Custom Halloween Pillows

A while back, I fell in love with this pillow.  It was on my list of Halloween crafts, but I just hadn't found the right template for my oversize couch pillows (remember them from this?). 

Flash forward a few weeks, and I found the above skeleton sketch in the trash!  Little E had drawn it to carve on her pumpkin, but didn't like it after all.  I pulled it out, enlarged it on the copier and turned it into a felt applique for the pillow cover.  Instead of a blanket stitch, I made coordinating felt piping (see here for the how-to).  I didn't have to worry about cutting on the bias because the felt is stretchy enough with the straight cut.  I basically followed these directions to make the pillow. 

With one pillow done, I was inspired to cover the other two in the same fashion.  Little E supplied the ghost.  Little A was more hesitant to draw on demand, so I found one of her drawings of a happy face and turned the hair into a stem.  Can you keep a straight face when you look at him?

 

I'm so excited to have festive, custom pillow covers for the Halloween season.  They are even more special because they are based on my girls' art work.  I know we'll have fun pulling them out every year and remembering their 4 and almost 7 year old versions of these Halloween classics. 

 

 

 

Halloween wreath, take two

 

 

A few weeks ago, I shared this wreath, with some thoughts on a second version.  Miracle of crafting miracles, I actually made a second version!  

 

 

Same grapevine wreath, but different paint.  This time, I used Rust-Oleum American Accents Ultra Cover Gloss in Real Orange.  I was really happy with the color, shine and coverage, even with the first coat. 

 

For the flowers, I loosely followed this tutorial.  The cream and yellow flowers were made with 2 1/2" circles, while the smaller gray ones were made with 1 1/2" circles.

 

I cut a simple 3" strip of felt with this and tied it to the top with a simple overhand knot. 

 

Except for my uber-procrastination, this project would have taken about a night.  I think I might be slightly addicted to this spray paint/wreath/fabric flower wreath project.  Don't be surprised if you see a few more (dozen) in the future! 

 

What are you doing to decorate for Halloween?  If you are looking for some other fun, simple projects, check these out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Falling into Fall: Halloween Wreath

It's the first day of fall!  For us New Englanders, this means the promise of apple picking, leaf peeping, and, of course, Halloween! 

As an early house-warming gift for a friend, I made this Halloween wreath.    A simple grapevine wreath spray painted with Krylon Pumpkin Orange Interior and Exterior Decorator Paint (took a few coats to get in all those nooks and crannies!).  I followed this tutorial to make the flowers - altering the length and width of the fabric strips for the various sized flowers.

Between the paint and rolled flowers, it only took an evening.  I love projects like these - quick, simple, uses materials on-hand - and yields a beautiful result!

Now I have to go out and make more for myself!  I have a few other flower styles I want to try - maybe black, gray and white felt? 

What's your favorite part of fall?

 

 

Burlap Placemat Tutorial from Zaaberry

 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! 

I'm pleased to have my good friend Ruby over from Zaaberry to share her Burlap Placemat Tutorial.  Just in time for the holidays, there are so many variations on this simple idea - go wild! 

 

 

Hi everyone, this is Ruby of Zaaberry.   I've been sewing off and on since I was a child, though my passion was really rekindled with the birth of my daughter.  These days, it has taken on a force of its own.  I love to sew pretty much anything and everything and probably, like most crafters, have a zillion projects going at once, only some of which get finished on time.  It's been so much fun following Roselee's Bias Tape Series each week.  I'm really flattered and excited to be included. The project I'm sharing today is a very simple way to dress up a table and definitely falls into the category of instant gratifcation.  Take a peek around at my other tutorials while you're visiting and let me know what you think. 

 

click on the photo to see the tutorial