project // wish on a star leather bracelet

I think that wishing bracelets are so simple and pretty. They are usually a thin cord, often with a little charm, and they are made to be worn all the time. The idea is to make a wish when you tie it on, and when it wears off, the wish will come true.

While I don't really believe in the idea of a bracelet making your wish come true, I do like the way they look when they are still on a wrist. So I took inspiration from that for my "Wish on a Star" bracelet. You can make a wish if you want, or you can just enjoy a pretty metallic star!



You will need:

Metallic leather
Perle cotton thread
A pen
Sharp scissors
1/8" Hole punch (that will punch leather)

A few notes:

-I found my leather as a small piece near purse hardware at JoAnn. One piece will make lots of bracelets...oh, and use a coupon!

-You don't need to use leather for this project. Vinyl or faux leather will work, as will felt (it just won't last as long).

-Fiskars hole punches will punch leather. What a happy surprise! A Crop-a-Dile is also great for this.



Trace a star onto the back of the leather. A template is included below (print at 100%), but you can make the star any size you want.

Wish On a Star Template

Cut out the star with scissors. As long as your scissors are pretty sharp, this should be pretty easy.




Punch two holes in the sides of the star. Be careful to not get too close to the edges!



If you want your bracelet to fall off sooner, use only one or two strands of perle cotton. If you want it to last longer, go with three or four.

I cut a piece that is about 4 feet long, then I doubled it and doubled it again, keeping the loops at each end.



Thread the perle cotton through the holes in the star.



Tie the bracelet on your wrist, or on your friend's wrist! I went with a bow on this one so that I could remove it. However, a knot will work too. If you're knotting it, trim away the ends.



Now your wrist has a bit of sparkle!



Of course, a star isn't the only shape for a bracelet like this. A circle would look like a shiny gold button, and you know me and my hexagons! You can see in my hexagon bracelet how I used fewer strands, and I threaded the perle cotton through a little differently.



Give some stars as gifts, or make one for yourself. They're just fun to wear! And if I could make one wish for you today, it would be that you shine!

printable // kawaii coloring picture for all ages

Have you seen the latest craze of coloring pictures for grown-ups? I've always been a fan of coloring books that have detailed designs, and so this doesn't feel like a new thing. Rarely do I have time to sit and color, but it is sooooo relaxing that I should probably make time for it now and again.

A little over a month ago I received an email from Ariel, and she suggested that I make a coloring page that kids young and old could enjoy. I loved the idea, and thought that the Hexagon Tinies patterns I made last month would be perfect for this.



Along with all of the little designs (which are resized a bit), I added a few extra tiny elements to color. These are the kinds of things that I like to color on a page like this, and I hope you'll enjoy them too.



I pulled out my Paper Mate Flair pens because they have fine tips...even finer than thin Crayola markers. Colored pencils would also work well for tiny coloring! I'm a Flair gal because after years of watching my dad use them, I finally embraced them and love them now. Especially in all their bright colors!

Download the Hexagon Tinies Coloring Picture

I've got another idea in mind for these little designs too, so if all goes well, you'll see them again in the near future. For now, if you need me, I'll be coloring!

cute tips from marceline of super cute kawaii

I'm crazy excited about a new series that will run every other Monday here on Wild Olive. This started with someone at my house mishearing "Q-Tips" as "cute tips" and an idea was born.

As you probably know, I love anything that is cute. I bet you do too! So I got to thinking, what are the ways that we make things cute? Here's my go-to cute tip: Put a face on it!

But everyone has their own cute tip, and I've got some great guests lined up to share their own thoughts on cuteness. Believe me...these people know what they're talking about! Starting with Marceline.

You might know her from the blog Super Cute Kawaii, or recognize her artwork from her shop Asking for Trouble. I think you'll agree that she has cuteness down pat. Here's her tip:

The way I make everything cute is by adding impossibly tiny arms and legs. I always find it hilarious and adorable when I add them to my random doodles - they just look so happy and helpless. My very first Asking For Trouble character, Cakeify the happy cupcake, started the trend and now it's pretty much my trademark. When I was designing my 5 A Day fruit and veg characters, I had a lot of conversations with myself about whether an aubergine should have legs (no) or a banana have arms (a thousand times yes!).

Thanks, Marceline! You're super cute, and we're so glad you shared your awesome tip!

