Embroidering

Christmas Corner - Advent Tree

After a week of talking about it, via the Advent Tree Kit Giveaway, we are now sharing the directions and patterns so you can make your own. The Advent Tree is yet another variation of the Christmas Tree Applique Block. Oh so long ago, we talked about all the various ways the basic applique blocks could be used. So far we've used the Christmas Tree Applique Block to make the applique, a Christmas card, our Wooden Pine Forest and now, enlarged 325%, our Advent Tree. We do have a couple of other projects we will be doing over the next couple of weeks using the Christmas Tree Applique Block.

But for now, you can make this heirloom Advent Calendar, which literally, could be in your family for generations. The directions list the felt and floss I used. Julie, at Prairie Point Junction, has put together a kit with the exact amount of felt, floss and wooden buttons you will need. She also has some of the other items you will need for making your Advent Tree. Although the project itself isn't a "massive" project, like a quilt, if you are new to crafting or pressed for time, you'll want to start right away to have it done in time for Christmas.

So, without further ado... the pattern and directions for the Advent Tree can be found HERE or with our FREE patterns. Enjoy!

Submitted by Kimara on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 21:29
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Woodland Mushroom Applique Block

Grandpa John was a "mushroomer". Now, I'm sure there is some specific term for those individuals lured into the forest to track down and harvest wild mushrooms, but I don't know it. Frankly, our family just called it "crazy". It's not that we didn't love mushrooms. We had them in gravies and on pizza, and sauteed with onions and butter, which we slathered over steak. Personally, I'd put mushrooms in my oatmeal if it didn't gross out the people eating with me! But my parents and Grandma Pearl did not trust Grandpa's ability to discern between edible mushrooms and those that would envoke certain death. 

So, for Grandpa John, "mushrooming" was a solitary event. He'd go off into the forest, pushing fallen leaves around with a long stick, until he unearthed the prize he sought. The only time I'd ever seen Grandpa John cook anything, was on his return treks from the forest, when he jubilantly displayed his booty. Because Grandma Pearl was always certain that the mushrooms he collected were poison, and she had no intention of assisting a suicide, she'd stand back, with her arms crossed, as Grandpa washed his mushrooms, sliced some onion, and sauteed them in liberal amounts of butter. The aroma was intoxicating. I longed to join Grandpa John, as he sat down at the table, consuming forkful after forkful of his potentially life robbing delicacy. 

And, after surviving yet another "mushrooming" experience, Grandma Pearl would always say, "You were lucky this time, John". And, as Grandpa John made his way to his Lazy Boy recliner, to nap after a morning in the woods and a sated belly, he'd smile. I was never sure if the smile was for the euphoric gastronomic experience he just had or if he, in some small part, didn't believe he had robbed death, yet again!

At this time of year, when the forests smell woodsy and damp, I think of Grandpa John and his jaunts into the forest, looking for edible mushrooms... and I hope there are tons of wild mushrooms in Heaven!

As always, this Woodland Mushroom Applique Block was made to fit a 6" x 6" block, but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. Directions for the Woodland Mushroom Applique Block can be found HERE or with our FREE Appliques. Enjoy (Grandpa John!)

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

Submitted by Kimara on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 09:52
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Advent Tree

Counting down the days until Christmas is a tradition shared by many Christian families. Our simple Advent Tree with a star meandering up the tree, will help your family celebrate the season. This is sure to become an heirloom, eliciting memories of Christmases past as the years go by. Merry Christmas to all!

Finished Size: 24" x 28"

This project was our 2009 Holiday Giveaway. Julie, over at Prairie Point Junction, graciously provided kits containing felt, floss and buttons for 2 lucky winners. She also carries fabric and batting for completing the project. Check out her site. It is wonderful!

NOTE ABOUT MATERIALS: I am providing 2 different felt requirements. First, I list amounts actually required for cutting out your pieces. Second, in parentheses, I'll give the yardage if buying from a bolt. This yardage will give you enough fabric to allow for shrinkage, if you are buying wool blend felt, and you want to prewash your fabric to give it a more 100% wool look. I did not wash my fabric. The lines are "crisper" without washing, which is the effect I wanted. Refer to Prairie Point Junction's directions for prewashing wool blended felt if you chose that option. 

I am also giving the name and # of the colors of the felt and embroidery floss I used for making this project. My felt and embroidery floss came from Wool Felt Central over at Prairie Point Junction. The colors refer to National Nonwovens "WoolFelt" and the floss is DMC.

Materials Needed:
Felt:
tree - pea soup WCF0729
18" X 20" (2/3 yard)

snow and star - white WCF1100
8" x 20" AND 4" x 8" (1/3 yard)

background - grandma's garnet TOY0986
20" x 24" (2/3 yard) 

Floss:
1 or 2* skeins white
1 or 2* skeins 221
1 skein 471
(*1 skein of floss JUST barely completed the project. If you waste any thread, add more snowflakes, or decide you want to stitch around the tree, you will want to get 2 skeins of  white and #221 floss.)

