Building Blocks
O.M.D.B., May08 May 14th, 2008
By the Sassy Crafter, May 2008
I recently visited Ipso Crafto, a cool craft store in Washington, D.C., where I fell in love with this adorable stuffed cube. Not only is a great toy for young kids, it’s also a useful way to get rid of all those scraps you can’t bear to part with.
What you need:
1) Fabric scraps
2) Felt scraps
3) Ribbon scraps
4) Embroidery floss
5) Needle and thread
6) Scissors
7) Pins
8) Stuffing
What to do:
1) Cut six equally sized squares of fabric (6-inch squares are good). If you want to add felt appliques like the bird in the picture, cut those out now and sew them to the individual squares with contrasting embroidery floss.
2) The ribbon scraps make great, grabbable tabs for little hands. Fold the ribbon scraps into loops and pin them to the squares, with the loops facing the center of each square. Baste in place, either by hand or with a sewing machine. Remove pins.
3) Lay out the fabric squares, right side up, to form a cross. Sketch yourself a reference diagram and label the squares: start with the top square and work down to the bottom square (1-2-3-4); move to the left square (5); and the right square (6).
4) Join the squares. Pin the bottom edge of Square 1 to the top edge of Square 2, being sure to put pretty sides of the fabric together (a key sewing concept). Sew together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance and remove pins. Repeat with Squares 3 and 4, creating a long rectangle. Pin the right edge of Square 5 to the left edge of Square 2 and sew in place. Pin the left side of Square 6 to the right side of Square 2, sew together, and remove pins. If you want crisp edges on your cube, press the seams open with an iron.
5) Turn the cross into a cube. Pin the left and right edges of Square 1 to the adjacent edges of Squares 5 and 6. Sew in place and remove pins. Next, pin the edges of Square 3 to the adjacent edges of Squares 5 and 6. Sew together and remove pins. Press the seams open, if desired. Close the cube by pinning together the free edges of Squares 1 and 4. Sew the edges together, but leave a small opening so that you can stuff the cube. Once the cube is stuffed, hand-stitch the opening closed.
For more project ideas and crafty ramblings, visit http://sassycrafter.blogspot.com.
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Building Blocks
O.M.D.B., May08 May 14th, 2008By the Sassy Crafter, May 2008
I recently visited Ipso Crafto, a cool craft store in Washington, D.C., where I fell in love with this adorable stuffed cube. Not only is a great toy for young kids, it’s also a useful way to get rid of all those scraps you can’t bear to part with.
What you need:
1) Fabric scraps
2) Felt scraps
3) Ribbon scraps
4) Embroidery floss
5) Needle and thread
6) Scissors
7) Pins
8) Stuffing
What to do:
1) Cut six equally sized squares of fabric (6-inch squares are good). If you want to add felt appliques like the bird in the picture, cut those out now and sew them to the individual squares with contrasting embroidery floss.
2) The ribbon scraps make great, grabbable tabs for little hands. Fold the ribbon scraps into loops and pin them to the squares, with the loops facing the center of each square. Baste in place, either by hand or with a sewing machine. Remove pins.
3) Lay out the fabric squares, right side up, to form a cross. Sketch yourself a reference diagram and label the squares: start with the top square and work down to the bottom square (1-2-3-4); move to the left square (5); and the right square (6).
4) Join the squares. Pin the bottom edge of Square 1 to the top edge of Square 2, being sure to put pretty sides of the fabric together (a key sewing concept). Sew together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance and remove pins. Repeat with Squares 3 and 4, creating a long rectangle. Pin the right edge of Square 5 to the left edge of Square 2 and sew in place. Pin the left side of Square 6 to the right side of Square 2, sew together, and remove pins. If you want crisp edges on your cube, press the seams open with an iron.
5) Turn the cross into a cube. Pin the left and right edges of Square 1 to the adjacent edges of Squares 5 and 6. Sew in place and remove pins. Next, pin the edges of Square 3 to the adjacent edges of Squares 5 and 6. Sew together and remove pins. Press the seams open, if desired. Close the cube by pinning together the free edges of Squares 1 and 4. Sew the edges together, but leave a small opening so that you can stuff the cube. Once the cube is stuffed, hand-stitch the opening closed.
For more project ideas and crafty ramblings, visit http://sassycrafter.blogspot.com.
