It's a Hero Thing

I love it when I can combine my love for papercrafting along with my love for embroidery.  Today's project is just such a combination.

A while back I added the Little Heroes file from Marjorie Ann Designs to my stash.  And over the course of a month I created three other such card and burp cloth sets featuring Superman, Batman and Captain America.  But today, I get to share a set featuring the Hulk.

The stamp set I used for this card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Super Hero (same set as the revamped, but before it was 'revamped').

For the burp cloth, I used the recently released Hulk applique from Stinkin Cute Applique.  He was absolutely fun and easy to stitch together and I tell ya her designs just keep getting better and better.

Since my other heroes were stitched on a cloud print flannel I decided to stitch my Hulk on the same print.  It's a flannel print that I found at Hobby Lobby and is appropriately called cloud print. I think this is one of my favorite flannels that I have found for use with my burp cloths.

And there you have it.  Another collision of two of my favorite crafts.

Thing Two Burp Cloth

Can you believe that today is August 1st?  That means it's just 52 more days until Fall begins and 146 until Christmas.  So for those of you that participate in the craft shows that means our time for getting ready is about over.  My first show for the season is always Oktoberfest and that comes one week after Fall begins.

As you've probably guessed by now I'm trying to fill a different niche this year.  While people love homemade greeting cards and such they don't sell very well in my area.  Since I had played around with embroidery a couple years back my husband decided it was time to give it another whirl, and so he bought me a new machine.

I'm not quite ready for embroidering clothes yet.  Goodness knows I've tried.  Some have turned out and others have failed.  Either way I'll continue to try as I grow and learn.  For now though I'm enjoying other projects - like baby burp cloths.

When my children were little I quickly realized I could never have enough burp cloths, and the same rang true with my granddaughter.  It was this aha moment that prompted me to find a nice sewing pattern that I could use for making my own cloths rather than using diapers or other style blanks.  I wanted something unique and all my own.  

Now that I've told you my story, I share with you another burp cloth I've created.  As with all my burp cloths I use a pattern I found from Simplicity, pattern 2924.  It has a lot of great baby accessories and perhaps I need to begin making some of them too.

I loved the way that my Thing One burp cloth turned out last week so I decided to use the same flannel fabric for Thing Two.  It's a nursery flannel with Grey Baby Words that I purchased from Joann's.  In between my flannel is a cotton batting that is perfect for that extra absorbency.

The Thing Two applique is from Stinkin Cute Applique.  It's a relatively new shop on Etsy that has some really cute designs.  I've stitched out several of them now and they just keep getting better and better.  So if you like to do embroidery you should really check out their shop.

Thing One Burp Cloth

While searching through some of my favorite Etsy shops this past weekend I found this great new design that was released by Stinkin Cute Applique.  I've always been a huge Dr. Seuss fan so when I saw this Thing One inspired applique I had to have it.

For my first use I had to create a burp cloth.  I pulled out one of the pre-cuts I made using this great  nursery print baby flannel I found at Joann's.  I thought this grey and white print would be the perfect background and help the colors from the applique pop.

Once it was all stitched out and together I was not disappointed.  I really love the way that this one turned out and I can't wait to try putting this design on a shirt or some other fun project.  Who knows, maybe I'll find some Dr. Seuss print fabric and make a book pillow.   That could be fun.

Oooooh, the ideas that are swirling in my head......

Sleepy Bear Burp Cloth

Combining a printed fabric with an applique can sometimes be difficult for me.  Especially when I've purchase a fabric just because I love the print.  I mean I'm at the store and I have nothing specific that I'm looking for I just know that I want new fabric.  

Such was the case during a sale Joann's was running on their flannel fabric.  They run great sales like this often but when I have a little extra cash I'll go to the store and take full advantage.  After all, why buy something for full price if you know you can get it for half or less?

During one of my recent trips I came across this Celestial Sky print and I knew it would be great to use for my burp cloths so I picked up a little to play with.  Well it's been sitting in my fabric cabinet for about a month.....waiting.  And finally, the perfect applique came along.

I found this cute as can be Bear on the Moon applique over at Stinkin Cute Applique.  If you haven't checked out her designs yet you sure should.  Her store has only been open for a couple months so she's still growing but what she has to offer is pretty awesome.

