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The Plush Bear Tutorial

November 29, 2014 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Plush_bear_pillowMy seven year old cannot wait to be in charge. As the first born, he often thinks he is in charge or a part of our parental team. He’s smart and his processing is often spot on, but I try to gently remind him (sometimes more strongly than others) that he is a kid and to enjoy it!

Being a parent is one of the best jobs in the world. It is also one of the scariest. We are tools being used to shape a little ones outlook on life, character, sense of security, joy, peace, happiness, and all the other important outlooks on life (not to mention caring for the basic needs such as clothing, food, health, and a warm place to sleep). It’s a big responsibility. We know it. We feel it; but in a lot of ways we are set up to succeed, if we are humans.

Did you happen to see the Disney Bears movie this summer? This is in no way a pitch or sponsor post for Disney. We saw it as a family and I just love that movie.

I watched anxiously as a mama bear tried to navigate her two young cubs through a scary world. She protected them. She struggled to keep them safe and fed, and was always on the watch for those that could hurt her babies.

I could relate. Ever since that movie, I have had a fascination with bears. It was time I got one of my own. Although I have three little cubs under my roof, we needed a fury friend too. Here is how my plush bear came into existence. Be warned! I now want to make a whole collection of furry wild friends, and you may want to too!

Drawing_on_fabricIt started as an idea to sketch a bear. Since we are in transition to our own place, I don’t have all my usual craft supplies on hand. I did have some creme fabric though, so I started sketching on that. I had some sharpies, pens, fabric markers, and I just started to go at it. Now, I had never drawn a bear before, but I simply googled “bear sketch” and there were pictures that popped up that gave me an idea of where to start. What would we do without google!?

DIY_bear_sketch

bear_outline

bear_drawingI filled in my sketch with quick strokes to create a fur look. My goal was for the bear to definitely look like a bear, but to look simple and cartoon like. I think I got that. I cut the extra fabric off around my sketch. Be sure to leave enough margin to sew your sketch to a back fabric. Also, try to envision what cuts would make for a good pillow. In hind sight, I might have just cut one big oval out rather than cutting in to have the head and front and back paws in separate sections. It made it a bit trickier to stuff, but you will see that below.

bear_sketchI then laid my sketch face down on a towel. I folded my towel over to have it be extra thick and used both sides of it to create the back of my bear. I decided to use a towel because it was a thick, sturdy material, but it also had a fur like texture. You could use any fabric or left over material.

If I had my sewing machine, I would have then quickly sewn around to join the towel and bear sketch together. Note: Be sure to leave a two inch opening, so you will be able to flip your new pillow right side out and stuff. I forgot that step and had to go back and cut some slits.

Since I didn’t have my sewing machine, I did a quick in and out stitch by hand to join the materials together. It did not have to be perfect, since my main stitch was going to be on the outside.

This is a pretty mindless craft at this point. I had one of my favorite movies playing as I stitched. Can you guess the movie!?

basic_hand_sewing

DIY_stuffed_bear

DIY_stuffed_bear_pillow

pillow_stuffing

pillow_stuffing_to_shapeI hand stitched a blanket stitch around the outside of my bear with yarn. I hadn’t done this is a long time, but by a simple Google search, I was able to see some pictures and learn how to complete this stitch. I love how it reinforces my bear, but also adds another texture and it looks so cute! Once the bear was stitched and stuffed to the thickness I liked, I simply stitched it close.

sewing_pillow_shut

bear_pillowThe last step was to admire and enjoy him! I am pretty obsessed with this little guy. I now want to make him some furry friends and use bright colored towels to make some creative rabbits, foxes, and maybe even a giraffe! Oh the possibilities! The most expensive craft supply was the bag of Poly-Fil. I used a whole bag. Depending on the size of your pillow you may need less or more.

I took my little bear around the farm for a photoshoot. What a good model! 🙂

make_your_own_stuffed_animal

DIY_bear_pillow_tutorial

DIY_bear_pillowWhat an inexpensive, fun craft to make! They would make great Christmas or holiday presents! Do you know a young child that would love a fun pillow?

bear_pillow_tutorialIf you have been following along with our move announcement, why we uprooted our family from sunny Atlanta to less-sunny northern Indiana, and how we have been adjusting, I would love for you to know we have found a house! We will be moving from our sweet friends’ basement into our own home in two weeks! Thank you for all the prayers, encouraging, and sweet comments as we have been transitioning to hooser territory!

Disclaimer: affiliate links were used in this blog post.

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Easy DIY Fabric Bookmarks

November 4, 2013 By Erica Deuel 5 Comments

fabric_bookmarkI love a fun, easy project. With a little scrap fabric, you can sew these sweet fabric bookmarks. They are colorful, fun, and a cheap thrill.

They would make a great favor to a reading book club or at a bridal shower. My bookmarks doubled as name tags (as I painted everyone’s name on them that attended) at my Spoonful Lab. You can do the same or keep them just as bookmarks with the simplicity of the heart. I think both are great options.

