~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

 

~All Because I Love You~

This is my little granddaughter, who is lovingly referred to as "Monkey".  Several months ago, she called and asked me if I would make her a bandana skirt.  In case you missed it, you can read about the tutorial for the skirt HERE.  It was easy enough and I not only made one but THREE of them for her.

 As you can see, she was way beyond delighted, which she always is with each and every gift she receives.  I love the fact that she doesn't take her gifts, especially handmade ones, for granted.  Whatever she gets, you'd think that it was the bestest gift in the whole wide world  and I like it that way.  Well, she called me recently asking for another handmade item.  This time it is for a bridal gown for her Barbie doll!

For Halloween, her mama created a bride's dress for her out of the underskirt (what's that thing called??) of a bride's dress that she got from the thrift store.  Pretty darn good creation from someone who taught herself to sew!!  Anyway...long story short.  She saw one for a Barbie doll at an arts/craft show...she thought they needed matching dresses....it was too much money...got an idea to ask Mammer to make one and here we are.  She is always so sweet when she asks me and, since they were providing all the material and pattern, I couldn't turn her down.  Mind you...I haven't made Barbie clothes in probably 20 years or so and I never made a bride's dress!!!

With everything in hand, I started putting this little baby together.  It wasn't easy working with lace and I used alot of "fray check" to keep that and the satin type material from fraying and getting in the way of the Velcro.

Looks kinda freaky with the arms sticking out like this, doesn't it?  I don't have a Barbie doll on hand to model the dress but, thankfully, I was able to stand it up due to the tulle underskirt.

Hard to see in this photo, but the arms and shoulder area are not lined.  I'm hoping she'll be really careful taking it on and off.  If the lace gets torn up, I may have to make another one and use a real lightweight lining underneath to preserve the lace.  Thankfully, I've got some fabric leftover.

This is the veil.  The lace trim had rather stiff edging.  That's why it stands out like it does.  If it doesn't lay well on the doll, I may have to look for some different type of lace.  The halo that you see is made from a tiny braid trim that I sewed to the tulle.

Again, the freaky looking arms from the back side!  Sheesh, a kid could have nightmares with this thing standing alone on a shelf.  Not a good idea.  By the way, the train is attached with snaps at the waist.

The back of the dress in all its glory with a beautiful long train...every bride's dream!!  I had to hurry up and get this project done since they will be here for Thanksgiving next week.  We'll see how it fits then.

I think I'm going to have to get me a Barbie doll for modeling purposes.  Cuz guess what this little girl is getting for Christmas??  Yep, you guessed it.  I've already got a pattern to make her a few dresses for her Barbie doll AND I'm going to make some American Girl dresses as I think Santa is bringing her an American Girl type doll.  But sshhhhh...don't tell!  I've got to get busy with my Christmas projects.  I've also got three stick horses to make for my young grandchildren.  I'll show you the finished products once they are done.  Busy, busy, busy.....

Have a glorious day ~