Faux Taxidermy tutorial and stitch-a-long

Welcome to Cupcake Cutie's first Faux Taxidermy Stitch-a-long!

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

In my Etsy store I sell a range of Faux taxidermy hand sewing patterns. They are pdfs and instant downloads so you can print them out and get sewing straight away.

They are really easy to follow patterns with lots of photos and diagrams so perfect for beginners.

I know many of you from instagram and facebook have said you have already purchased patterns but are a bit nervous about getting started. This stitch-a-long is designed to give you a boost (or a kick up the backside!) and get you stitching. YOU CAN DO IT....no really you can.

WHO ARE WE SEWING FIRST?

Our first stitch-a-long pattern is going to be....... Frankie the Fox...

...he is a lovely chap, quite amenable and a nice easy one to begin with.

Now don't fret because I am going to be sewing right along with you. I will be walking you through all the steps as we sew Frankie and I will be sharing photos and any helpful hints I can think of along the way.

We will complete the Fox over a series of  blog posts so you can go at your own pace. Best of all you can ask questions in the comments section of each blog post if you get stuck.

WANT TO JOIN THE STITCH-A-LONG?

You don't have to sign up to join the stitch-a-long but you will need to grab the pattern which you can find HERE.

WHEN DO WE START?

The first Cupcake Cutie Stitch-a-long begins very soon so grab you pattern, felt and craft supplies and stay tuned as we will be starting around mid February 2016. Be sure to follow me on instagram or facebook so you don't miss details on when the first stitch-a-long tutorial begins.

In the meantime if you have any questions please let me know via comments or social media.

Kim
xxx

FELT FOOD TUTORIAL: SANDWICH

I am really enjoying making all this felt food and have had so much fun playing with this sandwich!

The found the fabulous sandwich pattern on pinterest and it is from the lovely Tania of Myrtle & Eunice so if you want to make one of your own you can find the tutorial here where there is a link to the templates. She also has a full tutorial to follow too.

I will show you what I have done with mine.....

BREAD
I followed the original instructions .....I didn't have a thick foam though so I cut 3 pieces of thin wadding for each piece of bread. Also I didn't have a long enough piece of felt for the crust strips so had to cut two strips and join them together.

I used 3 strands of brown floss and started blanket stitching a crust onto one side of the bread...

Just before I got to the end of stitching on the first piece of crust I stopped and lined up the second piece of crust with a little overlapping, pinned and carried on stitching...

....until all joined up...

Then start stitching on the other side of the bread.....

...then about half way round put your stuffing in and then continuing blanket stitch around....and too cute 2 slices of bread!

CHEESE
I cut 2 pieces instead of one because my felt is acrylic and a bit thin and I could just see the kids having tug of war over it and the cheese coming off second best. So I used blanket stitch and stitched the 2 pieces together including the inside of the holes and now it child ready!

 

LETTUCE

Ditto with the lettuce I cut two pieces and used running stitch for the detail and then blanket stitched the 2 pieces together. Here is the front....

...and here is the back....

FRIED EGG
This one is nice and easy and a great one to start with with if you are new to hand sewing.
There is no pattern for this as such. Use your lettuce size as a guide and freehand an egg shape onto card, cut and trace 2 egg whites onto white felt and then just cut a circle of yellow felt.

Pin your yolk to one of the egg white pieces and whip stitch it on using 2 strands of matching yellow floss. Stitch 3/4 of the way around and then stuff with a little polyfill and then stitch closed.

Next just blanket or whip stitch this onto the second egg white...done!

TOMATO
I followed the original instructions sort of...I just cut two piece of felt for each tomato slice and cheated by only stitching the segment detail onto one side.....

Then just blanket stitched the two sides together......

Then put all your bits together and you have a scrummy sandwich!

Or two scrummy open sandwiches.....

Or two scrummy open sandwiches and a fried egg!

It really is quite fun to play with, I can't wait for my son to see it - he will love it!

Next up I am going to make a felt sandwich bag to keep all the pieces together. Then after that it will be biscuits and cupcakes. I have just under a month to get it all done plus overhaul the picnic basket itself and make all tablecloth and napkins etc

Hmmmm if only there were 8 days in a week!

Benny the Bunny...embroidery hoop art tutorial

Meet Benny the Bunny...isn't he the cutest!

Benny the happy bunny



I finished stitching him last night and framed him up today. I find if I don't frame projects straight away then they have a tendency to slip quietly into the 'unfinished project abyss'.

For me framing has to be simple and effective and able to be completed during a certain child's very short nap time!

So I thought I would share with you my hoop framing process...it is very easy, I promise!

Here are a few bits you will need...

... heavy cardboard ,scissors, fabric marker, pencil, piece of felt....and maybe double sided tape.

Grab the inside ring of your embroidery hoop and trace along the inside edge onto heavy card - I like to use nappy boxes as they are plentiful and sturdy....nobody needs to know there is a picture of Tigger on the back of it!

Trace around the card you have just cut out onto a piece of felt with a fabric marker or ballpoint pen and cut out. (The step is optional...read down to the end of the tutorial to see if you require the felt).

Next I added double sided tape around the outer edge of the inner hoop...this step is optional....I like it as it helps keep the fabric tight but skip this step it if you think you will want to remove your stitching from the hoop one day.

