Press all the seams. I’m pressing mine open for this quilt. I think it will make things simpler in the end.
Arrange your squares according to the diagram below.
For this block I sewed things up a little differently in order to keep the edges of my chunks of color perfectly straight, even if my seams weren’t lined up perfectly.
We’re going to sew the whole thing into three fat rwos, but we’re going to sew some parts of those rows into chunks first.
1. Sew up the two orange 3×3 squares and 1 orange 4×4 square.
2. Sew up two aqua 3×7 rectangles and two aqua 3×4 rectangles.
Arrange those chunks as you see below.
Now sew all those chunks into rows.
Finally – sew all those rows into one fabulous block. 🙂
I’d like to have a few words with whoever invented the Tooth Fairy.
Seriously.
Let’s start a tradition where a child places a teeny, tiny tooth under their pillow and parents have to retrieve it in the middle of the night without waking the child.
This is madness.
The night after Jo lost her first tooth she caught me frantically scrabbling around under her pillow in the dark, looking for a tooth the size of an apple seed.
She (naturally) asked me what the heck I was doing.
“Ummmmm. . . nothing. Just checking to see if the tooth fairy came yet. I. . . ummmmm. . . couldn’t wait until morning.”
Which she bought, but only because it was her first tooth and she was six years old.
After that somebody gave her a tiny little tooth fairy box that hung from her bedpost. It was just the right size for holding a tooth, but the money still had to go under the pillow.
I kept thinking about making a tooth fairy pillow that would hold tooth and money, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to do. By now she’s lost all of her baby teeth, but as soon as I saw this cute new fabric I knew right away that it would make a perfect tooth fairy pillow.
Luckily, you all give me an excuse a reason to keep designing things that Jo outgrew years ago. 🙂
The pocket is big enough for grown-up fingers to reach in and find a tiny tooth. It’ll hold paper money or fun coins (Jo got a dollar coin for every tooth). And being snug up against a plump pillow means teeth and coins won’t just fall out.
The pillow is also big enough that it won’t get lost in the mountain of stuffed animals that help our kids hide those lost teeth. 🙂
If you have an especially light sleeper, you can add that ribbon loop so you can hang the pillow from a bedpost or door handle. It’s easy and the pattern has instructions.
The best part of the project is that you can position the tiny pocket anywhere on the pillow you like. Make sure not to cover up your favorite bit! I especially like this little block showing how many teeth dogs and cats have.(Sorry – this fabric is discontinued now.)
Jo would have latched right on to fun facts like this! She also would have liked the grossness of the picture of tooth decay. 🙂
Press all the seams. I’m pressing mine open for this quilt. I think it will make things simpler in the end.
Arrange your squares according to the diagram below.
For this block I sewed things up a little differently – mainly to keep the edges of my yellow squares perfectly straight, even if my seams weren’t lined up perfectly.
We’re going to sew the whole things into columns, but we’re going to sew some parts of those columns into chunks first.
1. Sew up the four all-green columns.
2. Sew the middle two all-green columns together.
3. Sew all the yellow squares into their 3×3 blocks.
4. Sew eight 1×3 green rectangles.
5. Sew four of the 1×3 green rectangles into two 2×3 green rectangles.
Arrange everything as you see below.
Now sew all those chunks into columns.
Finally – sew all those columns into one fabulous block. 🙂
If you crocheted a stuffed animal using a hand wash-only yarn, then you can’t just throw the little guy into the washing machine. You’ll need to spot clean. Here’s how to do it!
How to Spot Clean
Spot cleaning basically means cleaning a particular area of an item without submerging the entire item. It’s a phrase frequently used in the garment industry, but applies to your stuffed animals, too!
Wet a washcloth in water or in water + a wool safe wash (like Eucalan no rinse wash)
Dab at the spot that has become soiled, moistening the stuffed animal’s fabric. Do not scrub! Agitation causes felting.
Allow to air dry.
That’s all!
