Projects: Poly Clay Creations

Recently I had some poly clay items that needed to be made for a few Swap-Bot swaps. They turned out better than I'd expected so I figured I'd show them to you!

Tiny Poly Clay Tea Cup Charm

This little tea cup may not look too impressive, but when you realize it's only about 1/3" in size, then I think I did pretty good! This will end up being a charm; that's why there is a wire sticking up through the center right now.

Poly Clay Shawl/Scarf Pin

This turned out so nice. I'm so proud of it! It was actually much easier to make than I thought it would be.

If you're unfamiliar with shawl/scarf pins, let me explain how this would be used. Just pull both layers of the shawl/scarf up through the center then push the pin part through the shawl/scarf. This will hold your shawl or scarf in place until you're ready to remove it!

Poly Clay Artist Trading Card (ATC)

This was another item that turned out really nice! It took me about an hour to make (not including baking time) because of all of the details in mica powders that had to be added with a tiny tipped paint brush. I think it was well worth the time, because I'm extremely pleased with the outcome.

This was another really easy project. Basically, I just rolled out my clay to the desired thickness, trimmed to size (2.5"x3.5"), stamped my images into the clay, and "painted" on the mica powders.

If anyone would like a detailed tutorial of the pin or ATC, complete with step-by-step photos, just leave a comment and I'll add one ASAP.

Thanks for reading!!

Tutorial: Flannel Eye Glass Case

Yesterday, I posted a link to a tutorial for the Flannel Eye Glass Case, but afterwards I realized that the way I made the case and the way the About.com tutorial instructs you to make one is totally different! Here's the case I made along with the tutorial and basic illustration:

Step 1: Gather supplies.

- 9"x18" piece of flannel fabric

- Embroidery floss

- Large eye needle

- Optional: 9"x9" piece of interfacing

- Optional: Sewing machine

Step 2: Ironing & interfacing.

Iron the flannel fabric flat. Fold it in half (right sides together) and add a crease along the fold. You will end up with a 9"x9" square of folded fabric.

If you wish to add interfacing to create a stiffer case, attach the interfacing to one of the halves of the fabric. Be sure to attach the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 3: Trim fabric to size.

Temporarily fold your fabric in half again. Taking into consideration you will need 1/2" seam allowance on all sides, cut your square to the appropriate size based on the eye glasses this case will eventually hold.

Find the center line, as shown in the image at the left. Using this image as a reference, cut a straight line from the center point from the top edge of the fabric to the right side edge, approximately 2" down from the top corner.

Step 4: Sew first edge.

With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew almost entirely around the fabric (including the creased side), leaving a 2" opening.

When hand-sewing this part of the project, I used a basic backstitch and only 3-strands of embroidery floss. If you choose to use a sewing machine for this part, the project will go much faster.

Step 5: Turn RS out & iron.

Pushing the fabric through the opening, turn the fabric right-side-out. Use a chopstick or something similar to press into the corners to make them as "sharp" as possible. Sew the opening closed using a hidden slip stitch.

Iron the fabric again to make the seams lie flat. Fold in half along the center line (found earlier) and press a crease into the fold.

Step 6: Finish edges.

Using all 6-strands of embroidery floss, sew a blanket stitch around all visible edges.

That's all there is to it! You're done!

Options

1) If you'd like to use a different fabric on the outside of the case such as a decorative cotton fabric, simply use a 9"x9" piece of your selected fabric in addition to a 9"x9" piece of matching flannel fabric for the inside.

2) You can even quilt together some fabric scraps you have around for the outside of your case.

3) Personalize the case by embroidering a name, initials, or image to the front of the case.

I must apologize because I usually include many more images in my tutorials than I did in this one. I actually forgot to take pictures while I made this case. This project is so easy, I don't think you'll need any more images to figure it out.

Have fun with this super easy project! Thanks for reading!

Waiting for Spring

With spring fast approaching, I've been researching and working on great spring-themed projects and tutorials as well as some for the upcoming holidays!

Based on the poll taken in November, it seems as though tutorials and holiday/seasonal projects are what you're interested in the most. That's great news to me, because I love sharing detailed tutorials with you and I would be thrilled to feature holiday and seasonal projects!

I found this great heart-patterned flannel fabric remnant on sale at my local JoAnn's and just had to buy it! I ended up with about a yard and have used less than 1/8th of it. I searched online for projects that call for flannel projects, but only found one.

If you have any ideas for flannel projects, specifically Valentine's Day or heart-themed projects, please comment on this blog post.

This is the first project I made with the flannel fabric. This eye glass case is actually going to be one of my crafty gifts for my Mum when I visit her in April.

I based this eye glass case project on the free About.com tutorial, but did not use their pattern. The free tutorial and pattern is available HERE on .

