Tallulah's Turkey Top

Today for I Love to Create we have my spin on the obligatory hand print turkey Thanksgiving craft. Tallulah needed the perfect Thanksgiving outfit, so I decided to make it myself.


SUPPLIES
Pen
Tulip Fabric Marker (Fine Writers)
Cardigan
White Fabric
Steam a Seam
Fabric Fusion Glue
Iron
Scissors
Embroidery Floss
Felt
Embroidery Hoop


The hardest part of this project will be getting your toddler to hold still long enough to trace their hand onto a piece of white fabric. I find candy bribes help.


The easiest part of this project is letting your kiddlet go nuts with a pack of colorful Tulip Fabric Markers. Tallulah had never played with markers so this was quite the treat for her. I let her scribble all over the area where we had traced her hands.


Once Tallulah grew bored of coloring on the fabric I used a hot iron to adhere some steam a seam to the back of the fabric. This was primarily to stiffen the fabric and keep the edges from fraying.


I cut out Tallulah's colorful hands and used them as a template to cut out a red, orange and yellow felt hand. I used Fabric Fusion Glue to attach all the pieces together.


Using Fabric Fusion Glue I attached the turkey to a brown cardigan. After the glue dried I embroidered the edges for extra embellishment. I also added a beak and a French knot for an eye.


All that was left to do was slip Tallulah a lollipop so she would stand still and pose for this picture (I'm telling you it's so wrong, but those candy bribes work). I can rest easy now that Tallulah's turkey day outfit has been sorted out. Now I need to figure out what I'm wearing.

I'd love to know what some of your favorite Thanksgiving crafts are? Do you have something you and the fam make year after year? Seen something on a blog recently you want to try. This is my first time to dabble in Thanksgiving crafts so I'm curious what other options are out there.

Craft on!Click here for today's daily giveaway!

Sweater Clips

After last week's I Love to Create post about monogrammed sweaters I thought it was only appropriate to follow up this week with another cardigan accessory, sweater clips! Antiquated to some, but to others the ultimate way to sass-a-fy your sweater set.


PINK FOREST FRIENDS SWEATER CLIPS
Supplies
Fabric
Felt
Sweater Clips
Fabric Fusion Glue
Scissors


Just because I used a forest friends fabric does not mean you have to. Take a stroll through the fabric aisle and see if something else with graphic images catches your eye. I chose a pink fox and porcupine to use for my sweater clips. I roughly cut them out and using Fabric Fusion Glue adhered them to a piece of stiff black felt. Allow the fabric and felt to dry completely.


When the glue is dry cut out your images. Gluing the fabric to the felt should help prevent fraying. Glue your fabric graphics to your sweater clips. These little babies are not only cute, but they keep your cardigan together.

Let's make another pair out of felt!


NESTING DOLLS SWEATER CLIPS
Supplies
Felt
Scissors
Fabric Fusion Glue
Sweater Clips


Again nothing says you have to make Russian Nesting Doll Sweater Clips, use your imagination and create something else. The felt possibilities are endless. I have made felt sweater clips that were telephones, lipstick and cute little faces and hearts. Cut out your shapes, glue them together, attach them to your sweater clips and presto magic!

In case you are feeling inspired I thought I would show you a few other sweater clip examples. Wondering where the heck to get sweater clips? Well you can easily make your own with alligator clips and chain or you can find some ready made ones in my Etsy store!



Craft on!Click here for today's daily giveaway!

The Right Glue for the Job

When embarking on any craft project involving sticking two things together choosing the right glue for the job is crucial. One glance at the adhesives aisle in your local craft store and you can see sometimes choosing which glue you should use can be a daunting task. Don't worry, today for I Love to Create I am going to hold your hand through the entire selection process plus throw in a few gluing tips.


Fabric Glue
For those that don't sew a fabric glue like Aleene's Fabric Fusion can be your best friend. Without ever threading a needle you can often times fake a stitch or add an applique like on Customizing Your Kicks with just a dab of glue. One word of warning is to be careful not to get too heavy handed when gluing fabrics together as some things will darken from the glue.


Decoupage
Yup technically it's a glue with a fancy French name. If they sold Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage Medium in Gallon Jugs I'd buy it that way. Unlike most glues that don't show, decoupage can say it loud and proud on your craft project in glossy like I used on my terrarium picture frame, matte or my personal fave glittery!


Temporary Hold
Sometimes as odd as it sounds, you don't want your glue to stick forever. Aleene's Tack It Over and Over is the perfect temporary hold glue for projects like appliques or in my case holding a stencil in place for glass etching.


