :)

Happy Holidays Craft Friends!



NOTE: I was not compensated in any way for this review. I personally purchased the McCall's craft pattern and used it to make this project.

FREE Felt Baby Bottle Christmas Ornament Pattern

This year we have been blessed with our first grandchild...a little girl who we refer to online as Baby G. We just adore our new grandbaby! I found 3 cute FREE online patterns to make felt ornaments that are in a new baby theme.

These ornaments would be cute on your Christmas Tree, to attach to holiday or baby shower packages, refrigerator magnets or turn them into fun baby shower party favors.

You can find the FREE printable pattern and instructions ---> HERE

You will find a free pattern for a baby bassinette, baby bottle and a baby rattle.

I decided to make the baby bottle one and I used regular crafting felt. Instead of machine sewing it together, I did hand-sewing and just hand-stitched the year 2009 on the front of the baby bottle. I think it turned out really cute!

I wish I had found that pattern last winter as I certainly would of stitched several of them up to use a baby shower party favors when I held my daughters baby shower back in April of 2009. They are super quick and easy to make!

Easy and Quick Felt Holiday Refrigerator Magnets

Last week I was looking online for some free easy patterns to make felt holiday refrigerator magnets and tree ornaments. I needed a project that I could do with my 12 and 13 year old nieces that didn't take a lot of time.

I found this pattern over on the Joann's Fabric Site (crafts and fabrics) to make fabric holiday ornaments. We downloaded the free pdf project sheet and patterns and used the pattern/template to make some cute felt holiday refrigerator magnets. Since my nieces are not great (yet) at machine sewing, we did hand-sewing.

You can find the free printable patterns ---> HERE

You can use fabric and make them into holiday tree ornaments as called for in the instructions or you can trace the pattern onto felt like we did. We traced each one onto 2 pieces of scrap felt and hand-sewed them together with tiny straight stitches. We added some ribbon bows (on the dog and cat). We glued a 1 1/2" long piece of magnet strip on the back side of each one. To turn them into ornaments, just add a hanging string...simple as that :)

Easy Bingo Card Christmas Tree Ornament Craft Project

If you have someone in your family who loves the Bingo game, consider crafting up this very easy Bingo card holiday ornament. Here is what you will need to make this project.

Supplies Needed:

Cardboard Bingo Cards (ours are double-sided)
Mod-Podge Glossy-Finish Decoupage
Clear Iridescent Craft Glitter (fine grade)
Foam Sponge Paint Brush
Plaid Holiday Print 1/4" Craft Ribbon
All- Purpose Craft Glue
Hole Punch

We laid down a sheet of aluminum foil onto our work surface.

Coat the front side of your Bingo card with a thin layer of Mod Podge using your foam paint brush. While the Mod Podge is still wet, sprinkle on some iridescent craft glitter. Let it dry for 30 minutes.

Flip the card over (if its double sided) and repeat the process for the reserve side. Let dry for 30 minutes before continuing.

Using a hole punch, punch a hole in the corner through the B letter or in the middle through the N letter. Cut off 5" of ribbon and thread it through the hole and tie into a knot to form a hanging loop. Cut off another 6" of ribbon and tie it into a bow. Glue your bow at the base of the hanging loop with some all-purpose craft glue.

Let your ornaments completely dry (about an hour) before hanging them onto the tree or before attaching them to your holiday packages.

Optional: If you have a Bingo card that has the number 25 on it, you can use a red marker and draw a circle around the number to add a little accent to your ornament.


Notes: We purchased our package of double-sided Bingo cards at a local discount party supply store and got 50 of them for $6.00 and they are smaller in size than the ones you use/see at official Bingo Halls which makes them the perfect size for an ornament. You can't see it on my photo's (flash wiped it out, but the glitter really sparkles pretty when the Christmas tree lights twinkle on them.

This project, instructions and photo's are copyright 2009 by Shelly Hill, All Rights Reserved. You may link to this project/post from your web site but you can not copy/paste and use my project/photo's on your site without my permission.

FREE Country Designed Muslin and Homespun Pillow Pattern

When it comes to crafting, I love looking for free patterns and instructions. A few weeks ago I stumbled across this FREE printable coloring page design for kids and thought to myself...I like that but I am going to print it out and use it as a pattern to make a primitive country stitchery pillow.

You can find the free printable pattern ---> HERE

I think the pattern is just way cute! I decided to make it into a pillow for my grand daughters bedroom...it has that little girl country charm to it!

I traced the pattern onto tea-stained cotton muslin fabric using a disappearing ink marker. I then used 2 strands of DMC embroidery floss to stitch the design. If desired, before you start your stitching, you can use some wax crayons to color in some of the areas to give it some extra color. I think it adds a nice touch.

