Some of them are Santas and trees and things specific to the holiday – but a bunch of them are just cute everyday items that are fun to hang on your Christmas tree. I wanted to come up with another way to use those fun everyday patterns, so I decided to make an easy felt garland.
I picked the cupcake pattern – because I love cupcakes and it was my birthday and I thought it would make a really cute party decoration that could be used year after year.
Stitch up however many you want, in whatever colors you like.
I made a dozen cupcakes in all different colors (using up a bunch of my felt scraps – an added bonus.)
Then you just string them together!
Cut a length of thin cotton yarn (make it a lot longer than you think you need) and thread a big-eye needle with it. Run the needle through the back layer only of your ornament. Make sure to pick a spot near the top of your ornament so the piece doesn’t tend to flip upside down when you hang it. It will always want to hang heavy-side-down.
Finished!
Don’t tie any knots or anything – that way you can slide the ornaments along the string as needed to fill any space.
I like mine so much I decided to keep it up all year! I hung it across the opening to my studio so I see it every day. 🙂
Make a party garland! Decorate a nursery or a child’s room! Or make one for yourself. 🙂
Stitch up some easy crocheted Easter eggs with this free pattern.
These little eggs are super fun to stitch up – and a great way to use up your smallest yarn scraps.
The pattern includes instructions for a plain egg, a striped egg, and a spotted egg.
Are you new to crochet and you don’t think you have the skills? Not to worry! These crocheted Easter eggs are a really easy pattern – just increasing and decreasing – nothing to attach. Plus – the links within the pattern go to tutorials showing how to do each step.
If you’re just getting started, start with the plain egg. It’s a great way to learn the basic stitches – single crochet, increase, and decrease.
After you have one under your belt you can try some simple color changes.
Have fun!
You can use any size yarn for this pattern – but if you’re doing stripes or spots, make sure both yarns are as close to the same thickness as possible. Use the hook size recommended on the yarn band – or one size smaller if needed to get a nice tight stitch.
Round 4 [Sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)
Round 5-6 With SC, sc in each st (18)
Round 7 [Sc twice in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (24)
Rounds 8-10 With MC, sc in each st (24)
Round 11 With SC, [sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (18)
Stuff the egg.
Round 12 [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)
Round 13 [Sc2tog] 6 times (6)
Round 14 Use the drawstring method to close up those last six stitches.
Fasten off, pulling the knot towards the center.
Done!
Polkadot Crocheted Easter Egg
For the spotted egg you’ll be changing colors for just a few stitches at a time. You do that just like the color change in the striped egg, EXCEPT you don’t need to cut and knot your yarn between those changes. Just drop one color and pick up the new color without cutting the yarn. The color you’re not using will just carry on the back of the work. This is called “stranding” and there’s a video showing how to do it here.
MC is your main color. SC is your second color.
Start out with a sloppy slip knot.
With MC, ch 2.
Round 1 Sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 Sc twice in each stitch (12)
Round 3 Sc in each st (12)
Round 4 [Sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)
Round 5-6 [With MC, sc in next 4 sts. With SC, sc in next 2 sts] 3 times (18)
Round 7 With MC [sc twice in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (24)
Rounds 8-10 [With SC, sc in next 3 sts. With MC, sc in next 3 sts] 4 times (24)
Round 11 [Sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (18)
Stuff the egg.
Round 12 [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)
Round 13 [Sc2tog] 6 times (6)
Round 14 Use the drawstring method to close up those last six stitches.
Fasten off, pulling the knot towards the center.
Done!
And here’s a sweet little lavender version of Blair Bunny. She’s traded her Halloween ghost costume for a pile of cute crocheted Easter eggs!
I’ve received a couple of emails lately asking if you can use cuddle fleece to make Dress Up Bunch dolls.
Yes you can!
Update – the cuddle fleece I used to carry has been continued. You can find more info here (including a link to a good substitute). You can also use polar fleece. If you go with polar fleece, I STRONGLY recommend getting the no-pill kind.
This is actually a really versatile pattern and I’ve used all kinds of different fabrics for it!
Just to test the fleece I made the Beatrice Bunny you see in that top photo. 🙂
I used camel cuddle fleece and the resulting bunny is super cuddly and soft. The slight stretch of the fleece makes a bunny that’s exceptionally squishy. 🙂
A couple of things I did different with the fleece. . .
