Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Today's tutorial is meant to bring all of us a little luck. A lucky ladybug, that is!

I have seen some ladybug necklaces at some very expensive jewelry stores recently, and decided it was time to make my own. Which I am happy to share with all of you! I sketched out a little ladybug that you can access here.

In order to make this little ladybug to hang from a necklace, you will need the following items:

-Embroidery floss

-Scissors

-White cotton fabric

-Jump ring

-Necklace chain

-A pinch of fiberfill

-Jewelry pliers

Step 1: Transfer the ladybug to your fabric. 

Step 2: Stitch up the ladybug. I switched from a solid floss to these color variation flosses to add a little depth to the ladybug and the stitches around it. I used french knots for the spots on the ladybug and tips of the antennae. I used backstitches for the body of the ladybug, and running stitches that I overlapped as I stitched around the ladybug.

Step 3: Once you have stitched your ladybug and added the accent stitches to your liking, trim around the fabric in a circle until you get the size you like. Cut a second piece of blank fabric to use as the backing.

Step 4: Using a blanket stitch, attach the backing to the front. When you get close to completing the blanket stitch, add a little fiberfill to give the ladybug some body. Complete your stitches.

Step 5: Attach your jump ring through the top stitch on your ladybug.

Step 6: Thread the necklace chain and enjoy! I had that little horseshoe charm laying around and decided to add it to my necklace.

Hope you enjoy and have a happy and lucky Tuesday!

Tutorial Tuesday

Hi there! Bobbypin Bandit (a.k.a. Kristen) here. I am very excited to be joining the Feeling Stitchy crew in bringing some fun tutorials to share with you all. I love to embroider, but often find myself searching for what to do with the finished item once it's been stitched. I am here to share some ideas with you about what I do with the things I embroider, because even though the throw pillows and wall hangings are fantastic, it's always nice to mix things up a bit.

This week, I decided to share a quick and easy tutorial for a coffee press cozy (or is it coozie?). Either way, it helps keep the coffee warm while it's in a coffee press.

I used a few different patterns from Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To book and put it on this panel of fabric a while back and knew I wanted it to be a feature piece somewhere in my kitchen, but just didn't know what to turn it into. One day, when I was particularly bummed that my coffee hadn't stayed warm long enough, I decided it should become a coffee press cozy.

One of my friends taught me how to make a reusable coffee sleeve for cups from a coffee shop so we decrease the use of cardboard sleeves. I used the same process on a larger scale for the coffee press cozy. This will require the use of a sewing machine, but it's only to stitch the fabric together and add a finishing stitch along the outside.

If you are a serial crafter like me, you might already have these things in your supply closet, but if not, here's what you need to get started:
-Embroidered panel of your choice, 1 back panel, 1 piece of batting, and 2 pieces of heat resistant fabric cut to 15 x 5.5 inches
- 1/8" braided Elastic cut into two 6 inch long pieces
-Two buttons
-Thread in color of your choice
Note: Heat resistant fabric is also called ironing board fabric. You can eliminate the heat resistant fabric if you have interfacing/batting intended specifically for lunchboxes or potholders.

Step 1: Cut all the fabric and batting, if you haven't already, to 15 by 5.5 inches.

Step 2: Begin layering the fabric so that you can run it through the sewing machine. Start with a piece of the heat resistant fabric, then place the main panel face up. Fold the pieces of elastic in half and place them on one shorter end of the cozy. I placed them 2 inches away from the top and bottom. Continue layering the fabric over this with the back panel face down, a piece of heat resistant fabric, and the batting.

Step 3: Stitch around the entire piece and through each layer, making sure to leave an opening around 2 inches big, so you can flip it. I used a 1/4" seam allowance, although, my batting got a little crooked as I stitched it. Clip the corners and flip.

Step 4: After you flip the entire piece, stitch along the edge. This will seal the opening that you used to flip it.

Step 5: Place your buttons on the side opposite to that of the elastic. Stitch them in place.

Step 6: Wrap your coffee press and enjoy warm coffee for a bit longer.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. It's pretty quick to put together and really does help keep the coffee warm.

Happy coffee time!