Once I was done with my hand stitching, I added on a 3" wide homespun border to all 4 sides. Once I was done with that, I measured my entire pillow front to come up with my back panel measurements. I used matching homespun fabric and used 1/2" seam allowances. I stuffed my pillow with fiber-fill stuffing since I couldn't find a pillow form that size.

Pretty easy! It took me less than a day to make this pillow for my grand daughter.

If that design isn't your cup of tea, you can find free printable coloring pages such as gingerbread men, raggedies, doggie, school desk, angel, etc ---> HERE

Faux Felt Food - How To Make Felt Cheese Slices and Bacon

Here is my next installment on how to make faux felt food goodies for your little girl to play with. Today's installment is how to make cheese slices and strips of bacon...all made with felt.

Felt Cheese Slices: My cheese slices measure 4" square, you can make them any size you would like. You will need 4 squares cut from yellow felt. You will also need yellow embroidery thread and a sewing needle. From one felt square, I cut 3 round holes...then used those holes to trace holes onto it's matching felt square. Place the squares together and use a tiny whip stitch and go around all 3 of the cheese holes. Once done, use a blanket stitch and go around all 4 sides of the cheese slice. When I do the stitching, I use 2 strands of cotton embroidery floss. For your American Cheese Slice....just omit the holes that you used in your Swiss Cheese Slice.

Felt Bacon Slices: You will need tan and dark brown felt pieces. My bacon slices measure 5" in length by 1 1/4" in width and are cut from tan felt. You want to cut them slightly curvy so that they look realistic. You will want to cut 1/4" by 5" long pieces of dark brown felt...also a little curvy in nature. I used 2 dark brown pieces and glued them on top of my tan felt pieces. You can also hand stitch them on top if you would like.

You can find more of my Felt Food Patterns and Instructions ---> HERE

Kids Craft - Quick and Easy Wooden Holiday Box

Here is a super easy holiday craft project for you to make with your kids. There is some painting involved but other than that...quick and easy. We found the wooden boxes (chests) at the craft store on sale 2 for $1.00.

Supplies Needed:

Wooden Chest Boxes (unfinished)
Acrylic Paint and Foam Sponge Paint Brush
Rub-on Holiday Transfers (we used a gingerbread theme)
Scrap Piece of Felt
All-Purpose Tacky Craft Glue

Lay several sheets of newspaper down on your work surface.

Step 1: Have the child paint the box using one of those foam sponge paint brushes and acrylic paint. They can also paint the inside of the box or let it plain.

Step 2: Cut a small piece of craft felt to fit inside the bottom of your box. Glue it inside using the craft glue. (Just trace around the bottom of the box but cut the felt a little smaller (by about 1/8" of an inch smaller) so that it fits inside the bottom.

Step 3: We found some Holiday Rub-On Transfers in a gingerbread man theme. Cut apart the designs and have the child rub them onto the wood surface using a craft stick (usually included inside the package of transfers).

Thats it! Pretty quick and easy! We made up a few of them with the kids in our family a few weeks ago. They added a piece of dollar store jewelry (a holiday pin) and are giving them to their mothers and/or grandmothers for Christmas.

How To Make A Variety Of Felt Cookies and Cookie Canister Set

I have a 7 month old grand daughter and I have been on a mission the past few weeks to make her a slew of play groceries for her kitchen set that I plan on purchasing for her on her third birthday. I have been making things and packing them away in a plastic bin.

During the past few days...I made her a cookie canister along with 4 different kinds of cookies...made from craft felt.


Cookie Canister - I saved a plastic container from Nestle Powder Cocoa and soaked the label off of it. I measured around the canister and added on a 1/4" to that measurement to get the width of my tan colored felt band. My band measures 2 1/2" high. Using 2 strands of dark brown embroidery floss, I stitch on the word "Cookies" on the front (center) of my felt band. Using my sewing machine and tan thread, I attached the 2 short ends together to form a band. I then used 2 strands of dark brown embroidery floss and did a blanket stitch around the top and bottom edges of my felt band. I then slid this down into position on my plastic canister.

The lid of the container is rectangular in shape, so I cut a piece of tan felt and glued it onto place. I cut a 1" circle from tan felt and did a blanket stitch around the edges using dark brown embroidery floss. I used my hole punch and punched out 4 circles from a scrap piece of dark brown felt to resemble chocolate chips and glue them onto my tan circle. I then glued this faux chocolate chip cookie to the top of my canister. Your cookie canister is now complete.