And how about this beauty?  Doesn't that applique go perfectly with this fabric?  It's as if she knew just what I needed.  

Birthday Monkey

I was so excited to be able to sit down with my embroidery machine after an almost three week break.  And what better to play with than a cute file from Stinkin Cute Applique.  This is a recent newcomer to the applique world but man what a great start she's got with these files.

 

The one I used today is the Birthday Monkey.  My granddaughter turns one in a month and since she's not only our princess but also our monkey I thought it'd be cute for a shirt.  And I decided to try a new 'technique' that I learned about in one of my embroidery groups.

 

Rather than fighting to applique directly on the shirt, I sewed the applique on a piece of craft felt.  I then cut around the design leaving an outline and then sewed that directly on the shirt.  This not only helps to make the applique pop, but it also allows us to remove the applique and transfer it to another garment as Ocean outgrows this one.

 

What do you think?

Springtime Flour Sack Towels

This past weekend I was determined to begin learning my embroidery software, Embrilliance.  Shortly after purchasing it I learned how to turn my embroidery files into SVGs so that I could cut my fabric for the appliques.  However, I quickly decided that while that was cool, I didn't really like it because I was having difficulty in placing the pieces perfectly for stitching down.  Since then I haven't really played with it much.

 

This weekend I opened the software, determined to learn how to merge files and/or use fonts.  And learn how to use fonts I did.  At first I was upset because I thought I was going to have to open the file for every letter separately.  But then I accidentally learned how to import my fonts and I was so excited!

 

After figuring out how to import fonts it was time to play around with using them.  Using the Snow White sketch from Thanks4theAdventure I found a quote from Snow White that I thought would work for a kitchen towel.  The font I used on this one though was pre-loaded with my software.

 

Then I wanted to play around with this Spring Bonnet Girl applique from Stinkin' Cute Applique.  I was very excited when I saw this applique because Marjorie Ann Designs had recently released this same Spring Bonnet Girl as an SVG file and I absolutely loved her.  Now I can have fun creating little housewarming gifts by combining the two.  (If you haven't seen the card I created you can view it here.)  For this towel, I used the Oceanside font from Applique Corner to stitch out the Bible verse.

 

This was my first time stitching on flour sack towels and I think they both turned out pretty good.  What do you think?

Captain America - Favorite 'Sidekick'

It's a dreary, rainy day here in Florida. It started late last night and has been going off and on ever since.  They say it'll be out of here around lunch, but I guess we'll find out.  These are the days that I love to just sit at home and craft away.  But it's another work day so that's not going to happen.  ☹

 

On a brighter note though, I have another meeting of the crafting passions to share with you today.  It's another super hero set, and this time it features Captain America. 

 

 

For the burp cloth I used the Little Super Hero 1 file from Stinkin' Cute Applique.  He's one of four different hero appliques that are currently available.

 

 

The card was made using the Little Hero's set from Marjorie Ann Designs.  This set features the same heroes available from Stinkin' Cute Applique and more.  So if you have a little boy or even an older one that you're creating a gift for you can create a fun set with these two design files.

 

The stamped sentiment on my card is from Craftin' Desert Divas.  It's the stamp set titled Calling All Superheroes.  (FYI - this set was just moved to her retiring section so quantities are limited and once they're gone.....they're gone)

 

To finish off my card I used a couple of Red skittles from DoubleClick Connections.

 

And while this may not be a "traditional" looking baby shower gift set I'm sure it'll be a hit.  😊

Some Bunny Special

 

This Easter will be my granddaughter's first Easter, and we can't be more excited.    So of course being the grandma that I am I had to sit down and make an outfit for her.  I didn't want anything fancy - after all Ocean is a beach and sand baby.  (In case you couldn't tell by the name)  For that reason I wanted simple and cute.

 

Using one of the cap sleeve dress blanks from Hobby Lobby I chose to applique the dress with the Easter Bunny Applique from Stinkin' Cute Applique.   Okay, well, I didn't choose.  My daughter did.  I sent her pictures of a few different bunny designs and this was the one she settled on.

 

My daughter also loves to put headbands on Ocean.  Not the ones with the bows as big as her head, but the small, simple ones.  And they look great on her.  So with that in mind I had to make this adorable bunny ear headband I found over at the Applique Corner to go with the dress.  To ensure that the two went together I used the same fabric for the Easter basket on the dress as I did for the headband.

