Well, I’m back and ready to start crafting again!

I’ve been asked by someone to give a simple tutorial on how I made this rosary purse.  I hope my explaination below is clear. Please ask me if you have any questions

I use to sew by hand when using felt, but now with my spanking new sewing machine, I can now sew on felt! Yay! So this tutorial, I machine {blanked stitch} the purse… but of course you can sew by hand if you wish.

1. Cut 2 rectangle pieces of felt. In photo, the blue is for the inside/lining, and flower is for the outside. They measure 14″ x 5″ each.

2. Put the 2 pieces on top of each other, and blanket stitch on one of the 5″ end.

3. Fold the felt into 2 lengthwise (like the photo), and cut a small curve on the other 5″ end (the one that is now sewed).

4. Then, fold the felt like the photo (to resemble the purse) and marked the place where you want to put the buttons. I use pop buttons this time. But you can use velcro or even buttons with button holes.

5. Now, after you have made the markings, open the felt and sew the buttons on. Make sure that you sew the button on only one layer of the felt. This is so that your sewing will not show through the lining of the purse.

6. Ones done, fold the felt again to resemble the purse. This is where u trim off any access felt. Usually the lining/inside felt will show out (like the photo).

7. Then, blanked stitch all around the 3 sides to make the purse!

Here’s how it looks when done and all buttoned up

Hope you understand my simple tutorial. Cheers!

I’m using the leggings sock… the one that goes from your ankle up to your knees.

See photos below from left to right.

Measure 5″ from the rubber and cut. We only need this part, the rest can be kept for other toys .

Turn the sock around and sew a straight line on the rubber part. This will be the head / ears of the owl.

Ones done, go to the other side (where we cut just now), and fold the opening into 3 section like the photos. (sorry I don’t really know how to explain). What I am trying to do here is the tail, and legs of the owl.

The section that I am holding in the photo is about 1 cm and it’s the tail of the owl. Make sure it is in the middle. Sew it up.

Then continue to sew the other section (the legs sections should be longer that the tail). Leave a small hole to put in the polyfill.

Turn the socks around. It should look like the first photo below. Fill with polyfill, then close the hole.

Here is that body of the owl. Just press the polyfill to shape it more like an owl.

Now, use some felt to cut the eyes and nose. I didn’t measure or draw a pattern. Just cut them free hand like the pattern in the photo. I embroider the black dots of the eye. You can also use buttons or brads, but I like to embroider because it is safer for children.

Sew the felt on the owl as shown in photos below.

Then (refer bottom panel of photos), cut 2 pieces of felt and 2 pieces of socks in another colour (you can also use fabric). Again, I didn’t measure or have a pattern. I just draw freehand shapes of wings.

Use simple stitches to sew the pink socks on the felt, then sew them on the sides of the owl.

Ones you have sewn the wings, the owl should look like the photo below. See the bottom of the owl… it is like  “Y”.

Your owl is complete. Enjoy it!

~*~*~

A while ago, I made some felt softie.

Today, I’m going to share it with you…

They come in pairs, so it’s great as a Valentine gift.

Coincidently this year, Chinese New Year falls on Valentine’s Day. Yippie! We get “extra” celebration… I haven’t even done my Chinese New Year shopping. Lots of drinks and beer and titbits to buy. Didn’t even order any new year cookies (looks like I have to either make my own, or buy factory processed…). Lots of “sengkuang” to buy to make the traditional Hokkien “Jiu Hu Char”… and I haven’t even started shopping! OMGoodness!!!

Rambo Giraffe looks very rainbow-ish … I just love his colour. Notice he has no eyes… That’s because I ran out of glue… Otherwise he would have 2 large oggling eyes… now he is as blind as a bat, but not for long . Maybe I should just embroidery his eyes, it’s safer for kids that way.

Another of my sock-cutting endeavour brought this little monster to life.

Wait for my tutorial ok .

I’m happy to share my way of making sock softie…  I just cannot decide which one to write a tutorial for ???

P/S: Thank you everyone who has drop by my blog. And I especially appreciate your comments.

