project // kawaii felt pierogi stuffie

If you've been watching any of the Winter Olympics, you may have spotted Team Poland with their giant stuffed pierogi with a face. They even presented one to Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg! I'm here with a pattern to make a much smaller, felt version in the Wild Olive style.

The original stuffed pierogi was made by a shop called Luft, where folks with disabilities learn to made these adorable plush. Sadly, they don't ship outside of Poland and they are completely sold out right now anyway (good for them!).



After talking with my friend Kristin, we decided that we should each make our own versions. She made a giant one (including a version with legs ala Jellycat!), I made a small one, and then I also made a tiny pocket-sized pierogi.

I'd also like to add that if you were to make any of these with a deeper tan color, they would look more like an empanada, and I really like that idea.



Ready to make your own little Pierogi Pal?

Here's what you need:

• Creamy-colored felt (I used Benzie's Linen Wool Blend - affiliate link)
• Freezer paper
• Pen
• Scissors
• Iron
• Black embroidery floss
• Needle
• Pins
• Sewing machine (with cream thread!)
• 7mm safety eyes
• Stuffing
• Poly Pellets (optional)

DOWNLOAD THE PIEROGI PAL PATTERN



Trace the Pierogi Pal pattern onto the non-shiny side of the freezer paper. Cut the bottom edge on the line, but leave the rest of the pattern un-cut.

Fold your felt in half and iron the freezer paper to the felt with the cut edge of the template on the fold.



Cut out the doubled felt on the scalloped line.

I didn't pin mine when I did this, but it would help a bit as the felt did want to shift slightly. This resulted in some of the back scallops being off just a little. It doesn't really show, but I know it's there. Ha!

Poke holes through the middle of the marked eyes.



Embroider the mouth with six strands of black embroidery floss and back stitch.



Peel off the freezer paper, carefully tearing it away around the mouth.

Use the scissors to slightly enlarge the holes for the eyes. You don't want them too big. It's better to make them larger after you try and add the eyes.



Install the safety eyes. Remember that this are not child safe. If you are making this for a young child, you should just embroider the eyes (and skip the weighted filling).



Sew around the pierogi, leaving one end open for stuffing. I lined up the edge of my presser foot with the indents of the scallops as I sewed.



Add stuffing, working to fill the top of the pierogi and the far corner. Essentially along the seam, which will help keep the Poly Pellets away from the seam if you're using them.



Roll a piece of paper into a cone/funnel and use it to add Poly Pellets. You'll also need to work them down into the stuffie so you get enough in there to fill it out and give it some weight. Add as much weight and bulk as you want.

As with the eyes, you should skip the weighted filler if making this for a small child.



Add a bit more stuffing to help hold the Poly Pellets away from the seam.



Pin the opening and finish sewing the seam, following the same spacing as before.



You've got a cute little Pierogi Pal now!

The weighted filler makes it so that your pierogi will semi-sit. It's not fully upright, but not laying down either. It's super cute this way!



And then, of course, I made the little pocket version. Tiny is even cuter! This one I made with the Circles & Scallops deep-etch die from Benzie (affiliate link), which is so simple. But you can also just cut a circle with scallop scissors for the same effect. I used flat-back cabochons for the eyes on this one.

Wouldn't it make a fun pin, magnet, or ornament?

Which pierogi do you want to make? A pocket pierogi, a pierogi pal, or Kristin's giant pierogi plush?

project // ernie & bert felt ornament

It's Christmas on Sesame Street, and Ernie and Bert are here in felt to celebrate. Specifically, they are here to go ice skating, because it's that scene that always stands out in my memories of that classic holiday special. Something about seeing your favorite muppets in a very different scale that just throws one off, but also make them pretty cool.

Last year I made this ornament for a friend of mine, and it was one of those projects that I worked on without taking step-by-step photos. You know...because I was just making it. And sometimes I don't share these kinds of things on my blog as a result of not having the images. BUT, in the event that you're a Sesame Street kid like me (and my friend!), I'm sharing the pattern.




The instructions are essentially the same as for my Gonzo and Rizzo ornament and my Emmet Otter ornament. You may even notice that this is a bit of a series of felt Muppet ornaments. I'm working on another one right now, but it will be gifted this year and shared as a pattern next year. So I can't tell you who will be on the new one!