FAQ
How do I tell if an animal needs to be spot cleaned? The yarn is your guide! Wash the animal like you would wash a garment made with that particular yarn, paying careful attention to the instructions. Keep in mind, though, that it’s incredibly important that the animal (and its stuffing) completely dries. If your yarn can’t stand the dryer, then you won’t be able to dry the animal… meaning you shouldn’t get the stuffing wet! Spot clean, only.
What if it’s still dirty? If you follow the above steps and it’s still dirty, then wash again. You can feel free to dip the tip of a limb in water, avoiding soaking the stuffing, to get a bit more water and detergent into the stain.
My stuffed animal is a complete mess. (like, it fell in a puddle). What can I do? If you think the animal might be headed toward the trash can, you can always try machine washing it. The good news is that the stuffing often prevents some amount of felting, so you could be safe. It’s a last ditch effort, though!
1 fat quarter of fabric for the outside of the pouch
1 fat quarter of fabric for the inside of the pouch
scraps of fabric for the hair/spikes
two 7/8 inch buttons for the eyes (I stacked smaller black buttons on top of these buttons)
two 3/16″ buttons for the nostrils (optional)
9 inch zipper
The hardest part of this project is getting the fabric facing the right direction, so pay special attention to those parts of the instructions.
Step 1
Cut out all materials.
For the top of the face cut one wide rectangle 3″ tall and 10″ wide. Cut the same size from the lining fabric.
For the bottom of the face cut one narrow rectangle 2″ tall and 10″ wide. Cut the same size from the lining fabric.
Wait to cut the pieces for the back of the pouch. The size will vary depending on the width of your zipper, how close to the teeth your zipper foot lets you get, etc.
For the pointy spikes cut five 3″ squares.
Step 2
Lay the wider rectangle in the outside fabric face up on a flat surface.
Lay the zipper face down over the fabric. Make sure the teeth of the zipper (not the zipper tape) are centered over the rectangle. Line the edge of the zipper tape up with the edge of the fabric and pin in place.
Lay the wider rectangle in the lining fabric face down over the rectangle from Step 2, with the zipper sandwiched between the two layers of fabric.
Pin or clip the layers in place.
Step 4
Sew the three layers together (outer rectangle, lining rectangle and zipper) getting as close to the teeth of the zipper as possible. You’ll want to stop partway along the seam to move the zipper pull out of your way. Watch this video for tips.
If you have a zipper foot, that will let you get very close to the teeth. If you don’t have a zipper foot, just get as close as you can. You’ll have a little more zipper tape showing in the finished pouch and it will be fine.
Step 5
Flip the fabric rectangles right side out and press.
On the right side of the zipper (where the pull is) you should have the right side of the outer fabric showing. If you flip the whole thing over you should have the right side of the lining fabric showing.
Step 6
Repeat Steps 2-5 with the narrower fabric rectangles and the other side of the zipper for the bottom of the face.
Remember - the right side of the outer fabric should be facing the right side of the zipper and the right side of the lining fabric when you sew.
You’re done with the front of the pouch!
Here’s the view of the same piece from the inside. You should be seeing the right side of the lining fabric.
Step 7
Sew on some fun features! I stacked black buttons on top of larger blue buttons for the eyes, and sewed on tiny black buttons for the nostrils.
Play around and have fun with these! Add one giant button to make a cyclops. Embroider on some eyebrows. Skip the nostrils. Make it your own!
You’ll be sewing all around the outside of the pouch using 1/2″ seam allowance - so make sure to take that into account when you position your eyes and other features.
Flip the lining piece out of the way so you’re only sewing through the outer fabric.
Step 8
Measure the finished piece. It should be 10 inches wide, but the height will vary depending on the chunkiness of the zipper you’re using, and how close to the teeth you were able to stitch. Mine was 10″ wide and 4 7/8″ tall.
Use the measurements of your finished face to cut two back pouch pieces to match it. Cut one from the outer fabric and one from the lining fabric.
Step 9
For the hair/spikes we’ll be making some prairie points. It’s really easy - just folding!