For all of my cookies, I made them small, the size you would get in one of those 100 calorie snack packs as I wanted them to 'fit' onto little girls play dishes, I didn't want them REAL people size.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: From tan felt, cut two 1 3/4" circles. Cut 12 tiny circles (the size of a pencil eraser) from dark brown felt to resemble your chocolate chips. Using 2 strands of tan colored embroidery floss, blanket stitch the two circles together...right before you get the entire circumference around, lightly stuff some poly-fiber fill stuffing inside the cookie. You just want a 'tad' of stuffing and then finish your blanket stitching. Using some white craft glue, adhere 6 of the little dark brown felt circles on each side of your chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate Sandwich Felt Cookies: From dark brown felt, cut two 1 3/4" circles. From white felt, cut a band that measures 1/4" by 5" in size. This white band will be your cookie filling. Using 2 strands of dark brown embroidery floss, add some french knots to one side of each of your dark brown felt cookie pieces. This adds a little design to the cookie to make it look a little more realistic. Now using 2 strands of dark brown embroidery floss, do a blanket stitch to connect the white cookie filling to one of the dark brown cookie pieces. Once you have that assembled, finish up by using the blanket stitch to attach the other dark brown circle to your half way made cookie...Right before you finish stitching, insert some poly-fiber fill stuffing inside and then finish your stitching.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookie with Strawberry Filling: Do the same steps as the Chocolate Sandwich Cookie above...except use light pink felt instead of white felt.

Peanut Butter Felt Cookies: From tan felt, cut two 1 3/4" circles. From tan felt, cut a band that measures 1/4" by 5" in size. Using 2 strands of tan embroidery floss, make some straight stitches on one side of a piece of tan felt circle. These stitches are to resemble the 'fork' cross-hatch pattern made on peanut butter cookies. (see picture for design). Once that is done, use 2 strands of tan embroidery floss and the blanket stitch to attach your tan felt band to one of your tan felt circles. Once it is attached, use the blanket stitch to attach the other tan felt circle. Right before you close up your cookie, insert a 'tad' of poly-fiber fill stuffing and then finish up your blanket stitching.

Notes: I found it best to cut out all of my felt pieces before I even got started. Next, you only want to use a 'tad' of poly-fiber fill stuffing, if you over-stuff your cookies, they look too puffy...you want them flattened. Finally, my empty plastic cocoa container will hold approximately 18 of these little cookies.

You can find additional faux food felt patterns and designs ---> HERE

This project, instructions, pattern and photographs are copyright 2009 by Shelly Hill. You can not reprint this project on your web site without my permission. However, you can link to my project (blog) if you would like.

~ Shelly ~

How To Make A No-Sew Fleece Dog Blanket

Today I am featuring a guest blogger post by my friend Felissa who shares with us her instructions on how to make a no-sew fleece doggie blanket for your favorite pooch!

No Sew Dog Blanket

For those of you who want to make something special for your four legged family members but cannot sew this is the perfect solution. Your dogs and cats will love it because it is super soft and very warm.

Supplies Needed:

Fleece Fabric
Scissors

You can use left over fleece from other projects or find fabric that matches your dogs personality. I happened to have found this piece of fabric in a place that had no other fleece available and the dogs were cold so I used what I could find. You can choose any pattern you want to use even better if it is on sale.

If you have a square piece of fabric you can make fringes around the entire blanket, If you start with a rectangle piece of fabric you will only want to fringe the two ends so you don’t loose width just a tiny bit of length.

With your scissors cut at intervals of One inch up the fabric the length of your pinky finger. You can use a ruler if you want a mark or you can do it free hand like I do. For bigger dogs you can do longer cuts the length of your middle finger.

You can either make all the cuts before you start tying or you can make a few fringes and tie as you go. Just make a simple knot as close to the top of your strip as possible. Continue until you have finished with both sides or all 4 sides depending on your fabric.

That’s it you made your very own dog blanket. No sewing, no sweating just a little cutting and knotting. You can even do this while watching TV with your dog or cat asleep on your lap. The blanket is completely washable and should not shrink or bleed colors. If you wash your dog blankets often do not use fabric softener. Over time it ruins the fleece fabric.

Have fun.

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Felissa Elfenbein is a Stella & Dot Independent Jewelry Stylist based in Miami, Florida. Felissa facilitates Stella & Dot Trunk Shows and Jewelry viewings all over South Florida. You can visit her website http://www.stelladot.com/felissahadas or check out her blog http://www.felissahadas.blogspot.com

Primitive Style Mini Christmas Stocking Holiday Ornaments

If you are looking for an easy sewing project that will use up some of your scrap fabrics left-over from various Christmas and Holiday sewing projects, you should consider making some of these cute Primitive-Style stocking tree ornaments.