 

 

But wait, that's not all.  😁  I also made an Easter card that matches with her outfit.  That's right.  Marjorie Ann Designs has an SVG file titled You're Eggstra Sweet that compliments the applique.  Pretty nifty, huh?

 

The stamped sentiment on the card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Honey Bunny.

 

Yep, I just love it when my crafting passions can collide so wonderfully.....

Superhero

 

Tomorrow is my first Spartan Race of the season.  And while I won't be able to do many of them this year, this one always holds a special place in my heart.  Not only is it my first race every season but it's one I run every year with my oldest daughter and this year one of my son's will be running it with us as well.  I hear a lot of people say they couldn't run a race like this but I'm here to tell you that if people that are blind, missing arms/legs and all other sorts of 'health' issues can do it anyone can. 

 

Knowing that I'll see adaptive athletes out there on the course tomorrow I thought it fitting to end this week with a superhero project.

 

So today, I'm sharing a Superhero card I created using the Little Heroes set from Marjorie Ann Design.  My boys have always had a thing for superheroes, and some of the still do to this day so I find myself drawn to them. 

 

The sentiment on my card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set Super Hero 2.  And as I often do these days, I added some skittles to my card.  These are the stream color from DoubleClick Connections.

 

Not only that but I found this great applique to match over at Stinkin Cute Applique.  This one is called Little Superhero 2.  Like the other appliques I've stitched from Stinkin Cute this one was easy and fun to put together.  And I love how he turned out. 

 

Together this combo will make a fun baby shower gift for any mom who's expecting a little boy.

A Bear and His Friends

I didn't get much sewing done this past weekend because I bought a new china cabinet to use for my fabric storage.  Before I could begin using it though I had to do a lot of clean up because the lady I bought it from had it sitting in her garage.  Then after I got it cleaned up I had to make room for it because it was a bit wider than her description said.

 

So while I didn't get much done I was still able to sew and today I would like to share one of the burp cloths I made.  For this one I decided to stitch out another new file from Stinkin Cute Applique.  This one is called Bear & Turtle Friends.  As soon as I saw it I knew it would be a perfect design to use with this green flannel I picked up.

 

This was another great project to stitch out, and I had a lot of fun with this burp cloth.

 

Speaking of fun, do you ever wonder where some of the fun fabrics I use for my appliques come from?  Several months ago we had a new fabric store come to town called TJ's Fabrics.  Best part is that you can order online and they have more choices available online.  And I have to say that after years of buying fabric from Hobby Lobby and Joann's this stuff is top notch.  Now that's not to say I won't buy from the others because I will.  It just means I'm more selective now.  And with cute projects like this Bear and his friends you gotta have the good stuff.

Rainy Day Duck

Today I have another burp cloth that I'd like to share with you.  This one features a cute little duck in her rainy day outfit complete with umbrella.  She's another great applique design from Stinkin Cute Applique titled Rainy Day Duck.

 

This was a fun and easy file to work with and I love how it stitched out.

 

If you've just recently found my blog and this is the first post you've read and are wondering how I made my burp cloth (that's right - it's not a pre-purchase burp cloth) let me share that with you.

 

Before I began my burp cloth adventure I thought about using the Gerber brand diapers.  After all so many are made that way.  But then I decided that I didn't want to be like the "so many others" and decided that I would make my own cloths from start to finish.  So off I went in search of a pattern until I found this one from Simplicity sitting in the pattern drawer at Hobby Lobby. 

 

For my fabrics, I settled on using flannel and then using a soft batting in between to help give it some thickness and absorbency.  I found my batting at Hobby Lobby, it's a cotton batting and it lays out very well with the flannel.

 

 For this burp cloth I found this great nursery print baby flannel at Joann's.  Both Hobby Lobby and Joann's has some great choices for flannel and I will be building up my stash from both.  Especially as I find new designs to play with.

Calling All Heroes

 

I don't know about you but I love it when I find two of my crafting passions collide.   I know, I know.  Collide doesn't sound like a good thing but trust me, in this case it is a good thing.  Remember how I shared last week that my friend Marge had opened a new shop on Etsy called Stinkin Cute Applique?  Well the designs she's using to create these wonderful appliques can also be found in SVG for at Marjorie Ann Designs.

