DIY POUF

 This spring, I finally bought myself a sewing machine to rekindle those skills I learned long ago from home ec class and from my grandmother. I had been intimidated by the thought of all their is to learn, but after I saw the adorable and affordable IKEA machine, I decided it's now or never. I learned that you don't have sew completely perfect lines for your project to turn out!

My first big project was this pouf idea I had pinned long ago, with the tempting free pattern from Better Homes and Gardens. My feet longed to be propped up in my reading corner slouching in my leather chair, but being big on thrift, I refused to pay the $100 price tags I had seen in stores for foot poufs. I am so proud of my results-the best part is that it only cost me about $15 to make!

Here's how I made my foot pouf: 

I followed this tutorial from BHG

I scored some sturdy cotton upholstery fabric for only $2 in a cream color that I decided to PAINT, yes PAINT with yellow latex paint. I just rolled it on each panel before sewing with a paint roller and let dry. It actually makes the fabric feel more like suede than just cotton, but if I ever did it again, I'd paint the fabric AFTER sewing because it was quite thick to sew through (but still doable).

The project is so affordable because it says to use an old clean bedsheet as the second lining for the panels, and to stuff the pouf with old towels, blankets, etc. It saved me a trip to donating old things to the thrift store! Get this, I actually repurposed some 2 liter plastic bottles in there to fill up space. No one would ever know!

To finish, you just fill in the outermost parts with soft fiberfill for evening out the appearance of the pouf.  The hardest part about this project was the embroidery part-I guess I could have done without it, but it makes it look so tailored that way. You just have to measure between stitches and practice the stitch. Using a curved upholstery needle helped too!

As you can see, the pouf is great for tickling little toddlers on...and propping up the feet! My corner is so much more cozy and bright. So glad I tackled this big project and refreshed my sewing skills!  I am excited to try some of these fun projects from my Pinterest page: Sewing Skills

Linking up with some of these parties! 

DIY 3 Layered Fabric Pouf Brooch

I have been loving those little fabric pouf brooch/hair clip duo's I've been seeing in stores lately and was determined to figure out how to make one of my own, so I searched the internet high and low and found a few tutorials that helped me create my own version.

I also took a trip to this great non-profit art supply place called Scrap 4 Art, that will let you fill up a big bag of donated items for $6. They have lots of fabric scraps there, so I was happy to fill up a bag bring them to life again.

I'm excited to show you  my version of the pouf using three types of fabric to add color and texture.

Before you get started, you need to know that this project is not hard, but took me about 2 hours to do, so plan ahead!

Here's what you'll need:

1. two fabrics of your choice (I used one cotton vintage patterned and one polyester solid)
2.  tulle
3. thread
4. sewing needle
5. traceable object (like a jar lid)
6. sewing scissors
7. brooch pin back
8. glue gun
9. marker

Trace four circles on the fabric you want the base to be.

    Cut them out!

    Fold each base circle in half, then in half again.

   Pinch each circle at the corner, then sew a stitch through one corner at a time, connecting each corner with the thread. Knot in place.

   Now it's time to trace circles onto your top fabric. The amount will vary, but I used about 15-20 circles.

 Cut the circles out.

Fold them in half and in half again, repeating the same process as above. Pinch one corner at a time for the next step.

 Next, hold each pinched corner of the folded circle and make one stitch through the entire brooch into the corner. Stitch again, all the way through connecting circles in the same way until the pouf looks tight enough. 

    Next, I cut out about 8 strips of tulle about 5 inches long, knotting them in the center.

    Place the knotted center in between the two different colored fabric pieces and sew a stitch all the way through, repeating this process all the way around the circle with tulle strips until tulle evenly covers the pouf.     

If you want to make your tulle curl up a little and look vintage like mine, hold the ends of the tulle carefully about 6 inches above a lit candle. They will start to curl up pretty fast, so start further away from the flame and slowly warm them. And watch those fingers! 

If you want to see a picture of how I did this with some other fabric brooches I made this summer, click here.

And here is the finished 3 layered brooch! 

                 

                 

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