Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

Category: Tutorials

Tiny Lemon Art

framed tissue tiny art - lemons

I framed a tissue, so now it’s art.

My boyfriend bought me this pack of tiny lemon-printed tissues in Japan, and there are few things I love more than tiny lemons. I wish it were a fabric print… the life of a tissue is far too fleeting for this cuteness! So I matted one and framed it for some tiny art.

framed tissue tiny art - lemons

(more…)

x-stitch textured throw pillow: a tutorial

gray and orange x-stitch textured throw pillow

I finally finished – and photographed – my first couch pillow. As mentioned in a long-past wiwo wednesday post, I made a copycat of a Crate & Barrel pillow that I liked. It had little X-stitches across the front in a grid formation, which gave it just enough texture.

I made my own pillow form for this pillow since I thought the selection at JoAnn’s was terribly overpriced. But in the future, if I need more than one pillow form, I’m planning on ordering from Pillow Cubes, a reasonably priced site for ordering pillow forms in bulk. A down pillow form? That sounds amazing.

x-stitchpillow-gray-orange2

The Crate & Barrel version of this pillow was turquoise with matching X’s, so the thread blended into the background. I wanted my stitches to pop more, and I can never resist an orange-and-gray pairing. Plus, my white couch means the pillows can be as exciting as I want them to be.

For my pillow backing, I used a coordinating yellow and orange floral and, my favorite, an orange zipper.

gray and orange x-stitch textured throw pillow

This is the texture of my finished X’s before I inserted the pillow form. I love how simple and cute they are.

Click through for the tutorial!
(more…)

floss-wrapped push pins: a tutorial

floss wrapped push pins tutorial

In chilly January, there’s nothing I like more than throwing on multiple sweatshirts and committing to a stay-in-and-craft day. My yearnings for hues beyond those to be found in the bleak January landscape lead me to appreciate the tiniest pops of color in unexpected places.

For those of you who share this urge to create something small and bright to complement the gray skies, I thought I’d share this little tutorial for floss-wrapped push pins. It’s a small craft that lends itself well to a cozy hour wrapped in a blanket. These thread spool lookalikes are perfect for a sewing room pin board, or tacking big inspirations straight to the wall!

floss wrapped push pins tutorial

For this tutorial you will need:

  • push pins: I found these darling wooden ones at Walmart, but plastic works too (there are plastic thread spools!)
  • Q-tips
  • Standard glue: Elmer’s or Elmer’s school glue, nothing fancy
  • A soda cap or a piece of scrap paper to hold your glue
  • A corkboard or a piece of corrugated cardboard to hold your pins while they dry

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Start by squirting out a small dish of glue to work with. Use a Q-tip to dab a dot onto the push pin.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Cut a piece of floss: 12-14″ should suffice, but be generous since you can always trim off excess when you’re done.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Press the end of the floss onto the push pin at an angle, as shown, so it will be locked in by the wrapping layers. Press it flat with the q-tip, and feel free to add glue on top.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Apply glue to the entire center section of the push pin, then start winding your floss. Work carefully to try and line up each row without overlapping.

    For this step, I held the push pin in my hand, using the pointy end as my handle. It’s much easier to work that way than with it stuck into the corkboard. Don’t stab yourself!

    Wind all the way down the push pin, then wind all the way back up to the top.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    When you’ve made it back to the top, hold the thread at a downward angle, as shown, and apply a dot of glue to the angled section of thread.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Trim the thread tail…

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    …then use a fresh end of a Q-tip to press the floss flat.

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    That’s it! Soon, you’ll have a whole army of tiny thread spools!

    floss wrapped push pins tutorial

    Tiny, bright things for holding tiny, bright things! A winning combination.

    Please share pictures if you make some mini thread spool push pins of your own!