Use bigger eyes – the pattern calls for 9 mm safety eyes but I used 12 mm. The slight pile of the cuddle fleece tends to enclose the edges of safety eyes making them look smaller – so going up a size is generally a good idea.
Use thicker thread to embroider the mouth – the pattern calls for embroidery thread but I used thin cotton yarn. The reason is the same as the bigger eyes – I didn’t want the thinner embroidery thread to get lost in the pile of the fleece.
I used an 18 mm pink triangle safety nose. No special reason – I just didn’t even know about the noses when I designed the original doll. I wanted to try it here and I love it!
Be careful not to overstuff your softie! The slight stretch of the cuddle fleece allows you to pack in more stuffing – enough that the clothes will be too tight.
What other fabrics have I used?
I’m glad you asked!
Quilting Cotton
I’ve used quilting cotton for most of the samples. It works just fine.
I used flannel to make my Pip the Cat and I love how he turned out!
Be sure to use good quality flannel so your doll doesn’t pill after just a few snuggles.
Stretchy Knit Fabric
Yes – you can use stretchy knits too.
That requires a little special handling – mostly using a stretch needle and being careful not to overstuff your doll so she still fits into her clothes. 🙂 I share all the tips in this post – plus a link to a source for special “doll skin” fabric used for Waldorf dolls.
Faux Fur
Yep – you can use faux fur too!
Here’s Spot the Puppy made in some really spectacular faux fur. I love this guy and named him Rumples.
One caution when using fur – the furrier the fur, the bigger it makes the doll. It might make the regular clothes not fit anymore.
Rumples is stuffed pretty tightly into his Play Clothes.
So there you have it! Lots of great fabric options for making Dress Up Bunch dolls!
Happy stitching!
Best, Wendi
The Dress Up Bunch is a collection of adorable rag dolls with a wardrobe better than mine! All the dolls can wear all the outfits for terrific play value! Shop the pattern collection here.
I finished my design wall (you can get instructions here) and immediately started sewing some blocks to pin up there.
You see – I have a specific project in mind and I’m sooooo eager to get to it!
This is the door between my office and my husband’s office.
I love that barn door – and from the very beginning we planned to cover it with a quilt. Basically, I’m going to make two quilts – one for the front and one for the back, and I’m going to hand-sew the door into them (like a model on Project Runway) with a strip of solid fabric all around the thickness of the door.
I want to improv piece the quilts – but I’ve never really done that before. So I want to practice a bit and try some things out before I start on the big door project. And for that – I really wanted to have a design wall. It helps so much to be able to see the design straight on as it’s growing!
For my practice pieces I’m making some placemats. Each one will use a different basic shape so see what I like – and what’s fun to do. 🙂
I’m starting with stripes. I love stripes!
Here are my rules for this one. . .
No rulers. I’ll use my rotary cutter and scissors – but no rulers, either for measuring or cutting. I want my lines to be slightly wobbly/crooked.
A limited color palette of rich grey mixed with pastels. (All the pastels are all from my Rainbow Sherbet fabric bundle. Such pretty colors!)
Big Stitch quilted with really dense stitching. Yay! I haven’t done any big stitch quilting for months and I’m itching to get back to it.
The first thing I did was measure out a space on my design wall – a little bigger than a placemat needs to be – and mark the four corners with pins. That way I can see what space a need to fill.
Then I started cutting and sewing. Remember – no rulers. I just grabbed some pastel scraps, cut a chunk of grey, cut them into strips, and sewed them together. This is so much fun! Once a finished a little chunk of pink, I moved on to other colors. Here’s a super short video showing each little chunk going up onto the wall.
After I was happy with all the chunks, I sewed them together. Easy peasy – nothing fancy.
At the end of the video you see it hooped up in a square frame all ready for stitching, stitching after one evening, and stitching after two evenings. So here’s a little more info about that part of the process.
I’m using Sulky 12 wt. thread for all the quilting. That’s those little spools you see on top of the basted work.
The frame I’m using to held my work is called a Q-snap frame. There’s more info and a link to a source for it in that post about Big Stitch quilting.
It’ll probably take me about a week to do the quilting on this piece. It’s small (standard placemat size) but I only get to do hand work for an hour or two most evenings.
I finally have a quilt design wall in my new house and I’m so excited! There really is nothing like being able to step back and see an entire quilt like this!