You will need:

Felt (I highly recommend 100% wool for this)
Matching Embroidery Floss, Plus Black
Freezer Paper and Pencil
Iron and Ironing Mat
Scissors
Scallop Shears (these are the 3mm size)
Glue
Needle

DOWNLOAD THE ERNIE AND BERT ORNAMENT PATTERN PDF

You can see the order that I layered the pieces above. Use that as your guide, but be sure to look at the previous Muppet ornaments for the general steps.



For Ernie, the eyes are embroidered with French knots and the stripes on his shirt are chain stitch for a nice, bold line.



Bert gets French knot eyes and a singular chain stitch eyebrow. His mouth and stripes are back stitch. And for all of the embroidery, I used three strands.



These two are quite the pair, and they would look so great hanging on your tree!

And as I make this year's ornament, I'll make sure I actually take the step-by-step photos. Ha!

project // duffy and shellymay felt ornaments

I have recently come to love Duffy the Disney Bear and all of his friends, which is why I decided that I NEEDED to make some Duffy and ShellyMay felt ornaments. And of course, I wanted to share the free pattern with you!

If you aren't familiar with Duffy, you can read a little about him on the Disney Imagineering site, but there's LOTS to know and learn from other places too. I first met Duffy when he showed up at EPCOT in the very early days. I remember that they had his face on the craft you could do at the Kidcot spots in World Showcase. I'm pretty sure there was a meet and greet too.

Well listen. I was early teen. Additionally, my parents were teddy bear collectors and I grew up helping in the teddy bear shop they owned. I was just not into this bear.

Fast forward to now, when I get very excited about kawaii cute things and when Disney has added to the lineup of Duffy's friends, and I'm here for it! I'm not a super fan, but I think these characters are so adorable.

On my most recent trip to Disneyland, I started working on stitching these felt faces.



These go together like my circular felt ornaments. In the pattern below, there are templates for the circles, but I cut mine using the Circles and Scallops deep-etch die (affiliate link) I designed with Benzie Design.




I did some of my stitching at my favorite wall at Disney California Adventure, and even found a bear mug in the wall. I'm fairly confident it was designed by Lucy Rigg, because, see previous note about growing up in a teddy bear shop. If you can ever find your way to this wall (well, two walls, technically), I highly recommend it.



When I initially stitched ShellyMay, I made her eyes with chunky French knots. This was partially to see how they looked this way, and partially so she didn't look all creepy without eyes. My real plan was three-dimensional eyes that would be like the safety eyes found on stuffed animals.



See how cute and shiny they are? I used these flatback cabochons, which you glue in place.

DOWNLOAD THE DUFFY AND SHELLYMAY FELT ORNAMENT PATTERNS

Now, Duffy and ShellyMay were both at Disneyland while I was there, but sadly, I didn't see them. It's okay. Maybe next time. Or maybe I just need to bring my ornaments to Tokyo DisneySea, where they are WILDLY popular and I'd certainly see them.

Now that I've made these two characters, I plan on making others. Are you a fan of Duffy and Friends? Who's your favorite?

project // wood and felt quilt block stand up

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Whether you love making quilts or just enjoy being surrounded by them, this felt quilt block is a fun way to decorate your craft space. And it's super easy to make!

Unlike traditional quiltmaking, this little piece doensn't require any sewing. The pieces are cut from wool felt (yes, that's printed wool felt!) and the cutting was done using deep-etch dies on a manual die cutter. The felt and the dies are from Benzie Design.



For mine, I used the Sylvia's Cozy Quilt Block die set I designed for Benzie, because it has a center square that I could use to add a cute little face. This is, of course, optional, but if you know me, you know I'll always add a face.

Using the dies is also optional, but it's so fast and easy. Plus the pieces will always be accuarate. That's especially helpful with things like this because all the pieces will fit together perfectly. You can watch a video I made showing how the die cutting works.



Because these quilt blocks are attached to, well, blocks, they are thick enough to stand on their own. I've made similar pieces to this before, painting on the wood or gluing embroidery to a wood block. These mini art pieces make me smile because you can place tham just about anywhere.

I'm lucky enough to have a dad who has extra boards around, so he cut these for me, and then sanded the corners. If you don't know someone who might be able to help you with this, check your local hardware/lumber store and see if they have any cut offs. They can usually cut them for you too, for a small fee.

Now, shall we make some felt quilt blocks?



Here's what you need:

4x4-inch Wood Blocks/Slabs - mine were cut from a piece of 1x6 wood trim
Wool Felt (I used Bellwether and Printed Felt)
Sylvia's Cozy Quilt Block die set
Black Embroidery Floss and Needle
Craft Glue



Choose a quilt block design or two and cut out the pieces from your felt. You can create any quilt block you like!