Thanks to you who joined my OWOH giveaway. I’m trying to visit all your OWOH too… 800++ and counting… I really am trying to catch up reading blogs, I want to visit all … yayaya…

What you need:

• A flex frame, 4″ length, a little more than 1/2″ wide.

For the top part (where the flex frame will go into):

• 2 pieces of cotton (heavier weight fabric is better), size 2 1/4″ x 4.5″. Measurement include the seam 1/2″ seams on all four sides.

For the body:

• 2 pieces of iron on interface (light weight), 4″ top, 5.5″ height, 5.5″ base (see photo). All measurements include the seams of 1/4″ on all sides and 1/2″ on the top part.
• 2 pieces of red-polkadot cotton
• 2 pieces of cream calico as lining

Note: You can use any type of fabric, I mentioned the colours/type of fabric I use for ease of illustrations

Step by step:

1) Sew the top part first.

Sew the seam of the shorter section (2 1/4″ part) and sew. Seam is approx 1/4″, folded in twice.

Do the same for both ends, and for both pieces of the top part.

Then sew on the lace as shown in the photo. Check the measurement, ensure that both ends of the frame (where the screw is) is not completely hidden when the fabric wrap around.

Take one piece of the top part, and fold into half length wise.

Now we will attached the body of the purse with the top.

Put it on the red fabric, with the lace facing down like the photo. Before this you will have already iron on the interface on the red fabric.

Then put the calico (lining) on top.

Sew the 3 pieces together.

Important to remember that the width of the flex frame is a little more than 1/2″, so when you sew the top together, make sure there is about 3/4″ space for the frame to go into the white cotton with lace.

See photo below, here the seams are approx. 1/2″ (i put the seam longer because it makes it stronger – when you open and close the flex frame, sometimes it will pull against the body of the purse.)

This is how it looks like ones you have sewed them together. We finished one side of the purse.

Now repeat with the other 3 pieces. This will make the other side of the purse.

Ones complete, put both side together with the right side facing together.

Sew all around. But REMEMBER to leave a small hole so that we can turn the fabric over.

I left about 2.5″ un-sewed to turn the fabric over.

Now turn the fabric over.

Ones completely turned over, tada!!! Here is the purse.

Now it’s time to put the flex frame inside, to complete the purse.

It is easy. Just push them gently into the sides of the top part (the white cotton with lace section).

Note: This is why earlier I mention it is important when you sew the 3 pieces together above, make sure you leave approx. 3/4″ hole. If it is too small, the frame cannot go in; if it is too big it will not be nice.

Ones the frame is inside, all you need to do is put the screw at the end.

This is how you open the flex frame. It will keep all your coins safely inside the purse.

It is done!

They are so cute! You can also make pleats on the body of the purse, like I did for the peach colour one. It’s up to you. If you make pleats, then the measurement for the body will be 5.5″ top, 5.5″ height, 5.5″ base.

But the important part is that you need to have the DIY tool and the metal parts.

There are many sizes of cover buttons which requires different size of tools.

Here are how I make cover buttons size 3/4″.

Cut little round pieces of fabric with diameter 4 cm.

To be more creative, you can use plain fabric and embroidery on it. This is what I am working on currently, but no photos yet .

Use the tool – see the white and blue plastic? That’s the tool. They look like bottle caps.

Put the fabric on top of the white tool, and then the rounded metal cap. The rounded side face down, the right side of the fabric face down into the white tool.

The cover buttons has 2 parts, the rounded metal cap and the other side of the button which I call the button-back.

You can use your fingers or the blue tool to push both fabric into the white tool. You don’t need much strength. The white tool is quite soft. Ones pushed in, arrange the fabric to cover the metal cap.

See, when the fabric is arranged nicely, it should sort of wrap around the metal cap and when you put on the button-back you will not see any fabric showing.

Now to “lock” the button-back into the metal cap (front of button) you need to use the blue tool and push really hard. Sometimes you hear a sound “pop!”

That’s it! Remove the button from the white tool and you get your button.