And I’m going to show you (in excruciating detail) how I built mine – including the specific materials I used. I’ll also show you a bulletin board I made for my husband using the same method. I’ll even show you how to do that little cutout around the electrical outlet.
Ready?
Here we go!
To start with – I like to use foam insulation board. Styrofoam sheets are less expensive – but pinning into styrofoam gives me the willies. It’s a real nails-on-the-chalboard reaction so I don’t do it. Look for the 4 ft x 8 ft sheets of foam insulation board at your home improvement store. I like the ones that have a metallic foil material on one side.
I covered my board with flannel because I want to have both options – being able to pin into it but also being able to just smooth blocks up there and let them cling to the flannel.
Click through so you can see the flannel print close up. It’s a nice tone on tone print that looks interesting when there’s nothing on the board, but is subtle enough not to distract me from any design I’m working on up there. Later I’ll show you a different kind of option.
For my last quilt design wall I glued the fabric to the board – but that meant I couldn’t wash it, or easily change it if it got faded. This time I did the whole thing with pins.
Start out by piecing together enough fabric to completely cover your board, and wrap around each side with a couple of inches to spare. Press everything nice and smooth.
Lay your insulation board foil side up and cover it with the fabric – getting the fabric as centered as possible.
Start pinning your fabric into the sides of the insulation board. I used these 1-inch T-pins.
Basically – I used the exact same method I use to prepare fabric for framing – just on a larger scale. You can watch that video here.
Keep adding pins, pulling the fabric smooth but not stretching it, until you have pins all the way around your board every 1-2 inches.
Flip your board over so you’re working from the back.
Fold in one corner, then fold in one side. Insert some of the T-pins at an angle so they hold the fabric flaps in place, but don’t poke through the front.
Fold in the other side. Now your corner is nice and neat!
(See how pretty that tone-on-tone Jazz print is?)
Continue around the back of the board, securing the excess fabric with T-pins inserted at a slant. Remember – the side pins are the ones really holding the fabric in place on the front of the board. These are only holding the excess fabric in place, so you only need a pin every 8-12 inches or so.
Use an awl or other sharp tool to poke a hole in each corner of the board (mine is 1 inch in from each edge) and one more in the middle of the longest edge.
This step is important! Don’t think you can just screw right through the fabric. The bit or the screw will catch the fabric and yank it into an awful twist, ruining all that work you did getting everything nice and smooth.
Hold the board just where you want it on the wall and mark through each of those holes with a pencil. Take the board away and insert a wall anchor at each of those spots.
Now screw the board into those wall anchors!
I used these nice stainless steel screws and washers.
You definitely need to use some kind of washer so that over time the head of the screw doesn’t just pull through the soft foam. See how nice these look?
I like to screw it in tight enough that it kind of dimples into the surface of the foam. That way I can skim quilt blocks right over the screws if I want to.
What About Electrical Outlets?
So my first board of my quilt design wall was easy – but the second one was going to go right over an electrical outlet. I wanted to be able to continue to use that outlet, so I needed to cut a hole in the board and finish those edges.
Don’t worry – it’s not hard!
Measure your space and cut a hole in your board just a little bit bigger than your outlet cover.
This stuff is easy to cut with a simple X-acto blade.
Now cut four squares of fabric roughly 2-3 inches square. It doesn’t not have to be exact – or even especially neat, as you can see with mine.
Cover the back of one square of fabric with glue.
I used a Uhu glue stick – not my fabric glue stick. I wanted a permanent hold here.
Stick the square right into one corner of your cutout and press it in place, as shown.
Now use a sharp pair of scissors to snip down from the top and up from the bottom – right on the fold created.
You want to cut very close to the surface of the board – with just a few threads to spare.
Now folds those flaps down and smooth them onto the front and back of the board.
Repeat for the other three corners.
Now just cover your board like a showed in the first part of the tutorial. Pretend that hole isn’t even there.
When you flip your board over, you’ll see the back of that fabric through the hole.
Make sure the board is on a flat surface (so you have something to press against) and coat all the fabric inside the cutout with glue.
Now use a pair of sharp scissors to cut an X in that fabric from corner to corner.
Pull those triangle flaps to the back side of the board and smooth them in place.
Sorry – I was using my camera’s autofocus and it focused on what it could see through the hole, instead of the fabric treatment around the hole. But I think you can still see what I did, blurry as it is. 😛
That’s it! This board is ready to hang, just like the first one.
