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!

tutorial // muppets christmas carol tees

The Muppet Christmas Carol is an absolute classic so you will love making a custom tee with Gonzo and Rizzo! The characters are made with felt applique, and the come with a fun extra too. But first, let me show you the inspiration (besides the movie!).

Last year I made this felt ornament of Muppet Christmas Carol Gonzo and Rizzo with some very tiny pieces. And I used those same patterns to create characters that would fit coming out of the pocket of a long-sleeved tee.



I started with Rizzo, but I couldn't only make Rizzo the Rat, I needed to make Gonzo as Charles Dickens too! And these tees aren't just about the pocket characters, they also have a fun message running down the arms.

In the movie, Gonzo introduces himself by saying "I am here to tell the story" and Rizzo famously says "And I am here for the food."

Well, my sister goes to Disney parks for the food. And with a trip planned, I knew Rizzo's line would be perfect for her! So I made Rizzo for her with his line, and for myself, I made Gonzo. I altered his line a little bit to have it make more sense for me. Because I'm very much about the story, the history, and the full Disney experience (and also the food a bit too...ha!).

So here's what you'll need:

A long-sleeve tee
Wool or wool-blend felt
Embroidery floss
Glue
Stitchable Alphabet deep-etch die from Benzie Design (affiliate link) - optional

DOWNLOAD THE GONZO AND RIZZO PATTERNS



A lot of this process is like making the felt ornament version. But for this, you may want to pre-wash your tee and the felt to avoid uneven shrinking.

Start by cutting out all of the pieces for your character. Freezer paper makes this a lot easier. Add the embroidery to the pieces.



Use a bit of glue to hold the pieces in place on the tee. Be sure to place your Muppet into the pocket a little so you can't see the bottom when the pocket opens a little.



Stitch the pieces down with two strands of matching embroidery floss.

For Rizzo, I used tiny running stitch. And then when I went to make the Gonzo tee, I didn't have the Rizzo shirt in front of me and so I forgot about the runnings stitch and used whip stitch, like I do with my felt ornaments. Either will work!



Cut out felt letters to add a phrase to the sleeve if you want.

I cut the letters out using the Stitchable Alphabet deep-etch die from Benzie Design (affiliate link). Like with the pieces for the characters, I used a tiny bit of glue to hold the letters in place.



To stitch the letters, the die-cut letters have stitch markings that let you stitch through the holes. Use six strands of embroidery floss and holbein stitch, also called double-running stitch.

Working in the sleeve is a little tricky at times, but it helps to stitch with the sewing method.




And now you have a fun shirt celebrating a classic Christmas movie!



The Christmas season is a perfect time to wear this, but especially in a space filled with Muppets EVERYTHING, including PizzaRizzo.



The only thing I might change if doing this again is that I would check the sleeve length FIRST. The sleeves were a tad bit long, and if I knew that, I would have made the lettering higher on the sleeve and maybe a bit tighter. I kept wanting to scooch the sleeves and that wasn't so great for the felt letters.

But I was impressed with how the letters did after a full day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We'll see how everything does after repeated launderings!

Now, 'tis the season to be jolly and joyous...in an adorable custom long-sleeve tee!

pattern // disney gingerbread cookies

At my house, everyone's favorite treat for the holidays, but also any day, is a Mickey Gingerbread Cookie. And I HAD to make an embroidery pattern of not just Mickey, but some of his pals. But as gingerbread.

The first time my mom had a gingerbread cookie at Walt Disney World, she was hooked. I also had a gingerbread piece from one of the resorts where they have gingerbread displays and it was just so yummy! So I found a copycat recipe and we started making them at home. Simply because we don't want to wait until a trip to the parks to enjoy them!

Along with loving the cookies themselves, we've become big fans of a game called Cookie Swap. It's a simple card game that requires a good memory and a bit of luck, and it's filled with favorite Disney characters all in the form of gingerbread cookies!

With all this love of Disney gingerbread, and with all the Disney Eats patterns I've made this year, I couldn't wait to bake up some new patterns.

You can download the pattern below, which is really four embroidery patterns: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. You can stitch them on anything you like! I made mine into felt ornaments, so I'll show you how to do that too.

DOWNLOAD THE DISNEY GINGERBREAD EMBROIDERY PATTERN PDF



For my ornaments, I used Benzie Design's cinnamon wool blend felt. (affiliate link)

I'll share most of this as a regular tutorial, but first, let me tell you about how this started. I tested out using an iron-transfer pen on felt and my test went great! So I ironed the full pattern and the transfer was uneven and hard to see. So I sort of went over it with pencil.I can't recommend this method, but it is what I did.

I'd probably suggest pre-soaking your felt and then letting it dry, ironing it, and then use Sulky Stick n' Stitch for the pattern. Or you could use tracing paper, but that's a bit harder.