A note to all my bloggy friends: Cute Tips contributors are generously sharing their cutest secrets with us. Be inspired by them, but please, please, please don't try to steal their style! Be your own cute self!

making // the pocket party pouch from michael ann made

A few weeks ago I saw that Michael Ann from Michael Ann Made was working on a new pattern, and it looked like something I would like to make and then actually use. So you can imagine how excited I was when she asked me if I would like to try out the Pocket Party Pouch pattern for myself!

I was a little intimidated to tell you the truth. This pattern uses bias tape (which I've never worked with before), and it involves sewing through a lot of layers (which I've struggled with in the past). But I read through the instructions and guess what? I did it! In fact, I did it twice!

Actually, this is a little trick I've been using: When making something totally new, make two at the same time. The first is a practice project, and the second is the good one. I do step one for both, then step two, and so on. At the end I have one okay project, and one great one!



This is my great one!

The Pocket Party Pouch comes in three sizes (all are in the PDF pattern). I made the medium pouch, which has two pockets inside. Since it's star month around here, I thought star fabric would be a good choice. Plus I'm really into navy right now, and this was perfect.

I hand stitched the binding using my favorite running stitch method. I LOVE how it came out, but I tell ya...it was work to get the needle through in the extra thick places. Still, entirely worth it.



The "practice" pouch is a little different. You might spot that it only has one pocket inside. I misunderstood the instructions to start, and thought this was how it was supposed to be. I figured it out before I put it all together, but decided to try it with my original thought.



On this one I machine sewed the binding, and as you can see, my precision sewing leaves something to be desired. Blerg.

It was after struggling to get this right that I decided to hand stitch on the second one. Although, I'm guessing that if I had used teal thread my stitching would bother me less. Live and learn.



The second pocket on this is placed on the back of the pouch. And I love it here for two reasons. 1) It's good for things you need stowed, but quickly accessible (for example, a transportation card). 2) With directional fabric, it allows you to have the print right side up on the back of the pouch.



So here's the scoop: This was a super fun project, and I'll be making more Pocket Party Pouches.

It was easy enough for me to work through without needing to look up any techniques online. But it was really satisfying to see the completed pouch with pretty binding and a smart-looking snap.

Bonus? The Pocket Party Pouch pattern is on sale this weekend for 25% off! Thanks Michael Ann!

project // easy-sew star snuggler

Would you like to swing on a star? How about snuggling with one? I thought that it might be fun to sew up a little plush star, and guess what? It was!

The idea behind this was to make it less like a stuffed toy, and more like a "lovey", which is a sort of blankie substitute for little ones. You can use this easy-sew pattern to make your star snuggler super stuffed or kinda floppy, or something in between. However you make it, your star will love sleepy snuggles!



You will need:

Yellow fabric
Batting and/or Stuffing
Black or navy perle cotton
Scissors
Pins
Needle
Sewing machine

Star Snuggler PDF Pattern



My star is a hybrid between a stuffed toy and a floppy lovey. So, I have some (fusible) batting, and a little bit of stuffing. You could do one or the other.

Cut two star pieces from fabric. Place the dashed line of the pattern template on the fold of the fabric. If using batting, cut two star pieces from batting.




Embroider the face on one of the fabric star pieces. For the mouth, I used chain stitch. For the eyes, I used back stitch to outline them, then filled them with satin stitch. Size 8 perle cotton was a nice thickness for this.



Place the two fabric stars right sides together. (If using batting place the batting on the wrong sides of the fabric stars). Pin around the edges.



Sew around the outside of the star with a 3/8-inch seam allowance. Back stitch at the start and stop, leaving an opening large enough for turning.

Carefully clip the points and angles of the star.



Turn the star right side out and use the eraser end of a pencil to poke the points out.



Use perle cotton to top stitch with running stitch around the star, leaving the opening open for now. It helps to roll the seam between your fingers to open it up before you stitch. I usually do this for a couple inches at a time as I go.



When your stitching reaches the opening, you can add some stuffing if you want. Or leave it flat and floppy. Then, continue the running stitch across the opening and secure the thread with a hidden knot.

You could opt to ladder stitch the opening closed before you add the top stitching, but it's not entirely necessary.




What is entirely necessary is to give this little star a hug!

Other options for making this star? Make it out of fleece so it's super soft. Add a hanger to the back so it can hang on the wall. And while the embroidered face makes this safe for even the smallest snugglers, using safety eyes would be very cute if you aren't giving it to a young child.