Borders:
1/2 yard printed light to medium weight fabric for borders (I bought my fabric from a large chain crafting store. I do not have info on the fabric to share. Julie, at Prairie Point Junction, picked out a few fabrics from her shop that go well with the felt colors I selected, if you are interested.)

Backing:
1 yard backing (You can use the same print as the border. I bought a cheaper solid fabric.)

Batting:
30" x 36" thin batting (cotton, cotton/poly blend, or wool)

Buttons:
25 1" wooden buttons (available at Prairie Point Junction)

Paint:
Acrylic paints for buttons (I used 3 colors. You can paint them all the same or many colors)
Paint for numbers (I used a Sharpie Paint - Metallic Gold, fine point for mine)
Mod Podge for sealing painted buttons

Other:
Disappearing ink fabric marker 
3 round plastic rings for sewing on the back to hang Advent Tree on Wall
Thread in matching colors to buttons, to sew on buttons

Pattern (You will need 1 pattern and 1 stitching guide)
pattern  which will need to be enlarged 325% (See pattern note below.)
-OR-
print the 16 page PDF which has already been enlarged (See pattern note below.)
1 copy stitching guide.(Not used for cut outs but as a guide for stitches used and placement.)

NOTE ABOUT PATTERN: This pattern is based on our Christmas Tree Applique Block. To make the Advent Tree you must enlarge the pattern 325%. There are several ways to do this. First, grid and enlarge design. (Google search for technique) Second, take the pattern to a printer to enlarge. (Note: Use the pattern provided here NOT the Christmas Tree Applique Block. Changes have been made.) There are many large chains that do this. For example: Staples said to bring in a copy of the PDF and ask for them to either "Blow this up to 28 x 40" or "Blow this up 325%". Either will work. It comes out on a plotter and costs about $4. The advantage is the pattern is on one piece of paper. The third option is to print our 16 page pdf. You will need to tape the pages together. Bits of the border edges are missing but you should be able to easily draw in the missing lines... plus it saves you $4! (Note: Each printer is set a little different. If you cannot get the 16 page PDF to line up, you will need to use one of the other 2 methods.)
 

DIRECTIONS (Note: Cutting instructions are given as needed.)

Stitching the Appliqued Tree:

1] Enlarge pattern in one of the above methods. Cut out all the pattern pieces.

2] Cut out felt pieces as follow:

1 - 20" x 24" for background (grandma's garnet)
1 snow bed (white) 
2 stars (white)
1 tree (pea soup)

3] Following the stitching guide, place snow on background. Using 6 strands of white floss, blanket stitch the snow to the background along the upper edge of the snow. Using 3 stands of white floss, sew the remaining 3 sides to the background using a running stitch. This stitch should be about 1/4" from the edges.

4] Place the tree over the snow and background. The base of the tree should be approximately 2" from the bottom edge and centered side to side. Pin in place. Using 6 strands of #471 floss, blanket stitch the tree to the background and snow.

5] Position pattern piece A over tree top. Trace the bottom of pattern piece A on the tree using a disappearing marker. Now, position pattern piece B over the tree, matching sides. Trace the bottom of pattern piece B on the tree using a disappearing marker. This will create your stitching line for the tree's tiers.

6] Using 3 strands of #471 floss, sew along the 2 tier lines using a running stitch.

7] To make the star, sew the 2 pieces of the star together with a blanket stitch using 6 strands of white floss. 

8] To make the button hole: Place your 1" button in the middle of the star. Using a disappearing marker, trace around the button. Draw a straight line with the disappearing marker that bisects the middle of the circle you just drew. Extend the line 1/8" on either edge of the circle.

9] Using very sharp scissors or a razor, cut along the STRAIGHT line. This will be the button hole.

10] Using a running stitch, baste around the button hole, going through both layers of the star. Baste should be about 1/2" away from the opening. Blanket stitch around the entire button hole using 3 strands of white floss with your stitches very close together. Make sure to add a couple of stitches at either end of the buttonhole. Remove basting.

Adding Borders with Mitered Corners:
 
Mitered corners are not an "ish" technique. Straight seams, beginning and ending at the appropriate spot are necessary to turn out a professional looking corner. Mitered corners are not hard, taken step by step, but take the time to be accurate. It is time well spent!

1] Cut 4 border strips: each 4" by the entire width of the fabric. (44")

2] To start, take a border piece. Center the border piece on a long side of the appliqued piece, with right sides together. Pin in place. On the wrong side of the border fabric, make a line even with the edge of the applique piece. Then draw a line 1/2" in from the previous line. Do this to the other end of the border.These will be the starting and stopping points of your seam.

