My Attempt at a Stuffed Sheep

All I can say, is I'm glad my daughter is only 6 months old and doesn't know what a sheep looks like.

The Iron Craft Challenge this week was to make something on the theme of sleep/bed/night.  I had some leftover white minky fabric from my taggie toy, so a sheep seemed like the perfect craft.  I pictured a lovely stuffed sheep like they used to sell at Bath and Body Works.

These sheep were adorable.  I think I could have an entire room full of them. Image source.

Mine did not turn out quite so nicely.  I was going to write up a tutorial but I don't think that's going to happen until I fix it a bit.  Basically, I used this pattern to make a ball and then added sheep features that I made up.

The end result looks a bit like a cross between a sheep and an armadillo.  Hopefully with a little tweaking I can improve with time, at least by the time my girl is old enough to recognize a sheep :)

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects?  Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

Crinkle Tag Toy for Baby- DIY Tutorial

So babies.  They chew everything.  Everything.  And there is a lot of drool.  Copious amounts of drool.  Really the only solution is to give them something soft and absorbent to chew on.  Enter the taggie toy.

I'd seen similar toys around and thought my little drool-face (term of endearment) would like one.  Since I'm crafty and a fabric hoarder, I decided to make my own.  Double bonus that it fit with this week's Iron Craft challenge to make something with a needle!  

I started by cutting 9" squares of two different fabrics.  If you want to add a crinkle layer, cut another square of plastic to go in the middle.  I used a Twizzlers bag (am I the only one in the world that likes chocolate Twizzlers?  I think they are so good!).

Next, cut small pieces of ribbon to go around the edge.  I found some really adorable ribbon at Michaels (the bicycles, glasses, and cameras) and then added to those from my stash.  Make each piece a couple of inches.  I pinned the pieces to the square as I went just so I didn't cut too much ribbon. 

When you pin it, attach it to the RIGHT side of the fabric with the folded ends towards the middle of the fabric.  If you mess up the direction, you will end up with all your tags on the inside (like I did on my first attempt).  Sew along the edges to hold all of your ribbons in place.

I then attached the plastic layer to the other square of fabric (you don't have to do this but I didn't want my layers shifting around).  Next, sew your squares together, right sides together.  Leave a few inches on one side.

Turn inside out and sew around the edge to close the opening.  Now you are all done! 

I think she seems like a happy customer.

I've washed mine in the washing machine and it did fine but I wouldn't recommend the dryer if you added a plastic layer.  I made one without a crinkle layer and it did fine in the dryer.  As always, be extra careful since this is for a baby.  Double check that your removed your pins, there's no loose ribbons, etc.

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects?  Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

Bias Tape Daffodils: A Mothers Day Bouquet

Big news guys.  I've started participating in Iron Craft again.  This is my first week back and I'm pumped.  This week we were challenged to create something using sewing notions.  I made daffodils.  Since my mom lives far away, I gave these to myself :) It is my first Mothers Day after all.

Start by gathering some supplies.  Feel free to experiment a little based on the supplies you already have.  I'm kind of a craft hoarder and always buy those bags of random sewing notions that they sell at Goodwill so I had a stash.  Here is basically what you need:

-For the petals: yellow bias tape. 
-For the middle part: orange fabric, lace trim
-For the stem: wire and green fabric or green bias tape
-A hot glue gun

Start by cutting a section of wire that will be your stem.  I used some really thick wire that I found at the hardware store.  This will form the base of your flower.  You will then form the orange part on one end [apparently that part is called the corona].

I formed the orange section two different ways.  The first was using some lace trim I had on hand.  Although it had some orange on it, I colored it in to brighten it up.  Again, you can do this two ways: fabric paint or fabric marker.

The other way to make the center is with fabric.  I cut a square of orange fabric using pinking shears and then folded it in half.

With both of these, roll them around the edge of the wire, hot-gluing as you go.  This will form a nice tube of orange.

To make the petals, cut several small strips of bias tape, about 5" each.  Then fold as shown below.  Hot glue the folded section and the two ends together.

Next glue the petals around your flower.  I liked the way they flopped about; it looked realistic.  If you need a petal to stick up a bit more, just glue the petal a little further up.

Finally, use some green fabric or bias tape to wrap the stem.  Make sure to cover the edges of your petals at the top to keep things looking tidy.

That's it!  You can make a whole bouquet.  I had fun trying out different materials and ways of doing it.  If you make your own, I would love to see what you try out!

