eCrafting a Ball for Baby

 

Happy Holidays!

I can’t wait to share this with you! I am in love with what my eCraft cutting system can do! I give it some commands and it helps me make the most beautiful of gifts! I love this beautiful baby soft ball and with the eCraft, and Design by Pink Stamps I created a gift worth of any “ baby boutique.”

I first created the pattern for my ball. I used Sure-Cuts-A-Lot software for my design. I will share this with you on my blog. I was able to get three cuts on each 12 x 12 cloth sheet.

]

I played with the placement and finally decided to put the “football” shapes one on tope of the other for maximum size and space.

See how smooth the cut!
Now for my secret formula…LOL!

Settings:

• pressure 3.5
• cap on
• used vegetable cutting sheet stabilizer
• blade cap on
• I also checked my blade cap for lint or debris as well.
• I used no tabs

I base my cut out success with a simply guideline. I use quilting weight woven fabric and starch it and iron it twice. I then cut Reynolds's freezer paper in 12 x 12 squares and iron these on one side of the fabric. I then use painter’s tape to hold this to a plastic veggie chopping sheet. I also always cut a dummy sheet first just to see my placement. I have less waste this way.

The stitching is very easy. I sew two pieces together then I fit one inside of the other and sew them together. I left a small hole in one of the side seams for stuffing. I used a hand stitch to close this after the stuffing is complete. I just stuff it to my personal choice.

I used poly fiber fill or batting for this application. You can buy it in the sewing section of most major chain stores. I used a stick to help push the fibers into the ball.

See how nicely it is shaping up!

For my gift tag, I decided to use my Pink by Design stamp. This Cardinal is so sweet. I stamped her on a piece cardstock and used my Prismacolor pencils to highlight this beautiful design.

I used metallic thread to stitch the cardstock to a green felt tag. and used some ribbon to adore my new gift!

 

Here it is without all of the trimmings it is pretty and not tiny either it measures about eight inches.

By the way I am not finished with my gifting ideas yet! Join me next week for another great gift idea! Thank you to Design by Pink for the beautiful stamps used in my projects! I love the way we work together!

Week 9 - eCrafting A Simple Gift Bag with Peek-a-boo Window

 

With the Holidays coming soon, I am always looking for ways to make those who make my life easier feel special! So for my mail carrier, hair dresser, and even my bank teller, I have a star laden gift bag, to let them know that they mean so much to me!

My eCraft makes the cutting so easy! I love my DesignByPink Stamps for embellishing as well! So let’s get started building this holiday bag!

This bag looks hard but it really is very easy. I bought some linen at my favorite JoAnn’s Fabric and Craft Store. I quickly cut strips of five and half inches by eighteen inches. I decided to cut the window on my eCraft Cutting System. First I quickly put a square on my eCraft Pro Software to send to my cutter.

Supplies:

• Woven Fabric ; such as linen or muslin
• thread for stitching and a decorative thread for embellishing
• Pink by Design Stamps for embellishing
• star laden transparent fabric or your choice for peek-a-boo window.
• markers for stamp art.
• ribbon for pulls
• basic sewing machine
• safety pin and straight pins
• painters tape

 

I used freezer paper on both sides of the fabric and also starched the fabric before applying the freezer paper. I also pinned the long end so that it would not get caught on anything. My machines settings were pressure 3.5, cap on, no tabs. I used the veggie cutting sheet as a stabilizer.

I then cut the corners of the square with diagonal cuts to make the 1/4 inch fold to sew back to make the window.

I then put my 4 x 4 transparent fabric over the window. I pinned the edges and took to the sewing machine.

While my bag was inside out I stamped my wreath image and colored it so that I could see it through the transparent material.

I love the effect that I got from it. I folded up the casing for the drawstring.  I sewed a channel for the ribbon to go into.

Before turning right side out clip the corners of the bottom of the bag off so that you get a sharp corner.

The ribbon pull is easy. Take two 10 inch long pieces of ribbon and feed through the casing leaving the ends of each piece coming out of the opposite sides. Tie knots on the ends and pull!

I love the way my stamp peeks through the star material. I think this bag makes a great statement of Thanks!

I hope that you enjoyed my gift bag creation. Next week I will have another gifting idea for you. I love creating items for you. Please leave me feedback.

Happy Holidays!

Week–8 Ecrafting a Quilted Dresden Plate “Vintage” Ornament

My Craftwell eCraft affords me a wonderful opportunity to reproduce very quickly items that used to take me forever to hand cut. I love the way that I can set up my machine for a short run of cutting out fabrics for special piecing projects! This time I decided it was time to work on a rather unique Christmas ornament!

 

 

I love fabrics and the eCraft does cut my quilting weight cotton very easily. I do mine a little different than most. For fabric without the heat-n-bond backing I use freezer paper.

My method is to starch the fabric and then iron freezer paper on both sides. I only cut it with a 3.5 pressure on the dial. I don’t multicut or use tabs. I also leave the cap on the cutter. I know that it is labor intensive but I get great cuts with this method.

You can see how stiff the three sheets are. I made these 11X11 and the freezer paper 12x12. I try to get all wrinkles out of the paper. I haven’t had any jams or problems with this method.

