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Christmas Fabric Wall Hanging

 

I created a simple wall hanging using fabric scraps and burlap to create this basic nativity scene. I am not an experienced seamstress and since wanted the fewest pieces to work with, I sketched people with gentle curves and simple shapes. I used the button hole setting on my sewing machine to get a very tight outline stitch. Finally, I made loops at the top of the panel for the wooden dowel and I bought some jute cord to hang it.
TIP: Know the layers in your design and what pieces will overlap so that when you sew, you work from the bottom up and attach those pieces first.

 

Autumn Wreath

Hello Crafters,
I am sharing a quick and simple Autumn wreath made with strips of fabric and best of all,

 NO SEWING IS INVOLVED!

Supplies: fabric strips, scissors or pinking sheers, wire hanger
Directions:
1. Cut strips of fabric. Strip size can vary but are about 1.5 x 8 in.

2. Bend the wire hanger to form a circle and tie each fabric strip onto the hanger.

3. Keep sliding them close together in order to cover the hanger completely. The more strips you use and the tighter you compact them, the prettier the wreath will be.
4. Continue adding strips until the desired fullness is achieved. When complete, trim the ends of the fabrics. I cut each strip to have a pointed end to resemble leaves but you may prefer a diagonal cut or a V cut.

5. Finally, decorate with a bow or other embellishment.

Any lightweight fabric would work well. (satin, organza, chiffon, cotton, lame, lace, velour, netting, or tulle) Fabrics should be cut on the bias if possible to minimize fraying and prevent unraveling edges. I suggest using a variety of colors & textures of fabric to give the wreath more dimension. This is a good opportunity to use up small fabric scraps or even recycle that blouse that got a stain on it. I also used some wide ribbon strips among the fabric strips. Hopefully, you can see the unlimited potential to make a variety of seasonal wreaths by combining different fabrics. This is a great family activity. (If the grown ups do the cutting, the kids could do the tying on!)

Happy Crafting!

Ten Things Tuesday: Doilies

Practical Scrappers Design Teams brings you another Ten Things Tuesday. Today we feature doilies with all their wonderful intricate vintage detail. I used a subtle doily print background paper & mock paper doily embellishments to enhance the layout. Tip: cut doilies in half and tuck them behind other layers, place them in clusters, or place them to appear they are going off the page. Check out the girls at Practical Scrappers to find other ideas using doilies.

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Afraid of Stickers?

I generally do not use stickers because ...
1. They are flat and dull. 2. They are difficult to work with because you only have one chance to put them in the right spot. Stickers by definition are sticky and are therefore unforgiving if you change your mind and try to remove them. They are easily damaged or damage the surface of your project.

I discovered this helpful trick and now I don’t avoid using stickers. I find it less stressful to use stickers in a project if I first stick them to acetate or cardstock and then cut them out. Stickers become embellishments that I can play with and easily move around until I am pleased with the design. Then I don’t have to worry about dropping them, bending them, or adhering them at the wrong angle. For my layout, I stuck flowers & leaf stickers to a piece of transparency and then cut them out. In order to go from flat to fabulous and create a more 3D life-like appearance, I only applied the adhesive to the center of the flowers and gently bent up the petals. Taking the extra step of adhering and fussy cutting your stickers really helped eliminate the problems that stickers always caused me and now allows me to use all those stickers that went ignored & forgotten.
Visit Practical Scrappers to see other ideas using stickers.

White Gel Pen

It is Ten Things Tuesday at Practical Scrappers. This week the Design Team was challenged to use white gel pen. Since I stamped the pair of owls to patterned paper, I then colored their eyes to make them pop. I also accentuated little details by adding stitching lines and dotty outlines to plain paper embellishments. There is a lot of subtle rubber stamping on this layout. I stamped swirls, sentiments, & flowers on acetate which allowed me to arrange them perfectly without the fear of having a disaster during stamping the image.

Stamping Fun!

Practical Scrappers is back with a Ten Things Tuesday feature on rubber stamping. For my sophisticated birthday card, I embossed a floral border directly onto acetate, as well as, a delicate flourish.  I used mini brads to adhere the acetate to the card base.  Then I stamped a large flower onto organza fabric and assembled multiple layers of organza & netting.  Finally, I hand stitched the layers together slightly gathering them for a fuller ruffled petal affect.  The top layer of the flower was stamped onto acetate so I could attach small silver accents to the flower’s center.  Stop by PS today and find some amazing inspirational projects.