Tag: decoration

How to Dye Cotton Flour Sack Towels

I wonder why white dish towels are so popular? They are nearly impossible to keep stainless and who wants stained and dirty looking dish towels hanging in the kitchen? Trying something new, I purchased a 5-pack of white flour sack towels and dyed them blue! Let me show you how!

SUPPLIES
  • Cotton flour-sack towels
  • Plastic table cover 
  • Paper towels
  • Rubber gloves
  • Plastic container or stainless steel sink
  • Large metal spoon
  • 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent
  • 1 cup of salt
  • Rit All-Purpose Dye (liquid)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. To remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption, pre-wash the flour sack towels in warm, soapy water without any fabric softener.
  2. Prepare your workspace. If you do not have an asphalt driveway to work on like myself, cover your workspace with plastic table cover and have paper towels handy to protect against any possible spills.
  3. To protect your hands from hot water and staining, please wear rubber gloves.
  4. Fill a plastic container or stainless steel sink with enough water for the fabric to move freely when stirred. This water should ideally be 140°F. My tap did not get hot enough, so I used an electric kettle to heat the water and it worked out well!
  5. To enhance the color in cotton: add 1 cup of salt and 1 teaspoon of dish detergent.
  6. Shake the liquid dye well and add it to the dye-bath.
  7. Test the color by dipping a paper towel into the dye-bath. If color is too light, add more dye. If color is too dark, add more water. I used the whole 8 oz. bottle of dye in a plastic bucket filled 2/3 of the way full with water.
  8. Wet the towels, squeeze out any excess water, and add them to the dye-bath.
  9. The first 10 minutes are the most critical, stir slowly and continuously to ensure an even color.
  10. The towels can remain in the dye-bath from 10 minutes up to one hour with stirring. I left mine in for about 45 minutes.
  11. When the desired color is achieved, remove the towels from the dye-bath. Keep in mind that the fabric will look darker when wet and will dry lighter.
  12. Rinse the towels in cool water until the water begins to run clear.
  13. Wash them in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry.
  14. Enjoy!

DIY – Bat Silhouette Pom Pom Painting

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational crafts for her that are made with love and will be loved! This week we’ll be creating pom pom paintings of bat silhouettes for halloween! 

I remember when I was a kid we made halloween crafts at school and my mom would bring them out every year as part of our halloween decor. It made me feel super happy and proud that she would take the time to save and display my art every year and that is the feeling I want to inspire in my own daughter.

Let’s get painting!

SUPPLIES
BatSilhouettePatternDownload
  • Bat silhouette pattern (see above)
  • Printer paper
  • Scissors
  • Scotch tape
  • Black cardstock paper (8.5 x 11”)
  • Clothespin(s)
  • Pom poms
  • Sunset colored paints (I used red, orange, purple and yellow)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Print this bat pattern I’ve created and cut the bats out.
  2. Break off several small pieces of tape, roll them into cylinders, and use them to attach the bats where you want them on the black cardstock paper.
  3. Pour non-toxic sunset colored acrylic paints into a pie plate (or something similar) and set out a pom pom for each color.
  4. Use a clothespin to grab one pom pom at a time, or one clothespin per color.
  5. Allow your little one to dab the paint around and over the bats to their heart’s content.
  6. Allow the paint to dry and then gently peel off the bats to reveal their silhouettes!
  7. Hang it up and enjoy! 

DIY – Paper Bat Halloween Decorations

I am so bad at decorating my house for the holidays! I want to be better about it, but I’d like to create and/or collect decorations that are my vibe and that I’m proud of!

One of the looks I’ve always loved are colonies of bats flying across doorways and walls of a home. I’ve created my own bat pattern, so let’s create!

SUPPLIES
BatSilhouttePatternsDownload
  • Bat pattern (see above)
  • 8.5 x 11 black cardstock paper
  • Scotch tape (or similar)
  • Scissors
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Print and cut out these bat patterns I’ve created, then cut each bat shape in half!
  2. Fold each piece of cardstock paper in half horizontally and lightly tape the body of the bat patterns to the fold of the cardstock paper.
  3. Cut out as many bat shapes as you like and attach them to the wall or walls around your home. **For added texture you can fold some or all of the wings up so they aren’t flat against the wall!
  4. Enjoy!