My little sister claimed this star, and I look forward to seeing it get extra squishy as it gets cuddles each night.

Happy stitching!

50 stars for the 50 states stitching club quilt

A little over a year ago I set out on a journey to stitch the 50 states. I was inspired by the classic embroidered state quilts that you see pop up from days gone by. They usually featured state flowers, or sometimes birds, and they are pretty much amazing.

I wanted to bring the Wild Olive aesthetic to my quilt, and I also wanted to bring some friends along on the journey. I knew that they'd be great encouragement and inspiration. I was right. And now that my 50 States Stitching Club Members have received all of their patterns, I'm finally able to show the finished quilt that I made for the club.




Each state is represented with a star that has an embroidery in the center. The embroidered motifs range from flora and fauna to some pretty crazy things (including statues of an ox and a king!). Some of the designs are historical, and some are hysterical (like a watermelon that is a state VEGETABLE!).

The stars are English paper piecing, which is then appliquéd to a square. There are SO MANY stitches in this thing!



As far as the whole quilt goes, the scrappy binding is my favorite part. I've always been a fan of this style of binding (it's an unexpected detail that also makes good use of extra fabric!), and it was fun to use it here.

If there was one thing I would have changed, it would be to have some low-volume fabrics in with the striped blocks. But my goal was to have only 10 fabrics (in addition to the stars and backing) to make fabric shopping a little easier for folks. And I wanted the stars to stand out against a color/bold pattern. That goal was achieved, so next time around I'll aim for a more mellow quilt!




This quilt was so much fun to make, and just as much fun as making it has been watching club members work on their own quilts. I'll gather some photos and share them here soon, but you can find what folks are making by searching on social media for #50StatesStitching.

Eventually the entire club will be available as one big pattern download, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested in stitching the 50 states too!

thread bits // vintage supplies that bring joy

This is an odd Thread Bits, since there's no sewing/thread officially involved, but that's more because of the photo that I just HAD to share. I hope you'll indulge me!

I keep seeing talk online about the KonMari method of clearing out the clutter. And anytime I hear talk of clearing out the clutter I become hopeful, because I have a lot of clutter. Seriously, a lot. If you're not familiar with the KonMari method, I've gathered that the heart of it is to keep only what truly brings you joy.

This is a great idea. Except for this...



I find joy in vintage boxes of gummed stars. And buttons. And bias tape. And tiny scraps of fabric. And an old sewing basket filled with random bits that belonged to my grandmother's cousin and came to me intact.

These things lead to much clutter, and yet they truly bring me joy. How could I possibly get rid of any of them?

The unfortunate part in all of this is that I have a lot of other things that easily fall into this category too. Not vintage, but cute and fun, and I become far too attached to them all.

What are the things that you could never part with?

printable // star spangled napkin wraps

You're busy making sure that you have everything ready for the big BBQ, and there's not really time to craft anything else. But! There is time to print out some simple napkin wraps to add something special to your table.

Just print these strips, trim them (either right on the printed edge, or with some white border like I did), then tape them around your napkins and utensils. It's easy, and a fun way to print your kawaii Wild Olive tastes to a summer picnic.

The PDF includes navy, red, and yellow wraps, so you can use them for patriotic or everyday celebrations.

DOWNLOAD THE STAR NAPKIN WRAPS PDF

calendar // print & post stars for july

July already? I'm pretty much stunned (and sorta sad) that that year is half gone.

For this month I'm thinking about stars, and look forward to making some fun things with five (and six and maybe more) points. I'm also looking forward to posting a little less frequently this month. June with it's daily posting of patterns and more left me a little tired.

But let's get started with some calendars to add to your computer, tablet, phone, or even your bulletin board!

Download the 2560x1440 Wallpaper.
Download the 1920x1280 Wallpaper.
Download the 1280x800 Wallpaper.
Download the iPhone Wallpaper.
Download the iPad Wallpaper.

For your home screen, these have stars, but no calendar:
Download the iPhone Stars Wallpaper.
Download the iPad Stars Wallpaper.

For iPhone 6+, choose the iPad version. To use the iPhone and iPad versions, click the link for the wallpaper you want. When it opens, touch and hold the image until it pops up with the option to save. After you've saved the image, go to your settings, choose wallpaper, then find the image you've just saved.

To PRINT a calendar page (with a place for notes), download the July 2015 calendar page PDF.

Are you ready for July? Or would you like a do-over of the last month...or six?