Disclosure: I received this Sizzix machine and die cut for free, but all feelings and opinions are my own. This post does include affiliate links.
I love felt. I do a lot of projects with it, but I have always cut it by hand. At times I have found it therapeutic, but at other times it can get to feel tedious cutting the same patterns over and over.
At Haven this year, I had the privileged to meet a company that makes a machine that cuts felt for you. What!? My mind was blow. This Sizzix machine has quickly become one of my best friends.
I am a basic crafter. Having lots of tools to store, clean, figure out intimidates me. Part of why I have just been content with cutting felt by hand is I like the simplicity, but I have to say this machine is so easy to understand.
It was simple and so quick. I placed my felt on top of my diecut and used the cutting pads to sandwich the two together. I then cranked the lever while steadying it with my other hand, and out came my design.
It was so quick. I was giddy at the perfection of the cut and the amount of time I was saving, so I took a picture to send to my fellow crazy crafter friend, Erin. If you like my Sizzix machine creation, you will lover her feather mobile as well.
I cut a bunch of different colors of flowers out. This machine will also emboss and cut paper so there are lots of possibilities.
After I had a bunch of different colors cut, I started playing with styling. I used the different petals and colors to form my own flowers. I was careful to space them out by size and color so my “R” was nice and balanced.
The next step was to sew the flower petals together. I used a needle and thread to sew each flower together. I did a mix of just sewing the petals together and using a bead to center on top of the flower to sew together. I like the mix of the plain flower with the beaded ones. The contrast added another level of depth and texture. After all the flowers were sewn, I picked one at a time up and hot glued it onto my “R”.
I ended up spray painting the “R” with rustoleum spray paint
to have a dark, fun background to contrast with my bright flowers. I also ended up gluing some lime green petals in random spots for another punch of color.
I love the way this felt initial came out. It is a baby gift for my soon to be born niece. I paired it with my Heart Embroidery Hoop. I love giving personalized handmade gifts. What about you?
I am so excited to use my machine again soon. I now want to create an initial for my little girl, and I have lots of other ideas bouncing around.
Do you love felt too? Are you a basic crafter and hesitant to get all the gadgets? This machine is a gadget that I’d recommend because it’s so simple and such a huge time saver.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment or talk with me on Instagram. Fall is just arriving and it’s a great time for us to break out all our felt projects as the weather gets cooler.
This turned out super cute! Love all of the different colors and flower shapes. Thanks for the shout-out too!
Thank you Erin!! Of course! I loved your feather mobile! XOXO