Make a Feather Decorated Pillow with Oly-Fun!

 OK, so this month some craft designers and I have teamed up with Fairfield World, the makers of Oly-Fun.


 I first discovered Oly-Fun at CHA earlier this year and fell in LOVE with this versatile fabric!
You can sew it, glue it, staple it, pin it or tie it. You can write on it, paint it, embellish it, stamp it or stencil it. You can scissor, rotary, or die cut it. The only thing it won’t do is fray, tear, or fade. It's water resistant for outdoor decorations and you can spot clean it.
Plus you don't need to pre-wash it.
Yea!

Everyone knows I LOVE to sew.
It's therapeutic, fun, relaxing.Like painting but with fabric.
But I don't really follow rules or patterns. I usually make it up as I work, taking notes as I create in case something turns out really fantastic.

I hope you find my tutorial easy enough and are inspired to make your own! I really love how these pillows turned out and hope you like them too!

 Materials:

1. Oly-Fun Craft Pack in Snow White, Jelly, Kiwi and Sea Green.
2. Poly-Fil Fiber Fill
3. Pre-washed fabrics.
4. Coordinating colorful threads plus one in metallic gold.
5. Sewing machine and accessories.
6. Sewing mat and ruler.
7. Scissors and a rotary cutter.
8. Permanent black marker.
9. Thin cardboard or a cereal box.

My tutorial is how to make a pillow and a pillow cover that can be changed out according to styles and seasons!

 1. With the Snow White, you will need (2) 10"x10" squares for each pillow you plan to make. Stitch  1/4" all the way around on your sewing machine, leaving a 4"-5" opening , large enough for your hand to fit through while adding the Fiber Fill. You want to make sure to push the stuffing into the corners. How much you add to each pillow is up to you. Just remember that you still need to stitch the opening shut- use the sewing machine- way easier than by hand.

2. Each Pillow Case will need to measure 15"x 25" total. You can use one solid piece of fabric or mix it up as I did here. Use your rotary cutter and ruler to get a clean straight cut. Bind the ends of the fabric however you want. I just folded by 1/2" then I stitched them on the machine.

3 & 4. Place your fabric face down onto your sewing mat. Next place your pillow on that and bring up the fabric as shown. Somewhat loose but not tight. You need to have some space allowance for sewing and later inserting the pillow. Set aside.

 5. Draw a 8" feather onto your cardboard. Cut out.
Feel free to use my design. :)
Trace your feather template onto your colorful Oly-Fun. You'll  need (2) cutouts per feather.
6. On the pillow you set aside, flip over and mark the corners near the fabric edge with the marker. This will give you a idea of the space needed for the feathers.

7. Unfold the fabric and lay flat. Arrange your feathers to your liking. *Remember that you need 2 per each feather to make this work.

 If desired, use pins to hold them in place while you sew or just wing it like I did. :)

8. Start at the top of the feather and stitch down, following the curve of the feather.

9. When you get to the tip, turn it around and stitch back up. Be care free with the stitching. Use lots of bright colors that match your feathers and fabrics. I used orange, lime, fushia and turquoise threads. Lastly accent all the feathers with the metallic gold thread. It really does add that special sparkle. Perfect!

 10 & 11. Lay your fabric flat again, now with the sewn on feathers. Remember those pen marks you made? Use them to gauge where to fold the fabric up.
12. Stitch sides on the sewing machine. Just a simple stitch up, then a simple stitch down.
13. Turn case inside out, using your fingers to push out the corners. Then use the sewing machine to stitch the sides again. Once up, once down. Super easy. :)

 14 & 15. Place the pillow inside the case as shown.
16. How easy is that? And such a nice clean finish!
17. Now you are ready for the best part! Yea! Are you excited? 

 18. Cut your feathers at a angle. Use your non cutting hand to keep the feathers away from the pillow case fabric as you cut. Go slow and be careful not to snip any center stitches.

 When you are all done, ruffle the feathers lightly and enjoy your colorful creation!
Final pillow size- 12" x 12".
Share with me your take on this, I'd love to see it! Drop me a line here or find me on FB.
Save with Fairfield and Oly-Fun until the end of June with this 20% off coupon.
 use code: AMYCOUP

Are you ready for more inspiration? Visit the Designer Crafts Connection blog for more pillow fun!
 

