Kool Tak Fabulously-Fall Blog Hop – Felt Pumpkin Pillow

I am delighted to be a part of the Kool Tak Fabulously-Fall Blog Hop sponsored by Crafty KT.  With fall around the corner, I decided to make a pumpkin felt pillow. There are 12 of us in the hop, so hop to see all the really “Kool” projects.

Crafty KT is also offering a giveaway of an assortment of Kool Tak products. See the details below on the products in this giveaway as well as how to enter to win.

Felt Pumpkin no sew pillow Phyllis Dobbs

 

This 9″ square pumpkin pillow is a no-sew project, except for a few simple embroidery stitches, and is very easy to make.

Materials needed:

  • Felt – dark green, light green and orange (National Nonwovens felt).
  • Dark orange 6-strand embroidery floss (Sullivans)
  • Kool Tak™ 1 Layer Perfect Tool
  • Kool Tak™ 1 Shiny Transfer Foil Sheets (Earth Tones)
  • Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape ¼ x ¼ x 1/32” thick
  • Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape 3/16 x 1/16 thick by 1.6 yards
  • Kool Tak™ Premium EXTREME tape 2 ½ x 27 yards
  • Batting or fiberfil
  • Embroidery needle

Instructions:

1. Divide the 6 strands of embroidery floss and use 3 strands. Sew long running stitches for the vertical “pumpkin lines”.  (See the finished pillow – I forgot to stitch the lines until after step 4.  Its a lot easier to stitch before the adhesive tape is added!)

2. Cut the felt:  dark green – 2 pieces 9″ square; light green – 1 piece 6″ square; orange – a 4″ x 4″pumpkin (download Pumpkin applique pattern ).  From the dark green, cut a stem for the pumpkin.

3.  Use the Premium EXTREME tape on backside of the pumpkin to attach it to the light green piece of felt. After adhering strips of the tape on the back of the pumpkin, trim the edges to align with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin with the tape on the back

4.  Remove the paper backing from the tape and use the Layer Perfect tool to align the pumpkin onto the light green felt. Place some of the Premium Extreme tape to the back of the pumpkin stem and trim to match the stem. Remove the paper backing and adhere the stem above the pumpkin center.

Centering the felt pumpkin to the light green felt background

 

5.  Attach strips of the 1/16″ Clear Foam Tape 1/2″ from the edge of the green felt, forming a square going around the pumpkin.  Remove the liner from the tape and rub the gold Shiny Transfer Foil Sheet over the adhesive tape. Repeat to foil the foam tape square with the gold surface.

Pumpkin felt pillow with gold foil

6.  Attach the Premium Extreme tape to the back of the light green square. Remove paper backing and adhere the light green square centered to one of the dark green squares.

7.  Adhere a 1/4″ foam clear adhesive pad to the dark green square at the corners of the light green piece and half way between the corners. Remove the liner pieces from the foam squares and rub the gold Shiny Transfer Foil Sheet over the squares.

8.  Align the dark green pumpkin pillow top to the remaining green felt square and pin around 3 sides. Sew edges with a running stitch using 3 strands of the floss. Leave the 4th side open. Fill the pillow with fiberfil then finish sewing the pillow closed.

Click on the blue Designer Crafts button in my sidebar to hop back and forward to other blogs with fabulous projects in this hop!

Blog Hop Giveaway Crafty KT Kool Tac

And be sure to sign up for the Crafty KT newsletter to be entered for the giveaway $70 in Kool Tak products including:

  • Kool Tak™ 1 Layer Perfect (Use it for centering, piercing, and edge stitching) Tool
  • Kool Tak™ 1 Shiny Transfer Foil Sheets (Earth Tones)
  • Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape ¼ x ¼ x 1/32” thick
  • Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape 3/16 x 1/16 thick by 1.6 yards
  • Kool Tak™ Premium EXTREME 2 ½ x 27 yards
  • *the giveaway is open only to the mainland residents of the US

Thanks for visiting and enjoy hopping to all the other crafty fall projects.

Phyllis

Upcycle – Create a Decorative Pillow from Pants or Other Clothing!

If you are like me, you have a lot of clothing hanging in your closet that you no longer wear. But there is something you still love about these pieces – the color, fabric design, etc. Repurpose or upcycle it to give it a new life. I repurposed a pair of capri pants made with fabric that I loved into a decorative pillow for a guest blog post on FaveCrafts for Earth Week. I had never worn these pants and think that I bought them just for the fabric.

Upcycled decorative pillow by Phyllis Dobbs

Although I chose to make a decorative pillow, you can make many different type projects using this technique. I added detail to the pillow top by sewing multiple wavy lines of both non-metallic and metallic Gutermann threads vertically to quilt the fabric to a piece of cotton batting.  I used different shades of both turquoise and coral threads in addition to a black thread. I also sewed turquoise, red and yellow beads randomly and to the flowers. Please visit the FaveCrafts blog post for full tutorial instructions as well as additional photos.

Close up detail of upcycled pillow by Phyllis Dobbs

In addition to your closet, you can locate fabulous finds at thrift stores or yard sales to repurpose. I’m a fabric junkie so I always keep my eyes peeled for fabrics, as well as sweaters and other items I can sew into something else or use in other type of crafts.

Phyllis

 

Quilting for the dogs (and more)!

Don’t you love surprises!  Receiving a new book is always wonderful but this one has 3 quilt projects of mine in it.  5-10-15 + Fat Quarters, published by House of White Birches is a beautiful book filled with projects that you can complete with pre-cut fabric bundles.

Now, wouldn’t you just love to make this dog coat for your dog?  It’s made with “It’s A Dog’s Life” fabrics I designed for VIP by Cranston Printworks. (Just a note to tell you that some fabrics of this collection are in some Walmart stores as precuts). The pattern is easy to make so you can have the best dressed dog in the neighborhood.

OK, now that your dog is dressed, you can move onto making a cozy quilted pillow for a favorite child or each of your favorite children, since I’m sure you have more than one. This “chick pillow” is made with a full size pillow so it will fit nicely on a bed. Three pockets to hold little treasures are appliqued with a chick on each pocket. Can’t you just imagine the surprises that can be tucked away in these pockets for safekeeping until the next morning! (no snakes or snails I hope!)

Now its time to move onto some serious quilting and make a table runner for yourself or as a gift. A “Warm Breeze” tablerunner is made with Jim Shore’s Angel Among Us fabrics by Quilting Treasures. I had the good luck to meet Jim Shore a couple of months ago (see my prior post).

Since you have now had a few days of sewing and quilting, take a break, eat some ice cream!

I hope you enjoyed looking at these quilt pictures and I would love to see any that you make with these patterns.  Check out the book and you will be delighted as I was with all the fun projects made with precut 5″ charms, 10″ squares and fat quarters.

Happy sewing!

Phyllis