Fabric Valentine hearts garland

I have a big aversion to heart-shaped jewelry, but I don't mind me some Valentine decorations! Using some pieces of stiffened fabric, I made these easy folded fabric hearts. Once the fabric is treated (see here for the how to), it folds beautifully and doesn't fray.

Start by making a set of paper templates. I layered and cut four identical heart shapes, then progressively shaved more off the sides of each one.

Trace the four heart shapes onto the back side of a piece of stiffened fabric and cut them out. Fold all but the largest piece in half, then layer them onto the largest heart. Stitch a seam up the center to create a "book" and tie off each end. Press the folds with an iron if desired. Once the ironed fabric cools, it will hold its shape nicely.

Use these as Valentine package decorations or string them into a garland by running a thread through the bottom-most heart shape.

DIY fabric wall decals

More fun with fabric stiffener. Here's how to make some easy fabric picture frames for your wall. Or cut out anything your heart desires: silhouettes of your family, animal shapes for the nursery, lettering, ornate designs, party decorations... the world is your oyster. Hey, maybe consider doing an oyster.

I'd heard of people ironing starched fabric to walls and wanted to try it out. Sure enough, I was able to stick my stiffened fabric to the wall with an iron and remove it without harming my paint job. This is super for renters, indecisive decorators, or easily bored people. Note that if your wall is really rough, you'll probably have a hard time making these stick. Also for what it's worth, my walls are painted with flat latex paint.

What to do:
Prepare a piece of fabric with fabric stiffener. See this post where I used Stiffen Stuff in a spray bottle.

Measure your photo and determine the size of the opening needed in the picture frame. I used 5x7 photos, so I wanted to overlap the photo by 1/4" inch on every side. Thus the hole in my fabric needed to be 4 1/2" x 6 1/2".

To make a template for your frame, fold a piece of scrap paper into quarters. You can design one quadrant of the frame and cut through the layers to make a symmetrical border. Mark off one quarter of your frame opening (in my case, 2 1/4" x 3 1/4"). Then sketch a decorative border for the frame.

Cut out the paper frame and unfold to see if you like it, confirming the opening fits over your photo. If you're happy, fold the pre-stiffened fabric into quarters and trace your design onto the back side with a pencil.

Cut out the fabric frame and iron it flat to get rid of the fold marks.

Then iron the fabric frame to the wall. I tried to be quick about it, not leaving the iron pressed against the wall for very long. I'm pleased to report that this didn't harm my paint at all. Some outer bits of the frame weren't sticking at first, so I used the point of the iron to go over those again until everything was adhered well.

After the frame is ironed to the wall, loosen the edges around the picture opening with your fingernail until you've pulled enough loose to insert your photo. If too much comes loose, put the photo in and iron around it to stick the loose parts of the frame back to the wall.

Later I tried peeling these frames off the wall and they didn't leave a mark. Lovely!

Fabric flower tutorial

A few people asked how to make the flower on yesterday's fabric origami box. This is an easy craft project that's a good way to use up scraps. Use these flowers to make hair pins and boutonnieres, top gifts, decorate napkin rings, tote bags, wedding aisles, you name it.


You'll need some stiffened fabric pieces (see this post for the how to), a pencil, paper, scissors, needle, thread, buttons, and an iron.

With a pencil, sketch flower shapes on the back of your fabric pieces. You'll need three sizes of flowers, so make each one progressively larger. If you plan to make zillions of flowers, it might be good to draw yourself some paper templates to make your life easier. Don't worry about making perfect petals. This is a forgiving project.

Cut out each flower piece. Then pinch little creases between the petals, overlapping them very slightly to add dimension.

Press the creases with an iron. While each petal is still warm, roll the edges back to make a pretty petal shape. The fabric is very soft and pliable when it's warm, but after it cools a couple seconds, it's crisp again. If you're unsatisfied with a petal, just iron it again and reshape it.

Layer three flower shapes in graduated sizes, staggering the petals. Stitch them together with a button in the center.

I love how sturdy these are—crisp and flexible, all at the same time. They won't tear like paper, and they have a fabric texture. Nifty!

Fabric origami box tutorial

An origami box seemed like an easy project for testing yesterday's stiffened fabric. The material folded nicely, and pressing the creases with an iron as I went along made even sharper edges. In case elementary school was eons ago and you've forgotten how to make a simple origami box, here's a refresher.

Begin with two squares of stiffened fabric, one for the bottom and one for the lid. (Mine were 6" x 6.")

1. Mark the center of the square by folding the fabric into quarters or measuring. Bring each corner of the fabric to the center point and press the creases.

2. Bring one edge of the resulting square inward until it touches the center point and make a crease. Repeat with the other three sides.

You'll end up with four creases running through the square.

3. Open up the top and bottom triangular flaps, leaving the side flaps folded in. Then pinch the sides of the top flap inward.

4. Bring the point of the top flap over the "wall" you just made and press it down to the bottom of the box.

5. Repeat with the opposite flap. My box stayed folded all by itself, but you could add a couple dots of glue to secure the flaps if needed.

Make a lid for the box using the other piece of fabric. The lid will need to be slightly larger than the bottom, so when you get to step 2, don't fold all the way to the center point. Fold each side to a point a quarter inch short of the center.

Stitch a decoration to the lid if you're feeling fancy.

How to stiffen fabric

I've always wanted to experiment with stiffened fabric, so I picked up a bottle of the aptly named Stiffen Stuff at Michaels.