Fabric Stiffener
Not only does glue adhere things, it also stiffens things. Sometimes you want the stiff without the sticky and that is where Aleene's Fabric Stiffener and Draping Liquid comes in handy. Very handy when making things like say string lamps or doily bowls. Did I mention you can add paint and dye to it to give it color.


All Purpose Glue
No crafty home is complete without a good all purpose go to glue around. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is one of my favorites. Now that I have a kiddlet using non-toxic glues is important to me. Liquid Fusion Glue is put to use more often than any other glue in jewelry studio. Not just on jewelry I use Liquid Fusion on majority of my craft projects from turning TVs into picture frames to my neighbors trash into a toadstool. Remember when gluing things together like for jewelry lightly sand the surface when you can to give everything tooth.


Acid Free Glue
And you thought gluing paper was the easiest of all gluing tasks, wrong. When embarking on a paper crafting journey like perhaps scrapbooking or anything involving photographs you want to be sure and opt for an acid free glue like Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue.


Spray Glue
I must admit I have only recently discovered spray glue and all I can say is Aleene's Tacky Spray, where have you been all my life. Sometimes you have a lot of surface to glue like when attaching a piece of painted black velvet to a canvas and a spray glue can be a life saver.

This is just the tip of the adhesive iceberg. There are metal glues, industrial glues foam glues and more. Just remember there is always a specific type of glue for each project.

Iron On Hair Clips and Jewelry

My inspiration for today’s I Love to Create column comes from two places. First there were the iron-on’s by Chronicle Books. Adorable illustrations by Mike Perry and Sukie of kittens on mopeds and football helmets with skulls. The books sat mockingly on my shelf never getting used except at the occasional onesie making baby shower. Recently while looking for the perfect hair clip I came across a barrette I bought at Maker Faire last year. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know who made the cute little owl on felt, but I adore him nonetheless. The owl is a stamp on felt which got me to thinking: if you can stamp on felt, why couldn’t you iron on it? I plugged in my iron for the first time in God knows how long, drug out stacks of stiffened craft felt and got busy. The iron-on transfers actually were more vibrant on the felt than they ever were on clothing. I was on to something good.


SUPPLIES
Iron On Transfers
Fabric Fusion Glue
Craft Felt
Blank Hair Clips and Pins
Liquid Fusion Glue
Eyelets
Scissors
Pinking Shears
Chain
Pliers
Jump Rings
Crop-o-Dile


The first thing I did was to choose a few of my favorite motifs from the books. Luckily lots of the illustrations are small and some even come in pairs, just right for a set of hair clips.

Following the instructions for the fabric transfers I ironed the images onto different color pieces of craft felt. I tried to use the pre-stiffened kind when I could.


I love layering color so I added a second piece of felt which I cut out with pinking shears for a decorative edge.

Using my Fabric Fusion glue I stuck the two coordinating pieces together and waited anxiously for them to dry.


Once the two pieces of felt were stuck together I had to decide which pieces were going to be barrettes, pins or necklaces. Rings and Things has an amazing selection of hairclips, pins and jewelry parts. For the pieces being made into pins and hair clips I attached the felt to a blank using Liquid Fusion Glue.


Once I got started, I found it hard to stop ironing. For the larger designs I ironed and layered just as I had with the hair clips. I used my Crop-o-Dile and some eyelets to make holes in the felt. I attached a chain using jump rings and my necklace was born. Since the craft felt was stiff the necklaces keep their shape.


If it will sit still long enough I will find a way to make it into jewelry!

Super Cute Sock Puppets made with Fabric Fusion

Check out these adorable puppets that were forwarded to us on Facebook! Jaime Gaydos Fletcher grabbed the kiddos and all those random socks not eaten by the infamous Dryer Monster and created these super cute sock puppets! It just goes to show that kids don't always need expensive electronics or toys to have a good time! Socks, simple embellishments, and some Aleene's® Fabric Fusion™ do the trick!


Socks, socks, and more socks! You probably have piles of these laying around your washing machine too!


Feathers, yarn, pom poms, and googly eyes (you can't forget them) give these little critters personality.


It's pretty obvious from their faces that they were having a blast!


And this little face looks pretty happy too!


You can get Fabric Fusion™ at your local craft or fabric store. It's the perfect glue for all your fabric and craft creations!

If you have a craft project using Duncan, Aleene's®, Crafty Chica™, or Tulip® products, please share it with us. Send your submission to ilovetocreateblog@yahoo.com and you may be featured on our blog or one of our future Crafty Roundups!