In only a few hours, I was able to make up a dozen of them to attach to my holiday packages.

Supplies Needed:

Cotton Fabric Scraps
Warm & Natural Cotton Batting Scraps
Homemade Coffee Stain (see below)
Scissors
Foam Paint Brush
Modge Podge (Matte or Gloss Finish)
Sewing Machine and Basic Sewing Supplies
Clear German Glass Glitter
Embroidery Floss (for hanging loop)

Note: If you don't have any German Glass Glitter, you can use clear Mica Flakes.

Pattern: I made my own pattern by drawing just a basic elongated sock shape. Mine measures 5" long by 1 1/2" wide (neck of sock) by 2 3/4" wide (heel to toe) to give you some ideas on size. My cotton batting piece measures 1 3/4" high by 4 1/8" wide.

Sewing: Sandwich the cotton batting piece inside of the two stocking pieces, right sides together and pin into place. Using the straight stitch on your sewing machine, stitch around the entire stocking (the 2 sides and the bottom) but leave the top (cuff area) open. Once finished, turn your stocking inside out so that the right sides are now on the outside.

Coffee Staining: I like the aged look so I decided to coffee stain mine. I added 3 tablespoons of instant coffee to 1/2" cup of warm water in my spray bottle and left it sit for a few minutes to dissolve. I lined my cookie sheet with a piece of waxed paper and lightly sprayed the coffee stain onto my ornament. I left it dry for 30 minutes and turned it over and repeated this step again. If you like them lightly stained, just spray a little of the stain...if you like them really grubby and dark, spray a lot of the coffee stain (a good soaking).

Applying Glitter and Stiffening: In a small glass dish mix together 2 tablespoons of Modge Podge (I used Matte finish) with 1/2 teaspoon of tap water. Using your foam sponge paint brush, lightly apply the mixture all over the front of your stocking. While it is still wet, sprinkle on a little bit of the clear German Glass Glitter onto the cuff of the stocking. Once it is dry, flip it over and repeat for the other side.

Finishing: To finish up your Primitive style stocking ornament, thread a sewing needle with 2 strands of embroidery floss and thread it through the top corner of your ornament to make a hanging loop.

Primitive Grubby Jar With Primitive Candy Canes

I have been extremely busy the past few weeks making and selling my holiday crafts. One of the items that I have been making and selling 'like hotcakes" LOL has been my grubby glass jars with primitive candy canes inside them.

Here is how I have been doing them.

I used glass mason jars or vintage Hershey Syrup Jars and grubbied them up in the Primitive way. You can find several instructional sites online to tell you how to do it...here are some easy instructions ---> HERE I always do two coatings on my jars and then finish up sealing it with Matte Mod Podge. I just prefer the matte finish but if you like high-shine...you can use the gloss finish.

I then drew out my own candy cane pattern. Mine measures 7 1/2" tall by 2 1/2" wide at its widest point. Your candy cane pattern doesn't have to be perfect. I coffee stained my muslin fabric. Using a 1/8" seam allowance, I machine sewed my candy canes together, leaving the bottom unsewn. Flip them right side out and stuff FIRMLY with poly-fiber fill. I hand sew my opening shut using a blind stitch.

Note: You can coffee stain them after you have them constructed and the longer you let them sit in coffee stain or the more you spritz the stain onto them, the darker they will get.


I then painted the stripes on them using a dark barn red acrylic paint. Once dry, I spritzed my candy canes again with the coffee fabric dye. Once dry, I added coarse German Glass Glitter to mine. The way I like to do it is:

1/4 cup of Matte Finish Mod Podge with 1 teaspoon tap water...mix it with your foam sponge brush. Brush a thin layer of it onto your candy cane...then sprinkle on your German Glass Glitter. I then hang them to dry. The Modge Podge makes the glitter stick to your canes and helps to stiffen your canes so that they hold their shape.


I have also been making some of my jars with faux peppermint sticks inside them. (just omit the looped candy cane top from your pattern and make them stick shaped.


You can use the candy canes on wreaths, hang them on your holiday tree, attach to packages, string them together for a holiday garland or place them in primitive baskets, crocks or grubby jars.

Primitive Country Wooden Snowman Door Greeter

One of my friends who is also a big time crafter...made me this adoreable wooden snowman to hang on my front door. She made hundreds of them over the summer and they were a big seller at her fall and holiday craft shows.

These wooden door hangers are really easy to make and I helped her many of times with the construction of them...so hence, she gave me one :)

Her snowman measures about 12" long by 7" wide at his widest point and is cut from 1/2" thick pine wood. He is painted a creamy vanilla color and once the paint is dry, he is lightly sanded along his edges (so that the wood shows through along the edges).

