project // baby yoda blanket for a guinea pig

In the latest episode of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast, we talked about Baby Yoda and the need for more patterns and tutorials inspired by this adorable Child. And in the midst of the conversation, we all arrived at the idea of making a little coat like the one he wears, but for my guinea pig. And well, I just had to make that happen.

The original thought was to crochet the coat, and I actually started to do that. But before I got even a full inch finished, I started to wonder if Lt. Nibbles would like it. And as I sat there crocheting, I looked down at my furry friend who was wrapped in a piece of fleece and knew that changing to a sewing project would be so much better.



I grabbed some fleece I had on hand, which isn't quite the colors I'd want, but it's close enough. And I sewed this simple blanket-style coat together in about 30 minutes. With "coat" in mind, I cut some slits for her arms to go through, but she HATES the holes. So while mine has them, I don't recommend it. Besides, she's just as cute all wrapped up in her blankie, while still giving off some Baby Yoda vibes.

If you have a guinea pig who needs to snuggle up like The Child, you can make these at lightspeed. And you really should. This is the way.

You will need:

Anti-pill fleece in two shades of brown
Scissors or rotary cutter/mat
Pins
Sewing machine
Needle and Thread



Cut a 10x15-inch rectangle of the darker brown and a 4x15-inch rectangle of the lighter brown. You could also adjust these measurements to make a blanket for a different-sized animal.



Fold the smaller piece in half the long way with wrong sides together. Pin the raw edges to wrong side of the larger rectangle on the long edge. Sew along the edge.



Fold the lighter piece over to the right side of the darker piece and pin it down. This hides the seam and makes a smooth finished edge.



Use a needle and thread to sew down the folded piece. You can use large running stitches that go through the dark fabric and one layer of the light fabric. My stitches were about 1/4" long. Secure the end with a knot between the layers.



Now you can wrap your guinea pig so they're as snug as a Baby Yoda in a rug!



They may not love it right away...



...but you can appease them with a frog (or perhaps a carrot lightsaber)!

project // jam jar cat toy

Giving a jam of the month club for Christmas is a bit of a cliche, but I'd like to think that your kitty might still enjoy it if it's filled with catnip! I used the cranberry conserves embroidery pattern to create a little felt jar that's also a cat toy.

I mean, it wouldn't need to be a cat toy. You could use these to make a little ornament or a gift topper! But even furry friends like gifts at this time of year. AND it's super fun to watch your kitty play and go crazy!

The assembly is fast and easy which means you can make a whole set of jars, each in a different color or flavor!



Here's what you need:

Felt in two colors
Embroidery floss in matching colors + black
Catnip
Scissors
Needle

DOWNLOAD THE JAM JAR CAT TOY PATTERN PDF



Cut two jar pieces and two topper pieces.



Embroider a face on one of the jar pieces.

< Stitch around the two sides and the bottom with matching embroidery floss.

Fill the jar with catnip.



Sandwich the top of the jar between the two topper pieces, then stitch around edges with matching embroidery floss.



For an extra touch, use the jam color thread to stitch a line of running stitch across the topper.



Now you can gift some jam to your kitty! If they're anything like my cat Darcy, they might just go a little crazy...






When I tried to take it away, Darcy showed off her crossed eyes, but super crazy style!



Happy kitty catnip toy crafting!

project // felt kawaii emoji peach keyring

Know what would be perfectly peachy? Adorning your keychain with a fuzzy felt peach! Since this month's Jam of the Month is peach jam, I thought it would be fun to make a little felt peach with a kawaii face. And a keyring seemed the perfect way to use this fruity friend!

Now, I know that in the world of emojis, a peach can be, um...questionable. But I'm choosing to make this a very sweet and innocent peach. Your own keyring can represent whatever you choose. Ha!

You might also be thinking that felt for a keychain could be a bad choice. You'd be wrong, just like I was years ago. I bought the book Cute Stuff by Aronzi Aronzo, and it showed how to make felt keychains. I figured I was making an item that wouldn't last long, but it was cute for now. No joke, my mom used that embroidered felt keychain for YEARS. Yes, it looked worn, but it held on. So don't be afraid to make this little gal.

Now, be a peach and grab some felt so you can get started!



Here's what you need:

Wool Blend Felt in Peach and Green
Scissors
Peach and Black Embroidery Floss
Pink or Red Crayons
Needle
Keyring
Stuffing

DOWNLOAD THE PEACH KEY RING PATTERN PDF



Use the pattern to cut out two peach pieces and a rectangle from peach felt. Cut out one leaf from green felt.

I like to use freezer paper to accurately cut out my pieces, but you can use a regular paper pattern.



Use three strands of black embroidery floss to stitch the face on one peach shape. You can freehand this if you want, or trace the face on tracing paper (or the freezer paper), then stitch through the paper and tear it away when you're done.



Use a crayon to lightly add peachy cheeks if you want to make your peach extra kawaii. Be sure to test this on a scrap of peach felt first.

I didn't love the way the pink looked on its own, so I added a bit of red over it.



Place the two peach pieces together and stitch around the outside, starting near the bottom. Use three strands of peach embroidery floss.