DIY Felt Pumpkin

It is Autumn, my favorite season of the year!

I want to begin creating well-made decorations that mean something to us and will last. What better way to start than by something that will go great with Halloween and Thanksgiving, pumpkins! I’ve created a pattern for fabric pumpkins and you’re welcome to use it to create your own! This will work to create either felt or regular fabric pumpkins, I’m excited to create a few different colors and sizes!

SUPPLIES
pumpkin patternsDownload
  • Pumpkin patterns (see above)
  • Paper scissors
  • Felt fabric
  • Sewing pins
  • Sewing scissors
  • Embroidery floss
  • Sewing needle
  • Stuffing
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Print out the pumpkin patterns I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
  2. Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
  3. Thread orange embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
  4. Align two of the pumpkin pieces and whip stitch along one side, from one point to the next, concealing the first and ending knot underneath so that the stitching will be exposed.
  5. Repeat step 3 to continue adding pieces of the pumpkin.
  6. Once you’ve stitched the last piece on, join the two ends together with a whip stitch to complete the pumpkin body.
  7. Stuff the pumpkin, then place the circles on the top and bottom of the pumpkin and secure them with sewing pins.
  8. Using a whip stitch, attach the circles to the pumpkin, concealing the first and ending knots underneath. Then remove the sewing pins.
  9. Thread green embroidery floss on your sewing needle and stitch the veins onto one side of each leaf.
  10. Once done with the veins, align the two halves of each leaf (concealing the stitching in between) and whipstitch around the edges of the leaves to make them whole.
  11. Thread brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle and whipstitch around the outside edges of the stem, leaving the bottom of the stem open. At this point you can leave the stem as it is or turn it around to conceal the stitching.
  12. Stuff the stem, then place it on top of the pumpkin and secure it with sewing pins. 
  13. Using a whip stitch, attach the stem to the body of the pumpkin.
  14. Enjoy!

DIY Pinched Felt Halloween Garland

DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

Although Halloween may be celebrated a little differently this year, that doesn’t mean we can’t kindle a little Halloween spirit!

Today we’ll be making what I like to call a “pinched” felt garland. Pinched felt garlands are made by pinching small ribbons of different colored felts, poking a threaded needle through the pinched portion of the fabric, and stringing them close together onto a garland.

In the spirit of Halloween (and this tutorial), we’re going with traditional black, orange and white. Other fun variations would be candy corn colors or general fall colors so you can display it from the Autumn Equinox through Thanksgiving.

DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

SUPPLIES
  • Black felt, cut into 1 x 3” strips
  • Orange felt, cut into 1 x 3” strips
  • White felt, cut into 1 x 3” strips
  • Scissors or a rotary cutter
  • Rotary mat
  • Ruler
  • Black cotton crochet thread, size 3
  • Needle
INSTRUCTIONS

DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

  1. Cut the felt into 1 x 3” strips. I started with about 200 pieces of each color, but I only used about 175 of the orange and white and 176 of the black. You can use fabric or sewing scissors to do this, or you can use a rotary cutter. If you use a rotary cutter, please make sure you have a cutting mat so you don’t damage the surface below the felt. I use a ruler to keep my cuts straight.

    DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

  2. Measure out 7 feet of the cotton crochet thread, 6 feet for the garland and 6 inches on either side for the ties and knots.
  3. Thread the needle, then knot the tip of the opposite end (I often triple each knot).
  4. Six inches from the first knot, tie another knot in the thread again to create a section to tie the garland up when it’s finished.
  5. Pinch the center of a black piece of felt and poke the needle through the folded pinched fabric and push it down to the knot.
  6. Pinch the center of an orange piece of felt and poke the needle through the folded pinched fabric and push it down onto the black piece.

    DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

  7. Pinch the center of a white piece of felt and poke the needle through the folded pinched fabric and push it down onto the orange piece.
  8. Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 until you’ve created 6 feet of pinched felt garland. The pieces of felt will be pretty close together to hide any exposed thread in between the pinched felt.

    DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland

  9. Thread one last piece of black felt to frame the garland and then tie a knot in the thread.
  10. Remove the needle and tie a knot on the very end of the thread, creating another tie section on this side of the garland.
  11. Hang or display your garland and enjoy!

DIY Halloween Pinched Felt Garland