3] Sew your seam. Make sure you do not cross the start and stop line. This is very important. Attach the border on the opposite side in the same fashion.

4] Iron your seams. Normally, when making mitered corners, I iron my seams open. When using felt and a lighter weight material, however, I do not iron the seam open, rather, I let the felt lay flat. Note: Make sure your iron is not too hot or you may shrink the felt.

5] To attach the 2 remaining borders, start by pinning the borders you just sewed on out of your way.

6] Center a border piece on a short side of the appliqued piece, with right sides together. Pin in place. On the wrong side of the border, make a line on both ends of your new strip following the seam line of the previous border. This will be your start and stop lines for stitching. Sew along the seam line and press seam. (It is better to stop 1 stitch before the start and stop pins than go over them, which will cause your corners to pucker.) Iron. Do the same to the other side. All 4 borders will now be attached.

7] It is now time to "square up" your corners. To do this, lay your work on a flat surface. Smooth down your borders. Pin them in place. At this point your border ends will extend beyond a square corner. Following the outside edge of the border, cut off the excess fabric. Flip project over and trim the other side of the corner following the other exposed outside edge of the border.

8] To sew a corner together, remove the pins, turn your work over and separate the two border pieces.

9] Pin the two border ends with right sides together. Make sure you do not catch the applique piece while you pin. Notice how I used a teal colored pin to pin the applique piece out of the way. Draw a line from the outside corner to your stitching line. This is a 45 degree angle. Place pins along this line.

10] Sew along this diagonal line. IMPORTANT: Make sure you do not over sew your stitching line. If you sew even 1 stitch beyond, it will cause your corner to pucker. You are better to stop a stitch short of the stitching line.
11] Trim away excess material. Iron the seam open.
12] If your corner is not perfectly square, lay a straight edge along the seam, and using a rotary cutter, even out the corner. If you did everything right to this point, it should only be a very minor adjustment.

13] You have now mitered a corner. Do the same to the other 3 corners.

Sewing the wall hanging together:

1] Create a sandwich by laying your backing material down first with wrong side up. Now add a piece of thin batting. Finally, place your complete Advent Tree on the top, with the right side showing.
 
2] Trim away excess batting and backing.

3] Carefully remove the top applique piece from the batting and backing. It may be helpful to chose a corner, and put a pin in the backing and another on the applique piece so when it's time to pin the pieces together, you are sure to get the same corners together. This is important because you applique piece may not be a perfect rectangle. (Stuff happens, right?) When you cut out the pieces together, you made the backing, batting and applique piece exactly the same shape. You will want to make sure when you sew them together, you are putting them together in the same way you cut them out. Pin all three layers together with the right sides of the backing and applique piece together and the batting on top. Pin the four sides of the Advent Tree together.

4] Using a 1/2" seam, sew the four sides, leaving a 4" opening on one side.

5] Trim the corners and turn the piece right side out.

6] Iron the seam flat.
7] Using a ladder stitch, sew the opening closed. 


Finishing the Advent Calendar:

1] Following the stitching guide, sew a running stitch on the felt, using 3 strands of floss, 1/4" away from the border seam line. If desired, sew a running stitch on the background, around the tree. (If you do, you will need 2 skeins of #221 floss.) I used white floss on white felt and #221 floss on red felt.

2] Following the stitching guide, French Knot "snow" using 6 strands of white floss, wrapping your needle 6 times. The stitching guide has my placement of the snowflakes, but obviously, add as many or as few flakes as you'd like! (You may chose to do another stitch resembling larger snowflakes. If you do, you will need 2 skeins white floss.)

3] Apply 2 coats of paint to wooden buttons. Allow to dry. NOTE: The fronts of my 1" wooden buttons (The kind available from Prairie Point Junction) are ridged. I chose to use the backside which were flatter.

4] When dry, use a paint marker to number the buttons 1 - 25. NOTE: My buttons have 2 holes. I sewed them on the tree so the holes were on top of one another, not side to side. I painted the numbers on so the "ones" were to the right of the holes and the "tens" were to the left of the holes.

5] After the paints have dried, seal with 1 coat of Mod Podge.  

6] Following the stitching guide, sew buttons to the tree, going through all layers.

7] Finally, turn the Advent Tree over. 1" from the top, and 1" from the side, space 3 plastic rings. Sew them on. (Note: Only sew them to the backing. You do not want this stitching visible on the front.) To hang the Advent Tree, push 3 straight pins in the wall where you would like to hang the Advent Tree, and loop your rings over the pin heads. This should be all you need to support your Advent Tree.

You are now done with the Advent Tree! To use, on December 1, button your star to the  number 25. As each day passes, move your star up the tree, counting down the days to Christmas. Christmas morning your star will be on the number 1 and the top of the tree!
 