Ta da! I have a quilt design wall!
Pieced Bulletin Board
I needed my board to be pretty simple so it wouldn’t distract from whatever I’m designing on it.
But my husband wanted a similar board to outline his next book on – and he wanted it to have a bit of design. Nothing too fancy – but just a little extra pizzazz.
Here are the fabrics he chose.
He doesn’t need fabric to cling to his board, so I just used regular quilting cotton instead of flannel.
And here’s his finished bulletin board.
It’s all ready for him to start hatching his next novel!
I love having a quilt design wall again! It makes it so much easier to really SEE the layout of a quilt in progress.
Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.
Crocheted stripes, sewn stripes, quilted stripes, embroidered stripes, sewing with striped fabric – I love it all!
When you change color in crochet, it leaves an abrupt step between the colors. That’s called a jog.
Most of the time that doesn’t bother me at all, but sometimes I want to make it smoother. There are a lot of ways to do that – including some pretty crazy complex methods – but I’ve found a very simple method that’s super easy. It’s not perfect, but it smooths that abrupt step between crocheted stripes into a gentle ramp. Much better!
The technique for 3D quilts is basically the same – but it’s a tiny bit more involved because applique template pieces have no seam allowances – and you need to account for that if you’re going to sew them into flappy ears.
Don’t worry – it’s easy. I show you how to do it in this video.
Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.
I usually design my softies with floppy ears – often with a satin lining. I’ve known SO MANY kids who use softie ears like a blankie – clutching them or rubbing them as they fall asleep – that making blankie-like ears is kind of my default setting.
When I designed Benson Bunny (that spring green bunny you see in the top image) I wanted him to have ears that stood up straight.
I realized I had never made a stuffed animal with ears that stand up and I wasn’t sure how to do it!
Every stabilizer and interfacing I tried was either too floppy – or downright crunchy and hard. In desperation I turned to Betz White – bag-maker extraordinaire – and she suggested a product called Soft & Stable right away. She even sent me a sample to try and it was perfect!
Here’s what I love about it. . .
It’s easy to work with. You can sew right through it.
It’s stiffer than batting and really maintains its shape – but is still soft and cuddly. You can fold those ears over and they’ll spring right back up.
It’s very lightweight.
It’s machine washable and dryable.
It gives a really professional look to your finished softies.
I included instructions for using it in Benson’s pattern. But I realized I never posted general instructions for it here.
The thing is – you can use this with ANY pattern – even one that I designed with floppy ears!
So – here’s how to give any stuffed animal ears that stand up – but are still soft and cuddly.
Any pattern will have you cut an ear front and an ear back for each ear. They’ll always be cut from the same pattern piece so they go together. You need to cut an extra layer of Soft & Stable from that same ear pattern piece.
So for each ear you’ll have an ear front (I do love making that piece satin or other contrasting fabric), an ear back (usually out of the main fabric), and a third piece that will be hidden inside the ear cut from the Soft & Stable.
The sometimes mind-bendy part is assembling the layers. You want the front and back sewn together with the foam in between, but how do you stack the layers so when you turn it right side out it works?
Easy.
Stack the front and back ear pieces just like you normally would – right sides together. I like to start with the main fabric piece face up, then the lining fabric piece face down. Now just add the foam piece to the stack.
That’s it!
Sew around the edge of the ear just like the pattern says.
Here’s Benson’s sewn ear from the foam side of the stack.
And here it is from the main fabric side of the stack.
See the pink lining fabric peeking out between the green and the foam?
When you turn it right side out (I love to use turning tubes) make sure to reach in and turn between the main layer and the lining layer. That way you’ll end up with the foam between the two layers. 🙂
Done!
Now treat it just like an ear that doesn’t have the layer of foam in there.
If the pattern says to fold the sides in – that’s fine!
You can fold and sew through the foam just like batting or almost any other stabilizer. It’s beautiful stuff!
You can use the same method to add 3D parts to quilt blocks! See that tutorial here.
We’re hopping into spring – which means it’s a useful time to know how to make a quick and easy pompom tail. 🙂
There are lots of great pompom tools out there (I especially love this adorable llama-themed one from Betz White) but sometimes you just have your hands and a pair of scissors on hand. That’s all you need for this method. 🙂
Be super careful not to cut those long tails! You saw how useful they are for attaching your bunny tail. 🙂
Howie is a great pattern for those just getting started, because he uses only a few of the most basic skills. You’ll find links to those skills sprinkled throughout the pattern wherever you need them – that way you can learn as you go! Just click on the link to hop to the tutorial.
