~Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star~

 In between trying to decorate the house for Christmas and trying to get a little shopping done (and I mean a little!), I've been making some new ornaments for our tree.  I came up with this muslin star that I absolutely love and thought I'd share a little tutorial with you.  In case, you wanted to make some yourself.

 Supplies I used:
fusible fleece...I love this stuff!
pre-washed muslin fabric.... give it a tea stain if you'd like.
scrap quilt batting or some type of polyfil ...this is to make your little stars plump.
rubber stamp ...this stamp is about 4 x 5" in size.
star template ...I found a paper mache one to use as a pattern, which is 4.5".  I'm not good at making perfect stars.
ink stamping pad ...the color I used is walnut.
dark red seam binding ...if the color isn't exactly the shade you want, give it a wash with watered down acrylic craft paint, scrunch and let dry overnight.
Twine....to create a hanging loop
Thread and needle...any ol' sewing thread (I used matching) and a small quilting needle works best for maneuvering.

1 ~ Using your template, cut two fabric and two fleece pieces for each star but cut the latter on the inside of your drawing line (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch).  **The fleece helps to keep the star smooth when you start adding filler.
2 ~ Center the fleece star on your fabric star and iron to adhere.
3 ~ Stamp your design onto the fabric.  I'm a novice when it comes to rubber stamping but I think I read somewhere that ironing the ink onto the fabric prevents it from bleeding.  **Cover your fabric with a piece of paper before ironing so that the ink doesn't transfer to the iron.  For those of you who have more experience in this area...am I right or no?
4 ~ If you want your stars to be a bit more rustic, run your finger or the edge of your scissors back and forth across the cut edge to fray the fabric.

1 ~ Cut a length of twine for looping and secure it on the inside of one tip of your star with several stitches making sure to pull the thread snugly.
2 ~ Put your second star piece on top and start sewing the two pieces together with a basting stitch around the edge.  Now this is the tricky part..  You are going to sew and stuff as you go...
3 ~  As you go around each point, stuff it with some filler.  I have lots of scrap pieces of quilt batting and have found that it works best for small pieces like this as it's not near as messy as polyfil.  **To make your stuffing process easier, cut batting into small pieces and use a small tool, such as a crochet hook or the point on a small pair of scissors, to stuff. 
4 ~ Work your way around the star, sewing and stuffing,.  Secure your basting with a couple of stitches in between the fabric layers to hide the knot.

Create a bow with your seam binding with as many loops as you would like. I used four. With thread and needle, run a stitch through the layers and then wrap around a couple of times to secure your bow and then stitch it to your star.

 

 I thought my little stars looked a a bit "blah" and decided to add some jingle bells.  I saw some at HL in colors of green, red and gold (not too shiny) that I loved.  They were so cute!!   But I couldn't find any small enough.  So what is one to do?  You find some regular ones in the size that works (about 1/2 inch) and paint them!  It really was a royal pain and they turned out okay, but if I find any that are the size I am wanting, these babies are going to be replaced.

Secure a jingle bell, or two, and you're done!  Now to hang them on the tree.

 I love how these turned out.  I think they fit in perfectly with all the other ornaments that are handmade or rustic in style.  I plan to make some more using green seam binding.  I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial.  If I didn't explain it well enough, don't hesitate to ask.

I've got a couple of more ornament ideas that I'm planning to share this week, so stay tuned!
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You'll find me at these blog parties this week...
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life
Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Vintage Inspiration @ Common Ground
Creative Things Thursday @ The Vintage Farmhouse