The wooden heart measures approximately 4 1/4" tall by 3" wide and is cut from 1/8" thick pine wood. It is painted a dark barn red color and then lightly sanded to give it an aged appearance. It is simply attached on the front with some wood glue.

The eyes are simply dotted on with some black paint using the back end of your paint brush. A tiny hold is drilled slightly into his face for the nose and a rusty square head nail is hammered (along with a tiny dab of wood glue) into place. His cheeks are dry brushed a rosey color.

Using a fine tip black paint marker, she writes messages on them, this one says "Let It Snow." He is then sealed with a clear matt sealer and left to dry.

She cut some dark red homespun fabric and purposely frayed the edges of it and use that for his bow.

On the backside is a little metal wire hanger so that you can hang him up.

Crochet | Odds and Ends Scrap Afghan Pattern Great For Scrap Yarn!

Today is another great guest blogger craft project by my friend Sharon. She is sharing with us today her crochet afghan pattern that uses up a lot of your left-over yarn...a great way to use up your scrap stash!

Sharon's Odds and Ends Crochet Afghan

"I’ve been working on this for more than a dozen years, so the pattern is a tad hazy. Its actually one my mom taught me, and I don’t know where she got it from".

Chain on your stitches * must do in multiples of 5.

Row 1 and 2: Double Stitch, chain 3, turn and repeat

Row 3: Double stitch 5, create a chain, and loop around the stitch 2 rows below. Double stitch 5, create a chain, and loop around. Repeat. When you get to the end of the row, you will either have 5 or 10 double stitches to the end. Chain 3, turn and repeat

Continue until afghan is the size that you desire.

With mine, I change colors every 2 rows, but you can do it more often or less often. If you aren’t using scraps, you can create a pattern with them. This is a very versatile pattern.

Sharon Katzman is a Manager with Gold Canyon Candles. Through her business, she is able to help women to make an income and feel empowered.

No-Sew Quilted Ball Holiday Tree Ornaments

If you are looking for a way to use up a lot of your little fabric scraps, these no-sew quilted ball tree ornaments are quick and easy to make. I went out to my local craft store and found the Styrofoam balls currently on sale, 3 for $1.00.

Supplies Needed:

2 1/2" diameter Styrofoam ball
6" piece of 1/4" wide lace (I used white)
Various color small scraps of fabric (cottons or cotton blends work best)
All-Purpose Craft Glue (the kind the dries clear)
Scissors
Small Flat-Head Screw Driver or Butter Knife
Foam Paint Brush
Straight Pins

Note: You can use 1/4 wide lace or 1/4" wide satin ribbon for the ornament hanger.

Trim your fabric scraps down to odd-shaped pieces. I have used rectangles, squares, circles and ovals. You should use different shapes that are different sizes to give it a true quilted look.

Use your screw driver or butter knife to slightly indent a space that is the shape of your fabric square on your Styrofoam ball. This indented shape should be slightly smaller than your actual fabric shape.

Use your foam paint brush and spread a very thin layer of craft glue inside the indented shape. Place your fabric shape on top of the glue and use the edge of your screw driver or butter knife to push the fabric edges into the indent and push hard to squeeze the edge of the fabric down into the ball.

You will want to repeat that step the entire way around your ball until it is completely covered.

Using a 6" piece of satin ribbon or lace, shape it into a hanging loop. Dab the end of a straight pin into the craft glue and poke it through the end of your hanging loop and push it down into your foam ball. Let this dry for 30 minutes before hanging it onto your holiday tree.

~ Shelly ~

Easy Baby Sock Snowman Ornament Pattern

I recently became a first time grandma to a little baby girl back in May 2009. Since that time, I have enjoyed making a slew of things for our grand daughter. My daughter was kind enough to give me some of Baby G's outgrown newborn knit socks to use in some craft projects. I quickly decided to make a cute and simple snowman sock ornament.

Ages: 8 and up with adult supervision.

Supplies Needed:

1 white infant sized knit sock
Scrap of red fleece fabric (hat and scarf)
2 small black buttons
Orange Sculpey Clay carrot shaped nose
White Craft Glue
Scissors
Sewing Thread (white, red and black)
Small amount of poly-fiber fill

I chose to turn the sock inside out as I liked the loopy texture of the sock. I then decided where I wanted to hand sew on the black button eyes and used black thread to sew them on. I firmly stuffed the sock with some poly fiber fill and then hand sewed the opening of the sock shut.