I sprayed both sides of a piece of quilting weight fabric until it was thoroughly wet. And then, because I'm an impatient girl who gets fed up with air drying, I laid the fabric on a paper towel and microwaved it for 30 seconds. It came out crisp like a sheet of paper! I pressed it for a couple seconds with an iron to smooth out any bumps, and voila.


Stay tuned for projects with stiffened fabric!

Updated project list:
Fabric origami box
Fabric flowers
Valentine heart garland
Fabric wall decals
Origami business card case

Wooden disks and Sharpies

I found wooden disks for ten cents at a craft store and decided to see how well Sharpies would write on them. The markers bled a bit, but by varying how hard I pressed, I could control the bleed somewhat. Applying the lighter colors before sketching any black lines works best, or else the black will bleed like a victim on CSI. Applying a light coat of spray acrylic before drawing also stops future bleeding, but it will turn the wood a couple shades darker.

DIY striped paper ornament

My Christmas tree needed more orange (of course), so I made this little thing. It appears to be a spaceship which has crashed into a circus tent. To make your own circus spaceship, you'll need two colors of regular paper, scissors, needle, thread, pencil, ruler, and two beads.

1. Cut the paper into strips that are 3.5" long and 0.5" wide. (This makes a small ornament about 3" in diameter.) Cut 9 strips of each color. Cut two 0.75" circles. Tracing around a penny works nicely.

2. Fold the paper strips in half. A crisp fold isn't needed; just a light crease will do.

3. String a bead onto a length of thread. Then push both ends of thread through the needle so the thread is doubled.

4. Poke the needle through one of the circles to string it next to the bead. Then string on all the paper strips near one end, alternating colors.

5. After all the paper strips are added, begin threading the opposite ends onto the string. To do this, start with the strip you put on first (the one next to the paper circle). Take its loose end and push the needle through it. Continue threading on the paper strips in order. They'll naturally begin to fan out as you go.

6. Add the second paper circle.

7. Pull the needle off the thread. Feed the bead onto one of the loose ends of thread, then tie both ends of thread in a knot to hold the bead on next to the circle. If your ornament hangs a little crooked, thread the needle again and push both ends of thread up through the underside of the bead and out through the top so both ends of thread emerge. Tie off a loop and hang that spaceship.

My ornament has a bit of a gap on one side where the papers meet at different levels. I'll put that toward the inside of the tree, and no one will be the wiser. You could also try stringing a piece of a drinking straw inside of the ornament to act as a spacer and help it keep its shape, as suggested by a smart commenter!

How to make 5-pointed paper snowflakes

Though no longer in elementary school, I still get a kick out of paper snowflakes. I made this snowflake garland the other night from origami paper, dental floss, and tape.

The second and third flakes in this garland are based on a 5-pointed star. Download the 5-point folding directions right here. I think they're easier to cut since there are fewer paper layers.

The first, fourth, and fifth flakes in the garland are based on 8 points. (Fold a square in half diagonally and keep halving it until it's nearly too thick to cut, then snip out small shapes ).

Here's an 8-pointer. Unfolding is my favorite part; it's practically as thrilling as bungee jumping. To get them nice and flat, iron your snowflakes with the steam setting turned off.

DIY modern paper ornament

I love spiky starburst shapes, so I attempted a version of the traditional Polish porcupine ball. Here's how to make this cool 3D ornament—great for Christmas or decorating any time. I can imagine jumbo sized versions hanging at parties or weddings. They take awhile, though, so you'd better start making them five years before you plan to get married.

You'll need: Paper, scissors, a circular object for a template, a ruler, pencil, needle, thread, rubber band, and glue.

1. Cut out ten paper circles, using a jar lid or CD for a template. (My circles are 5" in diameter. I stacked sheets of computer paper and cut out several circles at once.)

2. In each circle, cut eight evenly spaced slits toward the middle, stopping about a half inch from the center point.

3. With a pointed pen or sharp pencil, curl each tab into a cone and secure with a dot of glue. If you can pull off a tightly rolled perfect point, congratulations. I was running a little low on patience and settled for "sort of pointy," which I think also looks nice.

4. Cut two small pieces from a wide rubber band. These will hold the ornament together at each end.

5. Thread a needle and knot the ends of the thread together. String on one of the rubber band pieces.

6. Push the needle through the centers of five stars with their flat sides face down. Turn over the remaining five stars so their flat sides are facing up and thread them on, followed by the second rubber band piece.

7. With a chopstick or pencil, push down on the rubber band to compress the stars into a ball while pulling upward on the string with your other hand. The rubber should hold the stack together without requiring a knot. Adjust the paper cones as needed to make a pleasing shape.

8. Tie a loop in the thread for hanging if desired.

My coaster project at Design*Sponge

I've got a DIY tutorial up at Design*Sponge today: coasters made from vintage postage stamp images. A quick and easy handmade gift idea, perhaps? Click over to the site to get the instructions along with a printable PDF for making your own.

I should add: I wondered how colorfast these would be, so I soaked one in a bowl of water for an hour. No bleeding occurred. I've been using them for weeks now, and they still look good.

Pretty project tutorials

A handful of sweet items to sew or craft:
For Pleat's Sake tote at U-Handbag
Storage cube by Obsessively Stitching
DIY cardstock cupcake stand at Bird Crafts
Recycled roses wreath from Alisa Burke