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25 crafts of christmas // batting

25 crafts of christmas // batting

In the last year, my sewing machine use has gone up by about 12,000 percent. And that might not even be an exaggeration. But even now that I've adding quilting to the crafts I dabble in, I'm not sure that I am suddenly using more batting. Why? Because I've enjoyed using this supply in various ways for a long time.

If you're not familiar, batting (or wadding as it's called in some regions of the world) is the layer of fiber insulation that is used in quilts. It gets sandwiched between the quilt top and bottom to keep you warm and give a quilt its quiltiness...after it's quilted. Today I'll share a non-traditional, non-quilty use for batting.

But first, let's talk about a few of the different kinds that are available. My mom has used polyester low-loft batting for baby blankets (and there's probably still a few packs around here!), but these days I keep three types around: Cotton (I LOVE Warm & Natural!), Fusible (it just helps hold things together), and Insulated (for making hot pads and such).

25 crafts of christmas // batting


To make this soft little snowman, I grabbed Warm & Natural, though you could use any batting that is dense enough to stitch on. You could probably swap in fleece too!

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Download the snowman template, then cut out two body pieces. Often you'll find that there's a difference between the sides. I chose the smooth fluffy side to face out.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Embroider the face and buttons onto one of the body pieces.. I used the pattern as a guide, but freehand stitched. You could also trace this onto tracing paper and stitch through the paper and batting, tearing away the paper when you're done.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Place the two body pieces together and, starting at the top, stitch around the edge with running stitch. If you leave a long tail at the beginning you can use it as part of the hanger.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

When you make it back to the start, tie the two ends of floss together to form a hanger, then trim the knot.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

To make the scarf, cut a piece of felt that is about 3/8 x 8 inches long.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Wrap the scarf around the snowman's neck so that the right side is a little shorter and wraps over the left side.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Take a couple stitches through the overlap to secure it. Matching floss is a better choice, but these will be hidden.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Pass the longer scarf end up over the overlap and down through the back.

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Trim the ends of the scarf if you need to adjust the length any, then cut fringe into each end. (This is my favorite part, I think!)

25 crafts of christmas // batting

Now your soft snowman is ready to adorn a tree! And the best part is, this batting is going to keep him nice and warm! Wait....uh-oh...

11 comments:

  1. I hope your snowman does not melt. :) I think your snowman is really cute.

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  2. So cute!!! I'm going to make some this week for our little tree.

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  3. I like to use batting when I embroider pillows. Makes the design pop! Cute snowman!!!!!

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  4. Love your snowman! This seems like the perfect addition to my tree.Thank you for all the wonderful projects you share. I know my children will love making them too.

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  5. CUTE! So do you cut out the batting of the snowman from a big quilt sized batting?

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  6. You can often get batting like this by the yard, so you wouldn't need to buy quite so much as a large quilt size pre-cut. But I use it often, and keep a TON around!

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  7. I have so many pieces of "scrap" batting that I should be able to make a family of snowpeople. Even be able to embellish them.

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  8. I made some Christmas stockings for some kids at church and embroidered their names on these snowmen to embellish their stockings. I did include the loop for hanging and used safety pins to attach the snowmen to the stocking so they could remove the snowmen to use on their trees. The snowmen were part of their Christmas gift from me. I put their Christmas goodies inside the stockings instead of using wrapping paper...these were gifts for the kids in my Sunday School Class. Next time, I plan to help my class make the snowmen as gifts for their loved ones. Could I request that you come up with a pattern to use the batting to make Christmas boots that we can stuff with gifts for our kiddos? No reason why we can't have Christmas boots instead of Christmas stockings!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, what a fun idea! I'll see if I can come up with something for this year.

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  9. Madeline in Ohio2:35 PM

    Liked the Snowman, and he won't melt. They will make a nice Christmas ornament to be given to the Retired Firefighters and their wives at their Christmas Party. Thanks for the idea.

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