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects?  Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

IC#22- Vintage Sheet Baby Quilt

We were challenged this week to work on a UFO, unfinished object.  Basically, any project you had been hoarding for a long time without finishing.  Well, I have been gathering fabric for this quilt since before we started trying to have a baby.  I knew that if I ever had a little girl I would make her a quilt out of vintage sheets.  This week, it happened.  I finally made my quilt.  It was my first quilt but it went well.  I'm really proud!!  What do you think?

I found this blog to be a really helpful resource.  I used this as a guide for the entire quilting process.

I used this technique for finishing the edges.  The thought of cutting separate binding strips felt overwhelming so I just folded over some of the backing fabric.

Want to see more Iron Craft pieces?  Check out the flickr group here.  Want to join in the fun?  Check out the blog here.

IC#21- Felted Tree Ornament

Guess What!!  I did my Iron Craft Project this week.  Yay!  Our challenge was to make something with felt so I kept it small and simple.  I practiced my needle-felting skills on a small scrap of felt and made a pretty little tree.

Right now it's hanging on the wall in our dining room, but I may turn it into a Christmas ornament.

Want to see more Iron Craft pieces?  Check out the flickr group here.  Want to join in the fun?  Check out the blog here.

IC#16- Momma & Baby Galaxy Wear

I was thrilled with our Iron Craft challenge for this week.  It's a virtual baby shower...for me!  Everyone is making baby crafts in honor of my little one.  I know the baby has been doing happy wiggles in there just thinking about it.

For my project, I chose to make a galaxy onesie.  Galaxy print has become pretty trendy in the craft world and I wanted to try my hand at it.  Then I decided to take it one step further and make one for myself too!  I started with a plain navy onesie and a plain black maternity top and here's what I got:

I'll show you what I did in case you would also like to make one.  I was inspired by this tutorial and this tutorial, although I didn't follow either exactly.  I started by laying the clothing in a sink and giving in a scrunchy swirl in the middle.

I then used a spray bottle to spray bleach diagonally across each piece.  I did light sprays on either side and then concentrated my sprays in the middle.  Then I impatiently waited for the bleach to dry so I could see the effect.  Once dry, I flattened out the clothing and give it a look.  For my shirt, I added a few extra blasts in the middle to strengthen the effect.

After the bleach was dry, I washed the pieces before moving on.  Then I used fabric paint to start adding depth and interest to the design.  I tried to take pictures of these steps, but it wasn't really an exact science.  I used sponges, paintbrushes, and my fingers to just keep blending.

Finally, I used a toothbrush to add splatter.  If you have never done this, just dip your paintbrush in the paint and then with it facing down, pull your thumb all the way along the brush.  This shoots out paint splatters.  I focused white splatters on the center and blue splatters along the outside.

Let it dry and you are done!  I tried to take some pictures of myself wearing my shirt and failed miserably.  I'll have to get my husband to help me with a photo shoot later.

IC#14- Denim Tote Bag

We're in the process of moving, so I kept this Iron Craft project really simple.  We were challenged to make a project with denim.  I took a denim tote bag and added some bleached designs.

I started with a plain denim tote bag.  The only other supply needed was a bleach pen.

I slid a plastic lid into the tote bag to keep the bleach from soaking through.  I then started doodling all over.

I let it sit for about 30 min and then washed in the washing machine.  That was all!  Pretty simple project.

Want to see more Iron Craft pieces?  Check out the flickr group here.  Want to join in the fun?  Check out the blog here.

Year Long Challenges: 6 Month Check In

At the start of this year, I posted about several craft challenges I was going to try this year.  Now that it has been 6 months, I thought it might be nice to check in about how I am going.

Iron Craft Challenge- Rockin' it.

Although one or two challenges have been late, I have completed every single one.  Oh yeah.  I love the variety of the challenges.  It's also been nice having them every two weeks; it actually gives me time to work on them!

Sky Scarf- Not going to happen.

I tried.  I really really tried.  But after four months I completely lost my desire to work on this project.  I don't care.  I don't really like the way it looks.  I'm sick of it.   I tried to keep doing it but decided it's not worth it.

Creativity Journal- Hit or miss.

 I enjoy having this journal.  I originally thought I would do it every day.  This was unrealistic.  I have so many projects I'm working on all the time, it was silly to stop those just to make something I wasn't planning on.  It is nice to have on hand though for those days I feel crafty with no direction. 

Unexpected Challenges- BBA and Granny Square Sampler

Although I didn't list these at the beginning of the year, I have been working on some other long term projects/challenges.  My etsy team Blogging Business Artisans has a craft challenge once a month.  I think I'm 5 out of 6 right now.  I've also been working on a crochet-a-long from wise craft that is really fun.  I'm not keeping on their same schedule, but I'm having fun learning the different squares.