Thanks for coming by!
- Michelle

How to Make a Faerie Garden Umbrella

 Hi Everyone, Welcome to the International Fairy Day Blog Hop hosted by Leslie Rahye!
Every year bloggers around the world come together to share hand made crafts and treasures all based around the theme Faerie's!
Here I have a created a fun "Faerie Garden Umbrella" tutorial for you, complete with a giveaway at the end of this post!
Let's get started, shall we?

 Materials:

1. Pretty patterned paper.
2. A cup or small bowl measuring 4" across.
3. Bamboo skewers cut to 5 ½".
4. Decorative washi tape.
5. Double stick tape.
6. E600 or other equally strong adhesive.
7. A colored bead for the top.
8. Lace trim.
9. Clothespins
10. Scissors and a pen.

 Instructions:
1. Trace your cup onto the patterned paper and cut out.
2. On the backside of the circle, draw a line across, turn the circle and draw another line. You should have a "x" marking the center. Poke one of the skewers through the center to make a small hole.
- Secure the washi tape to the bamboo skewer with the double stick tape.
- Cut a slit from the outer edge of the circle to the hole in the center.

 3. Form your circle to make a umbrella shape. When you are happy with the size, draw a line with your pen as shown.
4. Place double stick tape on the outside edge of your circle, starting at the drawn line all the way to the cut slit.
- Lay down your trim onto the tape.
- Fill the remaining tab (should be a triangle shape) with double stick tape.
5.  Place this tab under, joining the trim together, completing the shape of your umbrella dome.
6. Turn your umbrella dome over and place a bit of glue at the hole.

Swirl the pointy end of your washi tape covered skewer in that glue and push through the hole.
Quickly place bead onto point of skewer.
lay your clothespin  onto a flat surface and use it to hold your umbrella upright while the glue sets.
Then place in your indoor or outside faerie garden for all to enjoy!

Would you like to win a 'starter set' to make 4 Faerie Garden Umbrella's?
Leave a comment for chance to win!
I will be giving away 3 sets of what you see below.
I will use random.org to pick the winners on July 1st, 2015.
You are also invited to join my Charms and Faerie Garden Miniatures Swap group on FB. You can view our past swaps here and here.

*Update- Congratulations to Barbara Rankin, Maria Soto and Carol Hoffman for winning the the mini umbrella kits!

Please enjoy the rest of the International Fairy Day Blog hop!

A Day at The Beach with Deflecto Craft!

 Hooray!

 One more week and School is out! 

That means it's time to head to the beach!

Here I have decorated, a Deflecto Tri-Fold Acrylic frame-

with all sorts of beach inspired tid-bits, ready to show off a perfect summer day!

Materials:

• 1 Tri-fold 4"x6" Acrylic frame by Deflecto Craft.
• Solid colored card stock.
• Patterned card stock.
• 150 grade sandpaper.
• Printed beach inspired clip art.
• Metallic washi tape.
• Metallic gel pens.
• Chunky glitter
• Sequins.
• Scissors.
• Clear adhesive.
• Foam tape.  

Instructions:

1. Cut the colored card stock for each panel to be 4"x6".
2. Cut the patterned paper for each panel to be 3 ½"x 5 ½".
3. Tear just the top with your fingers, glue to colored card stock.
4. Cut the sandpaper to be 1 ½" x 4", tear top with fingers.
5. Glue sandpaper to the bottom of each card. Place something heavy on top of sandpaper to hold it down as the glue dries.
6. Adhere a strip of washi tape to the left side of each card.
7. Attach clip art with adhesive or foam tape.
8. Leave room for beach photos.
9. Accent clip art and card edges with metallic pens.
10. Use clear glue to attach chunky glitter and sequins.
11. Let cards completely dry before inserting into frame panels.

See more Deflecto Craft idea's here.!

Festive Party Banner

 The theme this month is "Lets Party!" So I'm showing you a colorful banner I made that I use for 'all' occasions-  parties, camping, even boutiques!
It's my Festive Party Banner!
I basically sewed all my favorite scrap fabric together.
I did not hesitate when mixing the patterns, colors or types of fabric together.
I sewed across, up, down and even zig-zag.
Don't you just love the colors? 

I used fleece and felt for the base and some solid in-between pennants.
There was no rhyme or reason when I made this banner.
Just a happy feeling making something colorful that  flutters nicely in the breeze!

 When a friend and I participated in a recent 'Junque Trunk',
I used the banner in our booth.  It was just what we needed! :)

So before you go about throwing out your fabric scraps, try sewing a Festive Party Banner with them first. Best part? Easy to store and easy to wash!
See more party or other creative idea's here!