Fold one of your squares in half along the diagonal.
Press.
Now fold it in half again, so that all the raw edges are lined up along the longest edge of the triangle.
Press.
Done! Repeat for the other four squares.
Step 10
Ready to put it all together?
Pin the prairie points along the top edge of the face. I start by folding the face in half to find the center. Pin the center point in place first, then pin the two at the edges, then center the last two between them.
All the raw edges of the prairie points should be lined up with the raw edges of the outer and lining fabrics.
Step 11
Unzip the zipper mouth at least part way. This is very important! If you forget, you won’t be able to turn your pouch right side out after the next step!
Lay the outer fabric rectangle (the one you cut in Step 8) face down over the face, with the prairie points sandwiched between the two layers.
Lay the lining rectangle face up over the outer fabric. Pin all the layers together all the way around the edges.
Step 12
Sew all the way around the edge using 1/2″ seam allowance. That should have you sewing right up against the bumpy ends of the zipper.
Trim away your excess seam allowance with pinking shears. That will keep the fabric from fraying too badly - plus it looks cute. :)
Leave about 1/4″ seam allowance.
Step 13
Turn the pouch right side out and poke out the corners with a chopstick. You’re done! See how cute the contrasting lining inside the mouth looks?
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I designed the pattern for this little gizmo cozy (it’s free here) in February 2011. I’ve been using it to protect my MP3 player in my purse ever since.
That’s 3 1/2 years this little thing has been tumbling around in my purse and look at it! It still looks great!
The photo on the left is from the day I finished it in 2011. The photo on the right is from today.
The corners have gotten a little smooshy and rounded. The threads of the embroidery are a bit more embedded in the felt. The edges of the applique aren’t as crisp. The big lazy daisy flower in her hair is definitely looking a little flattened.
But there’s no pilling! If this were made of cheap acrylic felt I would have thrown it away long ago because it would have looked so grubby and terrible.
How do I know this? Because when Jo was little I made her a felt board. Not knowing any better, I used cheap acrylic felt from the craft store. Honestly, I didn’t know there was anything else!
Jo wasn’t any especially grubby or rough kid, but within DAYS those felt pieces started to look terrible. They pilled awfully. They seemed to pick up and grab onto every speck of dirt or dust. And in no time at all they had lost almost all their cling. The feltboard quietly disappeared and I didn’t work with felt again for a long time. Why put a lot of work into a material that’s going to look awful almost right away?
And then I discovered wool felt. Online – of course – because there’s not a single brick and mortar store in my area that carries it. People wrote about how durable it was compared to the acrylic stuff. How it doesn’t pill. They didn’t mention how nice it feels in your hands, and how pretty embroidery looks on it, but I discovered that on my own pretty quickly. 🙂 I fell in love with felt! I couldn’t buy it locally, so I started carrying it in my shop.
I’ve made a lot more felt projects since then – so many things that I had to create a whole section in my shop for felt patterns! But it all started with this little gizmo cozy. 🙂
One of the many things I love about felt ornaments is that they’re impossible to break. That makes them perfect to give to even the youngest kids! And I love, love, LOVE the way little felt toys look hanging on a tree. 🙂
The second ornament in the 2014 Christmas Club is a cute little dinosaur – very easy to make. He was so easy and fun to make that I’m tempted to make a whole bunch in a rainbow of colors. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Here are the first two ornaments in the Christmas Club collection.
You can still join at any time!
The club is closed now, but you can still get the patterns!
I had to take a bit of a break from the Controlled Chaos while I made my daughter Jo a T-shirt quilt to take to school with her, but I’m back! I’m easing back into things with some simple wide stripes.
Ready to make block #7?
What You’ll Need
60 two-inch squares in color A (shown in blue)
40 two-inch squares in color B (shown in pink)
Instructions
Use 1/4″ seam allowances for all sewing.
Arrange your squares according to the diagram below and sew them together into rows.
Press all the seams. I’m pressing mine open for this quilt. I think it will make things simpler in the end.