Hoping your Christmas is filled with Joy and Peace!

 

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

Submitted by Kimara on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 12:12
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Advent Tree Kit Giveaway!!!

EDIT: The Giveaway is Closed. Thanks to everyone that entered!

My Busha use to say, "If you haven't gotten half your day's work done by 10:30 a.m., you'll never get it all done." Well, it's 10:30 folks, in a metaphorical Christmasy kind of way. So, we are doing an early Christmas Giveaway BECAUSE, you simply can't wait to the day before Christmas to make an Advent Calendar!

Our Advent Tree is yet another variation of our basic Christmas Tree Applique Block. The pattern has been enlarged 325%... sounds crazy, right? Why 325%? I guess that is some industry standard, but there will be more discussion about that in our directions. For the time being suffice to say, the finished Advent Tree is 24" x 28". There are painted wood buttons that meander up the tree. A wool felt star moves its way up the buttons on the tree to count-down the days to Christmas.

NOW... about the Giveaway. We are beyond excited that we are partnering with the awesome folks over at PRAIRIE POINT JUNCTION on the Giveaway. They have graciously provided 2 kits for us to Giveaway. Totally, generous, right? We certainly think so! AND, Julie, at Prairie Point Junction, has put together kits to make additional Advent Trees and a has a lovely little surprise. But more on that in a minute.

There are several ways to enter this Giveaway:
1] Post a comment here (be sure to fill in your name... nicknames are fine).
2] Link to us through your blog, FaceBook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. Post additional comments (one for each link). Make sure to include linking info.
3] Then, head over to Prairie Point Junction, visit their blog, and leave a big, juicy THANK YOU to Julie and her crew, then run back here and tell us you did, and yep, another chance to win!

The contest will run from today, Wednesday, November 4 through Tuesday, November 10, at 9:00 p.m. EST when 2 lucky winners will be chosen at random. After the winners are announced, the directions for the Advent Tree will be available online.

Additionally... if it is possible you haven't been to Prairie Point Junction yet, it's high time you did! Since I discovered them over a year ago, they have been my primary supplier of felt and other supplies. Here's a little bit more about them PLUS yet another kind offer.

Julie at Prairie Point Junction, home of www.woolfeltcentral.com , has put together a kit with the supplies you'll need to make your own Advent Tree. Wool Felt Central stocks 78 colors of National Nonwoven's Wool Felt for all your crafting needs. They also have a wide selection of patterns for penny rugs, pillows, ornaments, faux foods, and anything you can imagine. Wee Folk Art readers can take advantage of a special offer - use coupon code FOLKARTTREE to take 20% off any regular priced order placed through December 26th.

Good luck to one and all. We consider ourselves blessed to have made so many wonderful friends here at Wee Folk Art, and this is our way of sending some Peace, Joy and Love your way this Christmas Season!

Submitted by Kimara on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 10:29
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Cattail Applique Block - Or how to Avoid Pre-mature Christmasing!


I don't know about anyone else, but this time of year poses a real problem for me. Every fiber of my being wants to embrace Christmas. I want to listen to Dean Martin singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and on that same note, lame as it is, I want to watch Will Ferrell's "Elf". I want to pack away all my Thanksgiving decorations with the Halloween ones, and start sneaking out stars and angels, evergreens and mangers. I want the absolutely joy instilling, peace invoking feeling of the Christmas season!

But, I stop myself. Although the Christmas Season officially opens for me when the last vestiges of our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party are  packed away, I've learned from experience, that if I pull out Christmas too soon, including the music, the Holiday itself can feel anti-climatic. Also, if not EVERYONE in your family has the same obsession with Christmas, they are apt to mutiny, and throw you, and all the Christmas trimmings overboard before Thanksgiving!

So, I've learned to bide my time. One of the ways to combat my impulses, is to throw in at least a couple more Thanksgiving and autumn crafts during the month of November. They can't be anything too big, because I AM crafting for Christmas, but it does help keep me in the moment. To that end, I'd like to share an applique block that I totally and completely love! Our Cattail Applique Block is more detailed than many of our other applique blocks, but it is fun to make and absolutely beautiful when completed. As always, it was made to fit a 6" x 6" block, but can be reduced or enlarged to meet your needs. The pattern for the Cattails Applique Block can be found HERE or with our FREE Applique Patterns. Enjoy... and if Christmas is tugging at your heartstrings, focus on Giving Thanks for the next few weeks!

NOTE: The stitch on the cattail stem is called a whipped stem stitch. It is not in our glossary yet but to make one... embroider a stem stitch first using 6 strands of floss. When you are done, whip stitch over the stem stitch, using 6 strands of floss, without going through the fabric below. Basically, you are wrapping the stem stitch. Michelle will include this stitch in our glossary later!

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

Submitted by Kimara on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 08:45
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