Hi folks !
Its beginning to feel a lot like ......
Christmas decoration making time !!! yayy!
Well I'm been super busy with my lovely crochet snowflakes over the past week
(think I may even be able to crochet them in my sleep at this stage!)
and I love them soooo much thought I might just come up with an idea or two
to use them in other festive ways.
I've also been scheming of ways to use the ribbon I received from the lovely people
at
Abakhan through the tutorial exchange at
Totally Tutorials.
So here's a little tutorial I put together this morning for a
Country Style Mini Pillow Christmas Decoration With Ribbons & Crochet
(he! he! now that's a mouthful !) Its a super easy and fun little project - took me about half an hour
Here's what your going to need -
Some
yarn &
a crochet hook
Hessian or Burlap 2 pieces - mine were 7in x 9in
Some scraps of
Christmas Ribbon
Wadding or stuffing (I used some leftover stuffing from my scatter cushion)
Sewing needle &
thread
Lets get started !
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| 2 pieces of hessian (burlap) , mine were 7in wide x 9in high but you can use any size you fancy. |
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| Lay your Christmas ribbon down across one piece in a random pattern, pin it all down when your happy :) |
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| Pin about 4 inches of ribbon in the centre of the top of your burlap (this will be your hanger) |
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| Lay your pieces right sides together and whip out the machine & stitch all round the cushion leaving a 3 inch gap at the bottom for turning out and stuffing. |
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| I like to double stitch (go over it twice) as the weave is so open on the material) |
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| Trim the excess & trim your corners |
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| Now carefully remove all your pins & turn right side out , carefully push out the corners. |
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| Time for some Christmas Stuffing ( he he ! Couldn't resist! ) |
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| When your cushion is stuffed , hand sew the opening closed with coordinating thread. |
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| Ahhh! Now we're getting somewhere ! |
Next up the mini crochet snowflake...
'Whaaa!!' I hear you cry 'I can't crochet!!!'
Well that's why I'm here ! Its easy!!
Grab a crochet hook & some yarn you only need three stitches to make a snowflake -
Chain (C)
Slip Stitch (SS)
& heres where things get a little hairy! one more simple stitch called
Double Crochet (DC) (UK) or Single Crochet (SC) (USA)
You can learn how to make these 3 stitches
HERE,
HERE and
HERE
Got it ? Great then lets make a mini snowflake! ...
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| Chain 4 |
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| Join your chain with a slip stitch (ss) to form a loop. |
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| Working into the loop chain 2, 1 Double crochet (US- Single), Chain 3 |
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| 2 Double Crochet in the loop (as above) then chain 3 - do this 3 more times |
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| then SS into the 2nd chain of your initial ch 2. now you've formed a cute little 5 pointed star shape. |
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Slip stitch into the closest loop (formed by your chain 3 in the previous round) & do the following-
DC, Chain 3, DC, Chain 5, DC, Chain 3, DC |
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Now move onto the next loop and do it all again !
DC, Chain 3, DC, Chain 5, DC, Chain 3, DC
Continue in each of the 5 loops ... |
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SS into the base of your first DC and hey presto ! Your done !!
You can at this point block your crochet snowflake if you like. The difference between blocking & not blocking is demonstrated in the photo of a larger snowflake below - the snowflake on the right has been blocked. |
& this is how you do it - pin your snowflake open on a folded towel (I use some foam behind my towel to save the table). Spray with water or a spray starch & then leave to dry. Its a simple as that !
Sew that critter on to the front of your mini cushion & wayyy hey!!
Your done ! Now all you've to do is decide where to hang your creation !
It will look great hanging on a door handle or on a hook and what a lovely Christmas gift it would make !
Thank you for visiting & do come back soon !
Love Siubhan x x x