This is the pattern that I used. It is a simple Dresden Plate quilting template. The template will be available soon.  I cut the design on all three colors of fabric.

You can barely see the cuts but they are there. I just had to pop the shapes out and get busy! You can see how sharp the cuts are not a frayed edge in the bunch. I laid them out for my design order.

Next off to the sewing machine, I carefully stitched the edges together. I did not use a 1/4 inch edge I actually just stitch right at the edge of the shape.

I always iron my sewing project for a more finished look. This is what it looked like after sewing.

I used a decorative stitch down the seam line. I zigzagged the edge to prevent fraying. It was very easy.

Next I decided to add some Holiday Greetings to my “plate”. I love the Pink By Design stamps. They have stamps for every occasion. I love their designs.

I used fabric markers to moisten my stamps for fabric stamping.  I used an iron to set the ink.

 

I laid out my “plate” for the best position for my stamping. I also used the wreath stamp to decorate the yo-yo I made for the center of my ornament.

Once I stamped the wreath, I used colored pencils to add color to my image. Since it won’t be washed I can use them for this project.

I love the “Vintage” look that I achieved with the combination of some great tools- The eCraft by CraftwellUSA and the wonderful stamps of Design By Pink!

Thank you for coming to see my project this week I look forward to next week’s project. Don’t forget that I will have a video tutorial on Friday. You Wooden want to miss it. I will be showing you had to cut something you won’t believe!

eCrafting “a sweet bowl”

 

Time for some different and today I am creating a sweet holiday bowl. It is pretty amazing what you can make with your eCraft Cutting System. This sweet bowl was created with a cool embellishment from a great source for all of your stamping needs, Pink By Design !

 

The link svg  file for this project will be available on my blog. The bowl is made from fabric but you could cut it out of cardstock and lace it together with eyelets or even tape it with decorative tape.

Supply List

Pink by Design Stamps

Acrylic stamp block

Fabric (a quilting weight) cotton

“Stiffy” a fabric stiffener

thread and matching cord

ink pad and color pencils

fabrico fabric markers

painter’s tape

bone folder

sewing machine (basic straight and zigzag stitch)

punch and eyelet

eCraft Settings:

Pressure 3

Cap on

No Tabs

Used vegetable cutting sheet for

stabilization

Let’s get started! First I decided on a shape for my bowl. I used six sided form for the base. You can work with different amount of side but might have to change the width of the side pieces.

I designed the shapes and used auto fill for the large “bow tie” side pieces. I was able to fit four in a cutting session. I used the space at the bottom for the two bottom pieces. I had to cut an additional two side pieces to complete my bowl.

To prep my fabric for cutting I used Plaid’s Stiffy I knew I need a firm form and I didn’t want to use interfacing on this project.

You coat the fabric with Stiffy and smooth it out. Allow it to dry. When it dries your fabric is stiff like  cardstock and cuts very easily. The only drawback is that the Stiffy doesn’t come out so your fabric will remain firm, but for this project that is what I want.

I anchored my fabric to a cutting sheet for stabilization in my eCraft machine. I used painter’s tape to hold the fabric on the sheet while cutting.

This cuts incredibly easy. Not all fabrics cut as well as cotton. The fabric for example polyester has  tough fibers that pull when trying to cut and can skew and distort your pattern.

My pattern pieces easily popped out and were ready to be assembled.

 

Next I took the “bow tie” shapes and folded them over to make the sides of my bowl.

I used a “bone” folder or smoothing tool to burnish the fold of my side piece. I laid out my pieces for sewing.

I also stamped my greeting in the bowl bottom before stitching it together.

To sew take the two bottom pieces sandwiched together and one side piece and sew together with a close zig zag stitch or satin stitch. Do not take out of machine or cut thread when you get tho the end of the first side piece needle down in your fabric and pivot the bottom and add another side to stich together.

When all the sides are attached it will look like this:

Then pinch the sides together and sew them. The bowl will cup or roll up a little but this is okay just the form of the bowl.

 

Once you have finished the sides then it is time to do the edge. Now you can either continue to zig zag it or be creative and do your thing. Hot glue trim, beads, fringe what ever fits your style. I am a stitchin kinda girl so I satin stitched my edge.

for a little extra pizzazz I added a sweet stamp on a postage stamp shaped form. I love the Cardinal on the Pink by Design stamp and had to have it as a design element in my bowl design.

I stamped it on with a dark blue fabrico marker rubbed across the stamping face. I pressed it down and then allowed it to dry. I then used my prismacolor pencils to shade and add color to my “Holiday Stamp”

I added an eyelet to attach it to my bowl in a baby blue shade.

I used a little clip to attach my stamp to my bowl. I took some baby blue perle cotton cord to make the cord to attach my projects together.

My bowl is ready to entertain, or be gifted to one of my loved ones. They know how much love I put into my creations, just like you! I hope that you enjoyed my project this week. I try to keep you in mind, so that I can create so interesting items for you to enjoy!  Please leave me comments, or links to your creations, I would love to see yours, too!

see you next week!!

Debi