You can machine sew or hand sew a fleece hat...mine measures approximately 4" tall by the circumference of my snowman's head (plus a 1/2" for the seam allowance). I then sewed it into a tube shape. Using red thread, I gathered the hat and fastened it tightly. I then used scissors and cut some fringe. I glued the hat on top of my snowman's head.

To make his scarf, I simply cut a piece of red fleece measuring a 1/2" wide by 7" long and tied it around his neck. Finish up by gluing your Sculpey Clay carrot shaped nose to his face. You can decide if you want to sew on some tiny black seed beads for his mouth or leave it plain like I did.

I was going for a simple, easy and quick project. He is big enough to tuck into a basket, on a shelf or add a hanging string to be hung onto your holiday tree. I also made a little hang tag for mine that dates my ornament and states that it was made with Baby G's baby sock! I am hoping my daughter will pass it on to Baby G once she becomes an adult.

Mini Fabric Christmas Stocking Holiday Ornaments

I have been busy using up a lot of my left over fabric scraps to make some holiday ornaments to attach to my Christmas packages this year. These mini stocking ornaments only take a few minutes to make so you can whip them out pretty quickly.

Supplies Needed:

scraps of cotton or homespun fabrics
poly-fiber fill stuffing
1/4" wide satin ribbon
Scissors
Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies
All-Purpose Craft Glue

Pattern: I free handed a basic stocking shape that measures 3 1/2" long by 3 1/4" wide at its widest point (toe to heel). If you are not great a free handing shapes, look on the internet for a free stocking pattern or template. The pattern for my sock cuff measures 1 1/4" high by 2 1/2" wide.

Note: I used 1/4" seam allowances so make sure you figure in your seam allowances to your measurements.

Cutting Out The Fabric: You will need to cut 2 pieces for your stocking. For the cuff, cut that piece on the fold of your fabric so that its double in width. My finished cut piece measures 1 1/4" high by 5" wide.

Sewing: Pin your 2 stocking pieces right sides together. Sew from the top edge of your stocking to the top of the toe area. Open up the stocking and pin the cuff piece (right sides together) to the top of your stocking and sew it to the top edges of your stocking. Next, sew the back long edge, heel and up to the toe area of the stocking but leave the top of the cuff area open. Turn the stocking inside out (via the opening at the top cuff area) and light stuff with some poly fiber-fill.

Finishing: Cut a piece of satin ribbon that measures 5" long and shape it into a knotted loop. Using thread and a needle, hand stitch the cuff opening shut and sandwich the knotted loop in the back corner of your stocking so that you have a hanging loop. You will want to make very tiny stitches so that they are not noticeable and using matching colored thread. Cut a piece of satin ribbon to fit around the circumference of your stocking cuff and glue it around to add a decorative accent. Finish up the ornament by tying a small bow with the satin ribbon and gluing it onto the front of your stocking ornament.

FREE Knitting Pattern - Child's Knit Striped Scarf Pattern

Today is another great guest blogger post by my friend Sharon who is giving us the instructions on how to make a simple knitted scarf that is child-size. This would be a great project for a beginner to try making. You can also see her crochet scarf pattern by visiting the crochet category here on my blog.

Striped Knit Scarf Pattern

This was done as a childs scarf. I used a 5.5 MM knitting needle.

Cast on 15 stitches. Knit each row, until you feel it is long enough. Cast off.

I used a crochet hook to make the fringe. To keep them even I wrapped the yarn around something, and cut it off. Poke crochet hook through hole like you are making a slip knot. Wrap yarn around and pull through. Repeat. I used 2 strands for each. Trim to the same length when done.

Sharon Katzman is a Manager with Gold Canyon Candles. Through her business, she is able to help women to make an income and feel empowered.

Kids Craft Project - Recycling Can Lids Snowman Ornament

Last weekend while my nephews were visiting me...we had to come up with an easy holiday ornament project that used a throw-away item for one of their school projects. After much thinking, we decided to recycle aka re-purpose metal soup can lids and tuna can lids to make some hand painted snowman ornaments.

We used a can opener that unseals the tin can lids, so the edges of our lids are smooth.

Ages: 8 and up with adult supervision

Supplies Needed Per Ornament:

1 clean soup can lid
1 clean tuna can lid
acrylic paints - white, orange, navy blue and black
paint brush
foam paint brush
quick drying all-purpose craft glue
scrap of fabric or ribbon (for hanging loop)
Scissors
water dish and paper towels (for cleaning your paint brush)
(optional) clear acrylic paint sealer

Since painting is involved, lay several sheets of newspaper down onto your work surface.