Here is how I made mine. I started with little scrap pieces of fabric about 2″-3″ in height. I just folded the fabric a little and sewed a straight line down the middle to create about 5″ long strips of fabric. This made a haphazard ruffle effect that I love.

ruffled fabricNext, I cut out a bunch of flat burlap hearts. I made sure to cut them just a little smaller than my ruffled fabric pieces.

burlap_heartsI then pinned a heart into the middle of a ruffled fabric strip and sewed around the outer edge of the heart. Contrasting thread color looks best! You could also use another fabric instead of the burlap. I love the contrast of the dull burlap color with the pop of bright color behind it. The texture of the burlap is also very fun.

fabric_bookmarks

DIY_bookmark

sewing_a_bookmarkI left all the edges raw because I like the frayed look, so my bookmark was then done! With the holidays coming this idea would even be cool as a way to mark presents. There are lots of possibilities, if you just add a little imagination!

homemade_bookmarks

cheap_party_favorsThank you so much for checking in! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Just as a quick reminder, registration is going on for my NEXT Spoonful Lab. Read all the details and register here. Thank you so much for all your support!

**I am so sorry I am late on announcing my two winners! I used random.org to draw my winners, and Amber you won my send out love tags and Gene you won my spoonful swag! Congratulations! I will be in touch!**

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Transform a Rug into a Textured Pillow

October 2, 2013 By Erica Deuel 4 Comments

transform_rug_into_pillow

Texture and Color are two great loves of mine. Not new news, right!?!

The other day, I was browsing a local thrift store and found this brand new striped rug for $1. I didn’t need a new rug, but for the price, colors, and look I knew I had to buy it. I would find a cool way to use it.

I brought it home, washed it, and decided to turn this little rug into a fun, textured pillow.

rug_pillowThe rug I found measured 19″ x 33″. I figured I could fold it in half and make a cool horizontal rectangular pillow. I had a fun zipper already on hand that I wanted to use, and it just so happened to be the right length. I stole a pillow insert from another throw pillow we had and got to work.

adding_zipper_to_pillowI sewed my zipper on and then closed up the sides. The print of my rug was useful in this process, as I merely followed sewing down the ribbon line to give myself a straight sewn line.

rug_pillowcase_tutorialAfter my zipper was on and the sides were sewn up, I turned it right side out and stuffed my pillow insert in. It was complete! I love how this little pillow turned out! It was so cheap and the fun array of colors and texture make such a regular piece fun and lively.

rug_to_pillow_tutorialThe zipper adds so much character with that pop of red and chunky design. I love it.

DIY Rug Pillow

I now want to find more little cheap rugs that can be turned into pillows, as if my pillow obsession needs any growth.

There are cheap rugs sold in so many places. They may feel too cheap to be actually used as a durable rug, but they can make great thick pillowcases! I’m excited to find a place for this new decor piece in my home.

DIY_Rug_Pillow

You never know what a spoonful of imagination can do to your decor when you repurpose an object in an unusual way!

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DIY Cheap Dog Bed

August 23, 2013 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

You don’t hear about our dogs much on here, but we have two lab mixes. Their names are Dixie (for Dixie Stampede for all you Pigeon Forge fans out there) and Napoleon (for Napolean Dynamite). They were our first babies. As frustrated as I get with having to clean up their hair at times, we love them. They are good dogs.

They have dog beds in our room. Whenever I let my OCD take over and go on a cleaning rampage (which is not often) I try to squish those things in our washer. They barely fit and are all bawled up in there, so I wonder how clean they really get.

My favorite dog bed is the slip cover style one I made for them myself. The problem is we have two dogs, so when ever they are downstairs and want on the bed. One usually claims the bed and the other an old blanket. The blanket has been like an ugly, slippery, hazard.

dog_bedsWe needed another slip cover dog bed, so I just made myself finally do it. If you have an old blanket, some new fabric, and a sewing machine, you can make a cheap dog bed in minutes that costs barely nothing.

Cheap_dog_bed


I simply folded my new fabric to make an envelope style pillow cover and slipped the blanket inside. If you need help learning how to make an envelope pillow case, I wrote about it here.

The thought behind this dog bed is we all probably have an old blanket we can use (or find one for a couple bucks at a thrift store) and can turn it into a cheap dog bed. I love that this style dog bed is so much easier to wash. I simply take off my cover, and throw it and the blanket into the washer, rather than trying to bend up the rather large pillow style dog beds that are sold in stores.

DIY_dog_bed


The beauty behind this dog bed is you can continually switch out the cover fabric. Once my dogs get it too nasty or I want a new look, I can easily make a new cover. It just takes sewing two lines!

We now have two dog beds in our living room. I no longer slip on that huge blue blanket, and I think the dogs like it. It’s a win-win.

new_dog_bedIf you didn’t catch yesterday’s post, I have a Wake Up & Do Good sign up for sale. I am also having a instagram sale on Monday with some of my latest creations. I will be posting pictures and you can claim the item right there in that feed. I would love for you to follow me there, if you don’t already!

I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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