Rosette Tutorial

Here's the rosette tutorial as promised! It's a pretty simple thing, but I thought I'd go ahead and explain it anyway. Bear with me, please. This is probably going to be a long one, but I hope you can put it to use!

1 Begin with a long piece of felt. I used about 1 inch by 6 inches. Remember that the width of the piece will be doubled in the end, so this should make a 2 inch rosette. You can of course go larger and smaller, and this will allow for stacking!

2 Stitch along one long side using a basic running stitch. You don't need to tie off the ends, but leave about two inches of tail at the start. You'll need it later! Small stitches will result in a more ruffled rosette, while long stitches will produce a less pronounced ruffle.

3 Pull the end of the thread while holding the start tail until the ends of the felt meet and over lap. The ends may not ruffle as well, but don't worry!

4 Using the long end tail, sew the two short sides together, again with a running stitch. I went to the top and back down, just to make it more secure. Try to avoid sewing through the short tail, so that you can use it to make a tighter ruffle later.

5 To finish, pull both tails tight until the center is closed or nearly closed. Tie off with a knot, clip the ends, and you're done!

Variations: You can also use the technique with frayed or pinked fabric-- like this, or double the fabric over and sew the edges together to form the basting stitch. Remember to use a longer length with fabric, as it is not as thick as felt.

Rosette Rage

I've been in a rosette frenzy of late. I've done this before, but never in this quantity. I just kept making them.

It was really to have something to do with my hands. I cut strips of different colors, lengths and widths, and then I gathered, and gathered, and tied. And I really had no idea what to do with them at first.

But then, it just appeared, in a burst of inspiration. I don't know why, but the more I do, creatively, the easier it comes. I think it's that way for a lot of people, and this is why I am striving to never go a day without doing something creative, stretching my creative muscle, I guess.

And like stretching real muscles, I am hoping that my creativity will expand, become more flexible.

And the burst of creativity said to me last night, why not make a necklace out of these... So I am going to try!

P.S.I'll try to post a tutorial for this soon. I tried finding a similar one online, but no luck. Stay tuned!

Weekend Project Idea:Ruffled Headband

Okay... I have to admit, I've tried this one before, and it just didn't work out quite right. I wasn't happy with the results, and I'm determined to get it right. So, my mission this weekend is to try again and see what I can come up with.

Some other good weekend project ideas:

• these delicious looking scones from Design*Sponge
• faux milk glass bottles from P.S. I Made This
• super cute printable mailing labels from How about orange...
• tank top totes from Craftynest that would be great for shopping
• twist tie pom poms from Craftzine
• a zippy wallet tutorial from noodlehead to use up all your scraps!
• and lastly, a beautiful sunprint corkboard tutorial from Design*Sponge

Headband mania

We all know how I love a creative and beautiful headband. So as I opened up my google reader--bursting with nearly 500 messages-- I found two wonderful headband projects. These gems are enough to make me not regret the two days I spent decluttering my reader.

The first are several ribbon-wrapped headband techniques from May Arts. I've never tried this, but those flowers are to die for!

And from Heart of Light comes the lovely rosebud headband. I really can't wait to try this one!!

First attempt: Ruffled headband

Hello dear readers! I know I have been absent for a while, and it is not that I haven't been crafting. I have a few things under my belt to show you, but the weather has been so temperamental as to make taking pictures quite a chore.

However, the weather and my schedule have finally coordinated as to allow me to take pictures! So here was my first craft for the week: a ruffled headband.

I found the tutorial for this cute headband on the wonderful Heart of Light. I decided to alter it a bit and not have the ruffles cover so much of my head, as my hair is rather flat and not as cute as the hair in the tutorial, and I thought it would look strange.

I also used a wider ribbon that I had lying around-- another bad idea for my hair. I love the color of the ribbon, but the width did not work with my head.

Instead of simply letting the ribbon tie around my head, I added a piece of elastic to make a stretchable headband. To do this, I just folded the edges of the ribbon around into a cone shape--after applying some fray check-- and inserted the end of the elastic into the whole, then sewed the elastic into the ribbon.

I like the idea of tapering down toward the elastic, as it would decrease the amount of width behind the ears-- which can cause funny hair poufs in the back.

I do think the finished project turned out beautiful, but not beautiful for me. The wider ribbon would probably work better for a person with more volume in their hair.

Next time, I will definitely follow the directions--instead of going for convenience-- and use a smaller ribbon! I do definitely recommend this project, and you can check it out at Heart of Light.

Fabric flower variations

I've been out of commission for a while, after a little bit of oral surgery and starting a new job, but I've still done a bit of crafting, of course! I seem to be stuck on making these flowers. But who can blame me? They are super simple, easy to adjust to whatever you need, and so cute.

I finally found my way to the quilting fabric store. My boyfriend had to reign me in because I had 20 fat quarters. Oops. However, I finally got some cute, floral, vintage-reprints that I think are perfect for spring.

The lighter fabrics are much better for spring than the heavier felts. They are also much easier to cut and sew, especially with this tutorial from Nest Decorating.

I've made a few variations to make a clip, which is the same technique as the blue bird hair clips. I also made the loop smaller on one to fit a skinny barrette for my sister.

I really do love all the things you can do with a few simple techniques, some cute fabric, felt, and vintage buttons!

New Felt Flower Love!

I have been lazy about blogging lately. It's not that I haven't been crafting but more that I haven't been photographing-- I haven't gotten around to making a good light box. And I feel that it is not fair to deprive you of photographs of beautiful things, mine or others.

Now, however, I have photos, and I am putting them to use! I made a few new felt flower variations, and I am dying to show them to you!

I've used the same method as the last time, but I've used a few different items and changed up the patterns.
The first slip on flower is just two purple daisies layered on top of each other with a small four-petaled flower in the middle. Underneath, are two leaves that I have stitched with a contrasting green. I also stitched a complimentary fushia in the center of the flowers to add a pop of color and used the same shade to attach a vintage button. I made this for the little girl down the street who loves purple, but I think with a few variations, the same could work in an adults hair as well.
The second variation, still with felt, is a single white daisy with a smaller fabric daisy-- in a reproduction 1930's print-- and a smaller four-petaled flower on top. All this is secured to the base with a vintage button. You can find an easy way to cut a cute daisy here, on Nest Decorating. I've done nothing special to treat the fabric, and I'm hoping the edges will wear for a nice shabby-chic result.

I absolutely love the way this head band looks. And I think my next project will be one made from all fabrics, which should produce a lighter effect for summer. Plus, it's a great way to get rid of some of my scraps!

Felt Flower Headband

I am so in love with this headband. I have no idea where I am going to wear it- I don't own all that much red- but it is beautiful and it was easy to make!

• Cut a pattern of the flowers from paper and cut four of each color from felt, strengthened with iron-on interfacing.


• The bow is just two strips of felt. Lay one flat and sew the other on top with the ends tucked under.


• Then just sew the flowers on top with small x's.


• To attach it to the hairband, sew a small square of felt to the back, leaving enough room to slide the headband through. This allows you to wear the headband without the flowers or switch out different ones.

This headband is lovely, quick and interchangeable! You can make as many as you need and switch up looks to suit your mood or your outfit.