Depending on the width of your double sided tape you may need to fold it slightly over the edge which is fine as it helps stick the fabric.

Next flip your stitching to the back...and yes I am sprung, I am not a tidy stitcher at the back...I tie knots and leap from one area to another but shhhhhhh nobody needs to know.

Place your hoop sticky side down (if you are using tape) and position it to suit your picture.

Next I flip it over and loosely add the outer hoop just to check I have 'Benny' in the correct spot. And I am happy so I straighten my outer hoop and tighten up the screw at the top.

Next trim around off excess fabric all the way around leaving an inch or two to play with.

Delve into your embroidery floss stash to find some thread...as you can see my floss is neatly ordered and numbered (not!).....and I find a strong cup of coffee always helps with framing!

Using 3 strands of any colour cotton tie a nice big fat knot in the end and start a running/gathering stitch.

Stitch all the way around, pulling and gathering lightly as you go...

When you get to the start again tie a nice firm knot.

Lay the cardboard over the back and centre it...



Now the trick is to apply gentle pressure and squish (this is the technical term) the cardboard into the back....it needs to be a tightish fit so the cardboard won't fall out.

And you are done.........

.......or if you would like a slightly fancier finish and to hide the cardboard....

......centre the felt circle over the back and whip stitch it to the fabric.

Apologies for my bad cutting and dubious photography skills in the latter pictures!



Free pattern/tutorial: Felt Russian Doll softie

Sew your own Mini Russian Doll....

This is a great quick project that can make use of all your felt scraps and left over embroidery floss.

I usually make about 3 dolls at a time using similar colours that way I don't have to keep rethreading the needles all the time.

If you think you will use the pattern more than once I would recommend cutting the pattern pieces out in cardboard to make for easy tracing again and again.

You will need:

The pattern which you can download HERE
Scraps of felt
Embroidery floss - assorted colours
Needle
Sharp scissors
Fading fabric marker

Lets get started.....

Here I have chosen 4 colours of felt and cut out 3 dolls alternating colours for the various pieces. Then I have mixed and matched bodies and flowers etc until I am happy with the combinations - I am quite a fan of random.

For most stitching I have used 2 strands of thread.

Start by whip stitching the centre of the flower to the flower - use either the same colour of contrasting thread.

Next whip stitch the flower to the tummy circle...

Then stitch hair to the face...

Draw on a face with fading fabric marker...

Stitch face details using back stitch...

Next position and pin the face onto the head scarf and stitch the top of the hair on. Then stitch the bottom of tha face on...

 Then pin the scarf/face to the body and stitch the bottom of the scarf on...

Position the tummy flower into the middle of the body and use a running stitch around the edge...

Pin front of body to back of body and using 3 strands of contrasting floss blanket stitch around the edge (if blanket stitch is a bit tricky try using a whip stitch). Remember to leave about a 1" stuffing gap at the side.

Fill with stuffing of your choice like polyfill or cotton balls. Don't stuff too tightly...

Then continue sewing up with blanket stitch and she is done!

Here is my daughter when I gave her a doll....she doesn't look so impressed!

If you don't fancy making your own doll I have listed the three dolls shown in my Etsy store here

Mushroom Felt Needlebook: free pattern + tutorial

Hand stitch your own mushroom needlebook!

I thought it was time for another tutorial so here goes...

Click here to find the pattern. Print it on an A4 sheet of paper, cut out pieces and trace onto card to make the pieces easier to use.

You will need:
Green, pink, red & white felt.
Green, pink, red & white embroidery floss.
Sharp scissors
Pinking shears
Pins
Embroidery needle
Fading fabric marker

Step 1

Step 1:

Cut 2 x outside in green felt with scissors.
Cut 1 x inside in pink felt with pinking shears.
Cut 1 x outside square in pink felt with pinking shears.
Cut 1 x mushroom top in red felt.
Cut 1 x mushroom stem in white felt.
Cut 1 x grass in green felt.
Cut 4 x circles in white felt - random sizes!

Step 2

Step 2:
Lay the pink inside piece on top of one of the green outside pieces and using your fading fabric pen mark the middle then pin either side of the centre.

Step 3

Step 3:
Using 3 strands of embroidery floss use a running stitch to attach the two together

Step 4

Step 4:
Using 2 strands of white floss whip stitch the dots onto the mushroom top ina random fashion!

Step 5:

Step 5:
Lay out the mushroom pieces onto the front square and pin down the white stem only.

Step 6:

Step 6:
Using 2 strands of white floss whip stitch the stem in place.

Step 7

Step 7:
Using 2 strands of respective matching floss whip stitch the remaining elements into place.

Step 8

Step 8:
Take the other outside green piece and fold in half. Position the pink front piece int the centre and pin into place.

Step 9

Step 9:
Using 3 strands of green floss use a running stitch to attach the pink felt to the green felt.

Step 10

Step 10:
Take the two completed green outside pieces and place them wrong side together.

Step 11

Step 11:
Using 3 strands of pink floss blanket stitch the back and front together.

Step 12

Step 12:
On the inside position the 2 pieces of the dome and stitch into place ensuring to only stitch through one layer of felt!

Close the dome and stick a needle in and you are done!
No more stray needles down the side of your couch anymore.