My good friend Jess recently showed me how to make gorgeous no-sew fleece blankets like this one. I was so surprised at how easy it was to make!

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos while working on my blanket so I can't post the tutorial for it just yet. However, within the next week, I'll be helping her make one for a friend of her's and will take the necessary photos at that time. Shortly thereafter, I'll post the detailed tutorial on how to make these super easy no-sew blankets!

Thanks for reading!!

Tutorial: Hardcover Needle Book

This nifty little needle book came about the other day when I needed a safe place to store my large collection of sewing needles. I searched the internet for a basic hardcover needle book tutorial, but had no luck finding one. What to do?! Make my up my own project, right?! Well, I couldn't create a new project without eventually posting a tutorial on how I did it on my blog, so here it is!!

Step 1: Collect supplies.

You will need the following materials:

- Cotton fabric of your choosing

- 4+ different colors of matching felt

- Embroidery floss in 1-2 colors

- Large hole sewing needle

- 2 Buttons

- 1/8" Satin ribbon

- 2 small sheets of thin cardboard or a cereal box

- Strong multi-purpose glue or other thick glue

Step 2: Cut cardboard and fabric.

Cut 2 pieces of cardboard to desired size for your needle book cover. The one shown is approximately 4"x5". Cut 2 pieces of fabric making sure to add 1/2" seam allowance so you can fold over the edges.

Step 3: Glue corners.

Lay your fabric pieces right side down and place your cardboard pieces in the centers. Dab glue onto cardboard corners and fold over the corners of your fabric onto the cardboard. Work on only 1-2 corners at a time to prevent glue from drying while working. Continue until all 8 corners are glued down.

Step 4: Glue edges.

Put a thin layer of glue on an edge of a cover. You'll want to get glue on the cardboard as well as the edge of the fabric corners as shown in the picture. Fold up edge of fabric and press onto glued area. Make sure the fabric is pulled somewhat tight against the cardboard cover. Repeat until all edges are securely glued down.

Step 5: Glue felt to inside covers.

Cut 2 pieces of felt a little smaller than the covers (by about 1/4" shorter on all sides). Lightly dab glue on exposed cardboard and attach the felt pieces to each cover. Don't worry, the glue won't be the only thing holding the felt in place.

Step 6: Sew felt to cover.

Use 3 strands of embroidery floss to do a basic running stitch all the way around both covers. Be sure to hide your starting knot and finishing knot under the felt.

Step 7: Cut the felt pages.

Cut each felt page a little smaller than the covers. Cut one page out of each color of felt.

Step 8: Stack the felt pages and covers as you want them to appear when done.

Step 9: Stitch the book's binding.

Use a blanket stitch to bind the layers of the needle book. For this part, I prefer to use the entire 6 strands of embroidery floss for a stronger and more visible binding.

FutureGirl has a great tutorial on how to do the blanket stitch if you're unfamiliar with it; you can find it HERE.

Step 10: Sew front button.

Use 3 strands of embroidery floss to sew your front button to the front cover. You'll want the button to be raised off of the cover a little so that your ribbon will fit underneath. I suggest sewing a few loose stitches through your button and onto the cover then wrap your thread multiple times around the thread that's between the button and the cover. Add a few more stitches attaching the button to cover, making sure you don't tighten it too much.

Step 11: Create ribbon & button closure.

Select a length of ribbon to form the loop closure. The length should be long enough to close securely, but not too long as to have a loose fitting closure. Attach the ribbon to the back with a stitch then begin sewing on the button to cover the ribbon ends.

ALL DONE!

Happy New Year and Happy New Year!

It's only February and 2011 has gotten off to a busy start! So busy in fact, I haven't had time to write my New Year blog post! Luckily, there is the Asian New Year, so I'm taking it as a second opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year and discuss my personal crafty resolutions!

Crafty Resolution #1: Organize my newly acquired craft room. As you can see by the above photo, the new craft room is definitely not usable at this time. I'm actually very overwhelmed at this daunting task. However, I must get it partially done by March because my best friend Brook will be visiting and will need somewhere to sleep. Oh yeah, there is a bed buried in there to the right of the photo.

Crafty Resolution #2: Learn how to use my sewing machine. I've owned my awesome Singer sewing machine for a few years now, but just never got around to learning how to use it. Sad, I know! Thankfully, Brook has promised to teach me how to use it when she visits me next month! I'm so excited because there are so many projects I want to do, but really should use my sewing machine for!

Crafty Resolution #3: Post regularly to this craft blog. I have so many topics to write about, interviews to hold, projects and tutorials to share, and more! I just need to pick a couple specific days of the week and make those my blogging days.

What are your crafty resolutions for 2011?