Sew the rows together to make the finished block.
Here’s the exploded view. . .
Here’s what my seven blocks look like so far. . .
I’ve decided to make mine a largish lap-sized quilt for me to use on the couch. It’ll be 4 blocks wide and 5 blocks tall for a finished size of 60″ x 75″ – a little smaller than a twin quilt. And I’m going to hand-quilt it!
Everyone knows not to use your good fabric scissors on paper, right?
RIGHT?
Today I thought I’d go beyond that very basic info with some extra detail on how I manage all my scissors – including my fabric scissors. This is going to answer a few questions that I get all the time.
Do you use expensive scissors?
Nope. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of high quality tools. I KNOW that quality scissors are better than cheap ones. But I also know that I am terrible at things like. . . bringing scissors in to get them professionally sharpened.
Good quality scissors that are painfully dull because I don’t know how to sharpen them myself and I can’t seem to coordinate my life well enough to get them professionally sharpened are worse than cheap scissors.
I can get a decent pair of Fiskars sewing shears at any big box fabric or craft store for under $20 – and then replace them every year. More on that replacement in a bit. . .
Which scissors do you use for cutting fabric and paper together – like with fusible adhesive or freezer paper?
Ah – that brings me to The Great Scissor Rotation.
I keep three pairs of big scissors in my fabric room. (This is only about the big scissors (shears, if you want to get technical) – I also have spring-loaded snips at the sewing machine and an assortment of tiny scissors for precision work.)
My newest pair of scissors is for fabric only.
When I bring in a new pair, the old fabric scissors become the scissors I use for fabric fused to paper.
(Update! I’ve discovered some specialty scissors that I REALLY love for cutting applique pieces, so now I use these for that purpose exclusively, and I leave this step out of my rotation)
The old fabric-fused-to-paper scissors become my paper scissors.
My old paper scissors move into the kitchen for snipping herbs, cutting waffles into dipping strips, cutting open packaging, etc.
And my old kitchen scissors move into the toolbox for real heavy duty work.
The scissors that were in the toolbox are usually totally destroyed by this time and they finally go in the trash.
I buy a new pair of scissors about once a year. While that may seem wasteful at $20 a pair when I could buy a quality pair that will last a lifetime for just under $100 – every pair of scissors I bring in gets used for about five years. Not bad at all! And I never need to coordinate bringing them in to be sharpened. 🙂
I mentioned above that this rotation only applies to basic shears. I do have some other specialty scissors that I love and am very particular about.
By the way – because I know someone is going to ask. I do sharpen my kitchen knives – but sharpening scissors is a different matter, one that I’ve been told repeatedly is best left to professionals. The angle of the sharpening is very different and you need to get both blades to work together. It’s more complicated and beyond my rudimentary knife-sharpening skills.
Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.
Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up soon – September 19th!
To celebrate, I’m taking my favorite pirate embroidery pattern and giving it away for free. Free!
Stitch up a fun Wanted: Dead or Alive poster. I include a Peg Leg Pete pattern with an image of a boy pirate and also a Hurricane Hattie pattern with an image of a girl pirate. There were lots of female pirates out there – this is a great book about some of them.
You can even personalize the poster with your own pirate’s name!
What You Get
Full-sized patterns for small (6 x 7 1/2 inch) and large (8 x 10 inch) images and alphabets – no enlarging needed
Reversed patterns for use with iron-on transfer tools
Complete color and stitch guide
Instructions for personalizing with a custom pirate name
Links to videos teaching all the stitches used
What You’ll Need
Fabric to be embroidered (I used unbleached muslin, soaked in hot tea for about half an hour to stain it)
Your favorite tools for transferring the pattern (you all know I swear by Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy)
Embroidery needle, thread, and hoop
Difficulty
Easy! The whole pattern uses just 3 simple embroidery stitches – and there are links to videos teaching all three.
It’s easy – but all that fill stitching does take a lot of time. Expect to spend several evenings on this one.
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