 

That means if you're like me and you love to papercraft AND you enjoy embroidery too you can coordinate some of your crafting. 

 

For example, I created today's greeting card using the Little Heroes file at Marjorie Ann Designs.  The stamped sentiment is from the Calling All Superheroes stamp set from Craftin Desert Divas.

 

 

Then I made this fun burp cloth using the Little Super Hero 3 applique file from Stinkin Cute Applique.  This little cutie was a lot of fun to stitch and I absolutely LOVE how he turned out.  Even with my limited newbie skills I couldn't mess this hero up. 

 

Now you put the two of these cuties together and you have a cute little gift set to give for a precious little boy.  See?  Crafting passions collide.  LOL

Love Monkeys

I have a flour sack towel that I'd like to share with you today.  I found a set of three of these at my local Michaels around the section where they have all their Gildan T-shirts.  I wasn't exactly sure what I'd stitch on them, but I knew that the flour sack towels are pretty popular in the embroidery groups I'm in so I figured I'd pick up a couple to play with.

 

When my friend opened her Etsy shop, Stinkin Cute Applique, I knew this Love Monkey file would be a fun applique. 

 

Now I'm still not at the point yet where I've gotten comfortable stitching on actual shirts or baby clothes.  So while I'm working on that I thought I'd stitch these cute monkeys out on one of the flour sack towels. 

 

I'm pretty glad I did too because I love the way that it turned out.  The file stitched out beautifully and is one that is perfect for using on shirts, towels, and even a baby's burp cloth.  Yep, I can see some fun projects in my future with this wonderful file full of love....

Cloudy with Dragons

I wanted to try my hand at making something new this weekend.  Something that would also help rejuvenate my lost love for sewing.  You see it's been an off and on love - hate relationship.  I'm just simply not that great at it.  As a child my mother used to sew everything.  Then in 8th grade I took home ec and somewhere in my high school years I was gifted with my first sewing machine.  But then I got married, started having kids and cast my sewing aside.  Heck with six blessings I cast any crafting I did aside - for a while.

 

As the kids started to grow my desire to get back to my crafting grew and one year my husband surprised me with a Baby lock sewing machine.  Unbeknownst to me, my mother was upgrading her machine and instead of selling or trading in the one she had she sold it to my husband.  I still have that machine - for now.  It's been giving me fits off and on and right now it's sitting in the local repair shop so I imagine it's not too long before I'll have to replace it.

 

Before it died on me though I was just able to complete this project.  My first ever baby burp cloth.  I didn't want to use Gerber diapers as my base for the cloth and so I went out in search of a pattern so I could sew my own.  That's when I found this pattern from Simplicity sitting in the pattern drawer at Hobby Lobby. 

 

For my fabrics, I settled on using flannel and then using a soft batting in between to help give it some thickness and absorbency.  I found both of these at Hobby Lobby as well.  The fabric is a cloud print and the batting is a cotton batting.

 

Of course this fabric required just the right applique to be sewn on it.  When I saw this adorable dragon from Stinkin Cute Applique I knew it would be perfect.  The applique was easy to stitch and I think the end result is beautiful.  I'm just thrilled that my machine held out long enough to get this one finished.

Easter Bear

I having some exciting news to share with you today!  My friend Marge from Marjorie Ann Designs is now creating embroidery/applique files!  And the best part is that she's creating them from characters  we already know and love.  For example, this adorable Easter Bear, who is now available in the Stinkin Cute Applique shop on Etsy.

 

Last year I was making cards using a file that included this cutie so when I saw him as an applique file I just knew that I had to have him.  I had this white, cap sleeve dress from Hobby Lobby sitting in my stash just waiting for the perfect applique file to be embroidered on it.  Well, this is it.

 

The design was easy to follow and stitched out beautifully.

 

After stitching out my dress I had to go back and make a matching card to go with it.  The SVG is from the Have a Beary Happy Easter file, and it comes with several cute Easter bears that can be made.  You can even get this Easter bear as a digital stamp or a shaped card.

 

How's that for variety?  This adorable Easter bear - available in four different formats.  It doesn't get much better.  I mean I'm really excited about being able to craft across the different platforms.

 

Oh wait, before I forget (see I got so excited I almost forgot), the sentiment on my card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set Funny Bunny.  The purple twilight skittles are from DoubleClick Connections.