For both of mine, I used just two colors/patterns. For the 9-patch, I used salmon and floral finesse printed felt in white. For the churn dash, I used dreamsicle and and daisy field printed felt in swan.



To make your quilt block super cute, embroider a face on the center square. The face is just two french knots and a scallop stitch.



Starting on the lower third of the wood block, spread a thin layer of glue over the wood. Apply the first piece of the quilt block in the corner.

As you add the remaining pieces in the lower third, make sure they are centered horizontally, and ensure that the felt doesn't overlap the bottom edge of the block at all.



Add more glue and then place the second row of pieces. Repeat with the last row. As you work, you can adjust the placement of the felt pieces while the glue is still dry. You want everything to fit together nice and snug.



Give the glue time to dry, then enjoy your wood and felt quilt blocks!




The printed felt really makes these super cute, but if you don't have any or just want to use solids, that's adorable too. I've also used Wonder Under to fuse quilting cotton to felt, and then cut those pieces with a die cutter. It worked great and you could then have any prints you like for your little quilt block!



Part of me now wants to make more and more of these little blocks. You could practially make an entire mini quilt. And maybe that would even be fun for kids to play with!


Happy quilting!

project // felt pom snowgies magnets

Do you want to build a snowman? Come on, let's go and play with felt poms! Specifically, let's make some little Snowgies from Disney's Frozen!

I promise that this blog is not turning into all things Disney, but as a fan, when I have an idea for something cute to make out of lovely craft supplies, I have to do it. Today's project came to me when I was riding Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. During one scene you see the little Snowgies (and if you haven't seen them, Google them and then watch all the shorts that they appear in...Olaf Presents is especially hilarious).

The moment I saw them (which wasn't the first time), I suddenly envisioned them made from Benzie Felt poms. Fast forward to January, and I got all my supplies and started making them. There was some trial and error, but when I showed this version to my sister, who is a huge fan of Frozen, she gave me the "awwwwwwww" and I knew we were on track.



They really are adorable just as they are. They might be fun for kids to play with this way. And I also think there are ways to make them so you could have them sitting to go on a shelf or something. But I've been on a magnet kick lately, so I made mine into magnets that I can stick up near my desk or on my photo clamps just for fun.

Now, let me ask again, a little differently this time...Do you want to build some Snowgies?



Here's what you need!

Benzie Felt Balls (affiliate link) in 3 Sizes: Medium, Small, and Extra-Small
Wool Felt Scraps in Black, Light Blue, and White
Magnets (I used super strong ones)
Hole Punch
Scissors
Tweezers
Hot Glue
Tacky Glue
E6000 Glue

Now, I know that three kinds of glue is kinda overboard. You don't have to do this, but it's what I used and here's why: The hot glue is so fast and easy for attaching the poms to each other. The Tacky Glue is a little easier for adding the face. And when using super strong magnets, Benzie recommends E6000 because you really need those to hold to the poms.

If you craft a lot, these are all glues that you should have in your supply storage!



Use one medium felt ball for the head, one small felt ball for the body, and two extra-small felt balls for the feet. Attach them with hot glue and press them tightly together so the glue doesn't show.

You can arrange the feet in different ways and if you look at images of Snowgies, you might get some more cute ideas!



Use the hole punch to cut out two perfect black circles. If your hole punch struggles to do this, try ironing freezer paper to the felt first. You can also hand cut them if you'd rather.

Cut out the mouth with scissors. The blue part is a 1/2-inch wide half circle. The tooth is a teeny white rectangle.



Use Tacky Glue to attach the blue part of the mouth first. I found it helpful to glue the back of the felt piece.

Add the eyes above the mouth. I found it easier to add dots of glue to the head and then add the eyes.



Add the teeniest bit of glue to the top of the mouth, then attach the felt tooth. Tweezers are super helpful for this!



It's a happy Snowgie!



Finally, attach a magnet to the back of the head using E6000 glue. Let this cure before sticking the magnet onto anything else or it may pull off the felt ball.




If one Snowgie is good, more Snowgies are better! They can be friends this way, I think that makes them even cuter. You might even try arranging the feet differently or giving them unique facial expressions!

Now my only issue is that I will have the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" in my head for days. And I'm sorry/not sorry if I did that to you as well. We might as well give in and start watching all the Frozen things while we craft!

Psst...if you like Frozen 2, don't miss the embroidery pattern I shared recently! I'm still loving my Do the Next Right Thing hoodie!