When you get near the top, pause your peach stitching. Fold the felt rectangle over the keyring and place it between the layers. Place the leaf over that. Be sure that they are tucked down between the layers enough to catch them when you continue stitching.

Stitch through all the layers at the top of the peach. Try to get several stitches through the leaf and the tab of felt. If you need to, you can even go back and add stitches in between the running stitches.



When you get near the bottom, pause again. This time add a tiny bit of stuffing in the peach. It doesn't take much!

Finish stitching to close it up, and you're done!



This little peach is ready to hold your keys or just hang out on a zipper pull or tote bag handle. You could even add a tiny crown to make it a princess peach (any Mario fans reading this?)!



I also just had a realization. You could use this to hold your spare key. That way it would help you get out of a peach jam!

project // cross-stitched crochet pouch

Have you ever cross stitched or embroidered on knit or crochet items? It's such a fun way to combine two crafts, and that means more possibilities! Recently I wrote a tutorial for The Spruce Crafts on how to cross stitch on single crochet. And I didn't want to let my little swatch go to waste, so I made it into a simple pouch.

Of course, not wanting the making of a simple pouch to go to waste, I made it into a tutorial for you. You're welcome. Seriously though, this is pretty easy to figure out on your own if you crochet. But even if you're new to crochet this is simple and a fun way to get started while staying true to your stitching self.



You can make your pouch pretty much any size you want. Mine is just large enough to hold a few craft tools. (Disclaimer: You should only place scissors in your crocheted pouch if you line it with fabric or cap the point of the scissors.) I also think it would be perfect for holding feminine hygiene products!

To make the pouch, you will need:

Yarn in a base color
Yarn in a few more colors
Crochet hook - use the size recommended for the yarn you're using
Tapestry needle
Buttons



First, make a single crochet rectangle that's the size you want for your pouch. I made mine 20 stitches wide and I worked until it measured about 10 inches. Don't end off the yarn just yet.

I kept an active loop while I did the cross stitch because when I was adding the embellishment, I hadn't finalized the size and details of the pouch. But you can wait to add the cross stitch until after the next step.



After you finish the single crochet, it's time to make the buttonhole loops. Decide how far in your want the buttons (or just a single button in the middle) and count the stitches in from the edge. Count how many stitches wide your buttons are.

Slip stitch until you reach the location of the first buttonhole. Chain stitch as many stitches as needed for the button to fit through. Continue slip stitching until you reach the next buttonhole, and repeat.

End off the yarn and weave in the end.



Fold up the bottom edge to figure out the placement for the cross stitching and the buttons. Stitch a design following my tutorial, then sew on the buttons.



Attach yarn to each side and slip stitch to close up the sides of the pouch. End off the yarn and weave in the ends.




And it's a finished pouch! If you want to use your pouch to hold tiny items (like stitch markers or even pointy things that could catch on the yarn), you can sew a fabric liner and stitch it into place. Mine is staying just like this!



So now, a few notes about this project:

• First, I don't have any basic crochet tutorials here on my blog, but I have a bunch at The Spruce Crafts. If you need to learn any of the stitches I mentioned in this post, visit The Spruce's crochet section.

• I used yarn that I had on hand, including Lion Brand BonBons (because they're so cute!). But I'm excited to do more cross stitch on crochet with tapestry yarn, which comes in so many colors and is a beautiful quality. Benzie sent me a bunch to play with!

• And with that tapestry yarn in mind, I've been thinking of making a few Wild Olive-esque patterns that would be small and suitable for cross stitch on crochet. Would that be something you'd be interested in? Tell me in the comments!

project // loved coffee cuff with stencil cutting file

Remind someone (even yourself!) that they are loved with this easy freezer paper-stenciled coffee cuff! It's fast and easy to make, especially with the free SVG cutting file and a cutting machine.

You don't need to have a cutting machine though. You can hand cut the stencil for almost the same effect. Or, use the PDF template as an embroidery pattern and stitch a loved coffee cuff!



You will need:

A basic felt or fabric coffee cuff
Freezer paper
Cutting machine -OR - a pencil and craft knife
Iron
Acrylic paint
Stencil brush or foam paint dauber

DOWNLOAD THE LOVED SVG CUTTING FILE

DOWNLOAD THE LOVED PDF TEMPLATE

For this project, I used the same sleeve base as I did for my Serious Crafter coffee cuff (scroll down in that post to grab the download and simple instructions). But you can use your favorite pattern and just apply my stencil.



Use the SVG cutting file on a cutting machine to cut out a crisp freezer paper stencil. The stencil should face the right way on the non-shiny side.

If you don't have a cutting machine, trace the PDF version of the pattern onto freezer paper. Use a craft knife to carefully cut out the design.



Iron the stencil onto the coffee cuff.



Dab paint onto the stencil and sleeve. Let the first coat of paint dry, then add a second coat.



Peel away the stencil to reveal the design!




I made this design so I could make gifts for some special people. I want them to know that they are loved, and I want you to know the same thing.

You are loved by me. I know we may not have met in real life or even exchanged emails or comments on social media. But I truly care about you.

And bigger than that, you are loved by Jesus. He created you and you have value. You are loved no matter what.