DIY upcycle wool blanket cushion

This DIY cushion is a really basic way of upcycling the quality old wool blankets that you can find at nearly any secondhand store. I got an enormous one from the Sallies store for $4. For the applique you can use an iron-on adhesive to hold it in place however I chose to just pin mine which meant the elephant is a bit puffy.

What you need:
Wool blanket
Felt
Coloured thread to match the felt, needle
Sewing machine & thread to match wool blanket
Paper scissors
Fabric scissors

Step 1

Find an image that you like that has very few fiddly bits. Search for silhouettes to find nice simple images. I picked this elephant. Print out the image and cut it out. Note: You can always skip the first two steps if you want to free-hand a design onto the felt with chalk.

Step 2

Pin your cut out to a piece of felt in your chosen colour then cut out the shape.

Step 3

Cut out your cushion pieces. I used a strip around 60cm wide and 120cm long. This will make a rather large cushion. I suggest you get your cut out shape and place it on the blanket then measure an appropriate size cushion relative to the size of your cut out. Pin your cut out in place on the right side of the cushion. If you are going to use an adhesive here, this is where you would do it.

Step 4

Get your matching thread and your needle and blanket stitch all the way around your shape. This is why you don't want too many fiddly bits on your shape as it could prove tricky!

Step 5

Turn your cushion wrong side out and fold over so you have a square. Pin your sides together ready for sewing. Make sure you mark a gap on one side where you will leave it open for stuffing.

Step 6

Sew your sides together and then turn the cushion right side out so you have your (almost finished) square. Now for the fun bit! Grab handfuls of hobby fill and stuff through the gap you have left. There is no rule here on how much you stuff in but do make sure it is pushed right into the corners. Fold in the rough seams of your little gap and sew together. Depending on the capability of your sewing machine you may need to hand sew this part as it's pretty chunky. You're done!

a dog's bed

So this is how our wee Lucy used to sleep in the afternoons...

But after a bit of sewing and stuffing she can now sleep like this...

 or this..

or even like this!

I put her cushion together by folding in half a length of fabric and then sewing around the sides (like a large cushion). I then sewed the internal square, leaving a little gap to stuff it. After filling the inner section I sewed that up and then stuffed the outside and finished the end seam. I'm so glad the little lady likes it and it's a lot cheaper and colourful than the $50 ones at the pet shop! I think she's having dog dreams about playing with her friends Max and Vader at the park and I know she hopes her big bodyguard Vader gets better soon.

crochet slippers

Slippers are a strange thing to be making in the middle of summer as the mercury rises. I know this. But what about those of you in the northern hemisphere with chill blains? This, my friends, is for you. I love these slippers, not only are they cosy and cute they are for anyone! - C saw me making them and requested a pair too (His are the teal and mustard ones). I got the pattern from the darling Pip at Meet me at Mikes - she has GREAT crochet tutorials and many links to others online.

My cankles look a bit strange as I took off my sandals prior to taking the pic and they left little crevasses. Just so you know.

We are heading up to Nelson tomorrow for a quick trip with some of our friends visiting from Australia. One short holiday burst before I go back to the grind.

a shoulder bag

 I have been pondering on the best way to show off this fabric for a while now (I love the birds!). It is now a bag. A relaxing way to spend 30 mins on a Thursday between grocery shopping and taking Miss Lucy to the vet. Was going to pop it up on Our Creative Spaces but the posts haven't started yet for 2012. Better get a new project underway!

peg bag

Here's a quick 15 min project to keep your hands busy. It's also practical too.
Lucy destroyed (oh yes, destroyed - she ripped it to shreds) our old peg bag so I have used the hanger from that and a corner from a retro tablecloth to make a new one.

This is a really simple project from The Crafty Minx that you can make with items lying around your house. You only need an old wire coat hanger (like the one's from drycleaners) and an old tea towel. You can applique words and pictures onto them too! Here are some snazzy ones I found on Pinterest.

Source: flickr.com via Alina on Pinterest

Source: henandhammock.co.uk via Claire on Pinterest

Source: shop.leahhalliday.co.uk via Hazel on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via obeseparrot on Pinterest

Way to make something so dull so pretty!

homemade gifts

Here are a couple of easy Christmas pressies that I put together last week. The lavender for the pillows were from the harvest that I had in November (see here). I put them in little calico bags with messages printed on them and tied them up with ribbons. I also kept a few for myself to go in the coat wardrobe and under my pillow on the bed.

The purse is made from some fabric that I got for my birthday in October. I used a Crafty Minx pattern. I love the colour and the cute retro teacups.

Christmas Day was fantastic as usual, I love catching up with the family and over-indulging. We had our little fur baby with us for the day and she was quite happy about all the pats and cuddles. (Unfortunately was so wrapped up in the day I forgot to take some photos! durr).

I'm putting together my plans for the next few weeks off (so excited!), hopefully the weather continues to be magnificent (27 today) and it should consist of some crafty projects, visiting relatives, days at the beach, new years parties and resolutions, leash-training Lucy, soap-making and many ice cold ciders! To cool down this afternoon I'm going to make a mint-berry frappe (I'll post the recipe if it works!).

Christmas Cards

The festive season is officially here and as we spend our weeks 'catching up' and weekends frantically Christmas shopping and at 'work-do's' crafters around the world are relishing in the opportunity to celebrate the craftiest time of year.

These cards are my first contribution to handmade festiveness and I am really happy with the result. I embroidered some Christmas images onto some calico and then machined sewed these onto cards. The interior is stamped with my new alphabet stamps (see older post).

Look out for some recipe's, more craftiness and some Christmas Day pics coming soon.

You may be wondering what happened to the boot camp wrap-up. Unfortunately C had some bad family news so this past week has been a bit up the wahzoo and I didn't make it to the last class. The one result I can determine from the experience is the motivation and knowledge of my capability to actually exercise more in the New Year. I don't think I should have any trouble with that since we now have a little canine ratbag to keep entertained.

stamp my feet

I type this with ink-stained fingers as I have just been playing with my new stamp set! I picked up this beautiful little set from the Christmas Encraftment Market today. I couldn't wait to get home to stamp my afternoon away (not in a tantrum, but in a ink and rubber utopia). This set is going to be the handiest crafty accessory for Christmas present labelling, I'll post my homemade cards in the next couple of weeks.

Also at the market I managed to get my paws on some vintage linen teatowels from Follow the White Rabbit which should be morphing into something soon!

Here are some more stampy things that I have found on pinterest... hmm I can see this developing into an obsession.. Time to crank out the rubber eraser and craft knife?

 

Source: etsy.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: blogdelanine.blogspot.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: craftycrafty.tv via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Also, I hope everyone exercised their democratic right as citizens of New Zealand today. I feel so lucky that we live in a country where we can participate in the election of our leaders.

mad granny

I have an addiction. These square gems are meditative to create and bring little leaps of excitement seeing them grow in number. I'm thinking a blanket? I love the retro styling and appropriate name of 'granny squares'. I do feel like a granny, ferreting away with my crochet hook on the couch!

Summer must be here, it was gloriously hot today - in retrospect we should have gone to the beach for the first swim of the season. Maybe next weekend?

Here are some more granny square treats I found on pinterest for inspiration:

Source: copyepaste.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: canadianliving.com via Wayward on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: rosylittlethings.typepad.com via Jennifer on Pinterest