Step 1: Paint the one side (the outside) tuna can lid a dark navy blue. We had to apply two coats of paint, letting each coat dry for 20 minutes. Paint both sides of the soup can lid with white acrylic paint. We had to apply two to three coats of paint. Let lids thoroughly dry.

Step 2: While your lids are drying, cut a piece of ribbon or scrap fabric to measure 6" long by 1" wide to use as your hanging loop. Wash your paint brushes and let dry.

Step 3: Squirt some all-purpose craft glue on the wrong side of your white soup can lid and use your foam paint brush to spread it around so its an even coat. Fold your fabric strap or ribbon piece in half and form into a hanging loop. Sandwich the strap between your tuna can lid and your soup can lid and press them firmly into place. Let dry for 10 minutes or until the lids no longer slide around.

Step 4: Let the child paint on black eyes, an orange carrot shaped nose and black mouth dots. (My nephews used the end of their paint brushes just dipped in black paint to do their mouth dots).

Set your ornament aside for a few hours to completely dry. If desired, you can spray it lightly with some clear acrylic paint sealer.

I had a great time making these with my 8 and 11 year old nephews.

Scrapbooking | Easy New Baby Girl Page Layout Ideas

I have been spending a lot of time the past few months teaching my 24 year old daughter how to scrapbook. Her style is much different than mine...she likes quick, easy and simple page designs.

She recently gave birth to her first child back in May 2009 so a lot of the photographs we have been scrapbooking are newborn pictures of her daughter...aka our first grandchild.

Both of these layout ideas are easy to make...some of the supplies we used:

Patterned Papers
Stickers and Rub-Ons
Corner Rounder Punch
Satin Ribbons
A little Chalking
Printed Out Fonts & Wording from the computer
3-D Embellishments
little cotton scallop edge lace (tea stained by hand)

As you can see...they are very quick, easy and stream-lined pages which are perfect for a beginner scrapbooker like my daughter. I hope these pages will give newbie scrapbookers a few ideas.



You can find more new baby and pregnancy scrapbooking layouts by checking out the scrapbooking category here on my craft blog.

Kids Craft Project - Penguin Craft Stick Popsicle Stick Ornament

My little neighbor girl came over to visit me this afternoon, she is 7 years old. She knows I love to craft and decorate my holiday tree with handmade ornaments. She was so proud of herself as she handed me this cute little penguin ornament that she made for me! (sorry my photo is blurry, but he is really cute). In exchange, I gave her some cookies and milk along with a snowman ornament that I had made for her.

By looking at the ornament she made for me...she used a tongue depressor wooden stick (large craft stick) and painted it black. She then painted a popsicle stick white and glued the popsicle stick onto the center of the larger craft stick. She painted a white circle near the top of the black craft stick for the penguins head and added 2 black eyes and an orange beak. I believe his little scarf is made from a piece of red fleece.

I think she did an excellent job on her ornament from me!

Crochet - Blue Striped Scarf Pattern and Instructions

Today I am featuring a guest blogger pattern from my friend Sharon who made this beautiful crocheted scarf! I just love the fringe she put on this scarf. Here are her instructions for making your own crochet scarf.

Blue Multi-Color Scarf

This was modified from another pattern I found at About.Com - I just made it a simple way.

I use a size 5 crochet hook. Chain 250 stitches. Create row one all in double stitch. Change color, double stitch. Repeat until scarf is wide enough.

Because you are crocheting this lengthwise instead of width wise, you don’t have to tuck in the ends of yarn when you are done. If you add fringe as I did, the ends just blend in.

I used a crochet hook to make the fringe. To keep them even I wrapped the yarn around something, and cut it off. Poke crochet hook through hole like you are making a slip knot. Wrap yarn around and pull through. Repeat. I used 2 strands for each. Trim to the same length when done.

Sharon Katzman is a Manager with Gold Canyon Candles. Through her business, she is able to help women to make an income and feel empowered.

Paper Pulp Snowball Snowman Head Ornaments

This is a great project that utilizes some recycling...you will need a fast-food drink carrier or cardboard egg box to make your own paper pulp. You can make these snowball ornaments fancy or simple and plain like we did.

Ages: 8 and up with adult supervision.

Supplies Needed:

Cardboard Fast-Food Drink Carrier or Cardboard Egg Box
White Crafting Glue
Styrofoam Ornament Balls
Blender with tap water
Old Plastic Bowl
Foam Sponge Paint Brush
Strainer/Colander
Wooden Clothespin
White, Black and Orange Acrylic Paint
Paint Brush
(optional) scrap piece of fleece fabric

Making The Paper Pulp - Rip your empty paper drink carrier or empty egg box into small pieces. Place the pieces into an old plastic bowl. Pour in just a little bit of tap water and let the pieces soak for 60 minutes. Once they are good and wet, Pour paper mixture into a strainer. Using your hands, squeeze out excess water. Place paper pulp into your blender container and blend on low speed so that it gets mushy. Pour the pulp back into your empty plastic bowl. Stir in some white craft glue so that you are forming sticky paper pulp. Mine is the consistency of lumpy dough.