Now for more traditional instructions!



Use three strands for everything. Embroider the outline with chain stitch. Stitch the eyes with scallop stitch (and straight stitches on Minnie and Daisy!). Embroider the mouths and other details with back stitch. Embroider the solid noses, rosy cheeks, and Mickey's large buttons with satin stitch.

Use French knots for small buttons. Stitch the zig zags on the arms and legs with zig zag chain stitch.



Trim around the outside of the embroidery, leaving about 1/4" of felt showing. This makes it look more like a decorated cookie!



Apply a thin layer of craft glue on the back of the embroidered cut out.



Cut a 6-inch piece of string or embroidery thread and tie the ends together with a knot. Glue the knot at the top center of the ornament.



Press the glue side down onto matching gingerbread felt and let it dry. Be sure it's drying flat!



Cut around the cookie, holding the ornament hanger out of the way.



Now Mickey is ready to hang on your tree!

You can, of course stitch the layers of felt together instead of gluing them. But what I like about the glue is that it also gives the felt some stiffness and that's nice for a cookie like this.



Now I just need to stitch up more of the characters...and then design even more cookie patterns!

pattern // felt applique thanksgiving turkey

It's the time of year when we think about turkeys much more than any other time of the year. At least here in the United States. Thanksgiving and turkeys go together, even if you don't eat them. And so I made a felt applique pattern that is definitely too cute to eat.

This pattern was originally going to be included in my It Felt Like Fall ornament set, but I decided to use another design instead. But as I had received a request for a turkey AND because I think this was a fun pattern, I kept it and am sharing it here for everyone!

As this was going to be a felt ornament, I kept the turkey in felt. And you can make this as a felt ornament like my other patterns, both free and in my Etsy shop. In fact, the pattern PDF includes the circles you would use for that. But I decided to do something different and stitch the pieces down onto fabric. It may still become an ornament in a hoop like this, or I might use it in another way. But it's stitched and cute like this for now!



If you're familiar with my other felt ornaments, you can just run with this and use the pattern as you like. One thing to note is that there's a lot of thickness at the center of this. It gives the turkey some puff, but you just need to watch where you stitch the belly down. I made the stitches on either side of the overlap with the feathers so that there was room for it to span the thickness.

For those who haven't made a felt applique ornament or other project, here's the basic process:

Cut out the pieces (I recommend using freezer paper for this), and embroider the lines on the feathers and the turkey's eye.

Embroider the legs on whatever backing you're using. Layer the pieces and stitch them down with tiny whip stiches along the edges.

I embroidered the mouth on the beak after finishing the applique.

If you're making this as an ornament, you would stitch everything onto the smaller circle, and then layer and stitch around the two circles. Add some stuffing (it isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing!) and finish it off.

DOWNLOAD THE TURKEY APPLIQUE PATTERN PDF

If you wanted to make this a lot flatter, you could make the applique with fabric instead of felt. You could even use the pieces to cut and layer paper. Wouldn't that make an adorable Thanksgiving card?

However you use this, I wish you happy Thanksgiving turkey stitching!

project // disney churro felt ornament

Who doesn't love a good churro? And it's even better when it comes from Disneyland! So I'm honoring this classic snack in a felt ornament.

Now, I started this by saying that churros at Disneyland. And I stand behind that. Normally when I talk about Disney snacks, I include Walt Disney World in the mix, but this is a time where the Disneyland (and Disney's California Adventure) churros are superior. So many options! So many flavors!

Here are two amazing ones I've had:




The first was peach cobbler and the second was almond cookie flavor. So good!

The only sad thing is that these flavors don't stay around for long so you won't find these at the parks right now. Maybe the almond cookie one will come back for the Lunar New Year's celebrations though!

Of course, the good part is that there are always new flavors to try. It makes me wish I lived closer and could try them all on rotation.



For the felt ornament version, I went for the orginal churro. They are just as tasty as the fancy ones!

The stitching is tiny, but those lines really make the shape stand out.



Like my other Disney snack felt ornaments, I don't have a full tutorial. Just a little overview of the process. They go together pretty much like my other felt ornaments.

The felt is wool blend from Benzie Design (affiliate link). I cut the all the circles with my Circles and Scallops die, also from them, but you can use the circle templates in the PDF with plain or decorative scissors if you'd like.

Cut out the pieces with freezer paper, and embroider the face and lines through the paper before carefully tearing it away.

The pieces are stitched down to the front circle with a tiny whip stitch and two strands of embroidery floss. If you want to add extra toppings for your churro, you could stitch those on too!

To assemble the ornament I used running stitch around the edges, then I filled in with a second round of running stitch so it looks the same on the front and back.

DOWNLOAD THE CHURRO ORNAMENT PATTERN