There are loads of free video lessons here that take you through everything you need to know to get started with amigurumi. You can work your way through those lessons using this free pattern if you like. 🙂
The skills you’ll need for just about any amigurumi are. . .
You can go through all those posts now, or just hop to them as you get to those points in the pattern – whatever works best for you!
Yarn
This pattern can be used with any weight yarn! Just use the hook recommended on the ball band, and adjust as needed (see ‘gauge notes’ below). For a bigger, super-cuddly animal, try a bulky weight yarn! Just keep in mind that you’ll use more yardage than recommended. The sample is crocheted in worsted weight yarn, and all yardage/ hook recommendations are calculated based on the sample.
Less than 220 yards (1 skein) is required of each color. For the yarn, Stacey used 100% wool worsted weight (Ella Rae Classic the brand used in the sample). However, any worsted weight yarn can be substituted.
This pattern doesn’t specify a gauge. It’s a stuffed animal, and you don’t need to be too picky about exact sizing. The most important thing is that you use a hook size that creates a nice looking fabric for your yarn. If you use the recommended hook size, and your fabric looks very loose (so that stuffing would show through), then you will want to use a smaller hook. Other than that, no measuring required!
In case you’re curious about getting the exact gauge Stacey does, it’s 5 rounds=2 inches. Note that you will need to have this gauge for the yardage suggestions to provide an accurate estimation.
Stitch into the Back
All stitches in this pattern (that are worked in the round) are worked through the back loop only, unless otherwise directed. Look at this picture.
See how one loop is highlighted in black? This is the back loop, and it’s what you’ll stitch into. Stitching into the back loop creates ridges on the right side of the piece.
Want to see crocheting through the back loop in action? Check out this blog post. It talks all about why Stacey crochets through the back loop and even has a handy dandy video showing how to find that loop. 🙂
Abbreviations
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
st(s): stitch(es)
Ready? Let’s jump in!
The Pattern
Eye Circles
Make 2.
With AC2, ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.) Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook. Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round. Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18) (Whoa! What’s with the brackets? It’s just telling you that set is going to repeat. So do everything in the brackets, and then repeat that same series for a total of six times. No big deal. And the 18 in parentheses is telling you that this round is a total of 18 stitches. It’s a good way to check your work.) Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (24)
Make 2.
With AC1, ch 2 Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18) Rounds 4-5 sc in each st (18, 2 rounds)
Fasten off with long tail.
Wings
Make 2.
With MC, ch 2 Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6) Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) Rounds 3-4 sc in each st (12, 2 rounds) Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18) Rounds 6-9 sc in each st (18, 4 rounds) Round 10 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)
Fasten off with long tail.
Beak
With AC1, ch 2 Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6) Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) Rounds 3-5 sc in each st (12, 3 rounds)
Fasten off with long tail.
Tummy Circle
With SC, ch 2 Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6) Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18) Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (24) Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (30) Round 6 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (36) Round 7 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (42) Round 8 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (48)
Fasten off with long tail.
Body
With MC, ch 2 Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6) Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18) Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (24) Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (30) Round 6 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (36) Round 7 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (42) Round 8 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (48) Round 9 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 7 sts] 6 times (54) Round 10 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 8 sts] 6 times (60) Rounds 11-21 sc in each st (60, 11 rounds) Round 22 [sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts] 6 times (54) Round 23 sc in each st (54) Round 24 [sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts] 6 times (48) Round 25 sc in each st (48) Round 26 [sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (42) Round 27 sc in each st (42) Round 28 [sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (36) Round 29 sc in each st (36) Round 30 [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (30) Round 31 sc in each st (30)
Attach tummy circle to body. The bottom should be attached at round 9 (two rounds above the feet), and slightly overlap the bottom of the eye circles at the top.
Fasten eyes onto the head. To do so, just insert the post where you want the eye to go (for Howie it’s in the center of his eye circles) and press the washer onto the back post to secure. Make sure the washer is pushed on all the way.
Round 32 [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (24) Round 33 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (18) Round 34 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12) Round 35 [sc2tog] 6 times (6)
Snap a photo and share it with us over in the Shiny Happy People group! If you share it on social media, tag with with #shinyhappyworld so I can see it. 🙂