Making The Snowball - Using a foam-style paint brush, lightly spread white craft glue on 1/2 of your Styrofoam ball. Using your hands...pat on the paper pulp dough so that you are covering the top half of your ornament ball. Repeat this process on the bottom half of your ball. Once done, hang the ball up via the clothespin so that it can dry and harden. (mine take approximately 16 to 24 hours).

Note: I got a package of sparkly foam balls at our local dollar store...6 balls for $1.00 and those are cheaper than the craft store. You can recycle old ornament balls too...after all, you are covering them with the homemade paper pulp.


Adding The Facial Features - Once your ball is dry, paint with two coats of white acrylic paint. Once that is dry, paint on black eyes, black dots for his mouth and finally, an orange triangular shaped nose.

Optional Scarf - We cut a piece of fleece measuring 1 1/2" wide by approximately 10" long and tied that into a loop and then glued it to the bottom of our ball to resemble a fleece scarf.

Quilting - How To Make A Rag Style Quilted Table Runner

I just love to spend time in my sewing room and one of the things I enjoy making are rag style quilts, table runners, dresser scarves, pillows and wall-hangings. I love the 'country-style' feel with rag quilts! If you are a beginner quilter or someone who is just learning to sew, this is certainly a great beginners project. Before you get started, please read through all of the steps/directions involved.

Supplies Needed:

1 yd. Cotton Fabric - Primary Color
1 yd Cotton Fabric - Secondary Color or Print
1 pkg. Warm and Natural Cotton Batting
Rotary Cutter, Ruler and Cutting Mat
Scissors
Sewing Machine and Basic Sewing Supplies
(optional) Fiskars Rag Quilt Snippers (like scissors but use for cutting the fringe)


Cutting The Fabric: I pre-washed my fabrics to remove sizing. I then ironed them to remove wrinkles. Using my rotary cutter and cutting mat, I cut 22 (6") fabric squares from my Primary Color of fabric. From my secondary color (print fabric) I cut 20 (6") fabric squares. You will need 2 squares of fabric per quilt block. From my Warm and Natural Cotton Batting, I cut 21 (5") batting squares. Note: Your cotton batting squares need to be a minimum of 1" smaller in size than your fabric squares.

Sewing Your Quilt Squares: You will make fabric block sandwiches by layering a piece of cotton batting between two of your fabric squares. Place a straight pin in the center to hold your 'sandwiches' together. Once your sandwiches are together, its time to sew your blocks (right sides of fabric facing out). Start in one corner and sew a straight stitch to the other corner. I leave a 1" space at each corner. You will then do this from corner to corner on the other side until you have sewn an X in the center of your sandwich fabric square. Do all of your squares in this manner until they are done.


Table Runner Assembly - Lay out your quilt blocks in your desired pattern. I decided to do 3 rows by 7 rows (see photo). Using 5/8" seam allowances (some people use 1" seam allowances) Place 2 quilt blocks right-sides together and straight stitch them together. I chose to do my horizontal rows first which consisted of 3 quilt blocks each. Once I had my horizontal rows together, I then I connected them all together by sewing my vertical rows. You now have a rectangle and all blocks are together. Finish up your sewing by sewing around the entire table runner using a 5/8" or 1" seam allowance.

Note: While attaching my rows to one another, I like to press open my seams using an iron...that is up to you if you want to do that step or not. I think it makes your sewing easier and your quilt will look nicer.


Fringing - I found the best tool for cutting all those seams to make the fringe. It is made by Fiskars (tm) and is called a rag quilt snipper...it is a lot easier on your hands compared to scissors. You will want to snip all of your seam allowances without snipping into your sewing line. I like to snip/cut every 1/8" of an inch because the smaller your snips/fringe...the better your fraying will be.

Washing and Drying - Once your table runner is finished, wash and dry it twice using laundry detergent and fabric softener. The fabric softener will help it to fray even more and make it softer.

Warning: The first few times you wash your rag quilt table runner, you will need to clean your washer and dryer lint traps every few minutes to keep them from getting clogged. I set a little timer for 10 minute intervals so that I am constantly checking on them and cleaning the traps. You don't want any fires! After the first 2-3 washings, your quilted table runner will quit shedding and you can wash and dry it normally.