HAPPY GARDEN HOW TO:)

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So..do you want to make your own painted calico cheerfull-ness?

Well let's get going.

What you will need:

• calico
• felt scraps, ribbon, buttons etc
• wadding/filling
• acrylic paint - I used Jo Sonja colours
• paintbrushes, embroidery thread/needle
• wooden skewer
• sealer/varnish
• access to a sewing machine

Getting started:

Here's the project again...

Start by downloading and printing off the pattern sheet which contains a couple of flower shapes as well as the house and heart shape. Download the pattern template here.

Grab some calico and fold it in half.  Slip the pattern sheet in between the layers of calico and using a pencil, trace around your shapes.

Don't cut your shapes out yet.

Using scissors or a craft knife cut a small slit along the centre of ONE layer of the calico. This will be our 'turning' hole and also will be used to insert the wadding.  Make the slit about 2.5-3cm long.

Use a couple of pins to hold the two layers of calico together to keep them secure. We are now going to machine stitch each shape. Take your time, use a very small stitch length ( I used about a 1.5 stitch length) and ease the needle slowly around each shape.

This is quite a time consuming step but worth the extra effort.

Trim your threads. Using sharp scissors cut each shape leaving a .5cm margin..be careful not to clip into your stitches:)

Now, the tricky part. Using a skewer or a blunt pencil turn your shape out through the slit we cut earlier. The more intricate your shape, the more time consuming and harder this step is. The house and heart shape were easy!! The flower with all the petals..not so easy.

I made a couple of shapes with the 'turning' method BUT decided to make my last little flower a little differently. With so many petals on this flower I DIDN'T want to have to fiddle around trying to get this shape turned out SO I decided to trim to size and leave it as it was. Raw edges exposed!!!

Because we paint the shape, the paint acts as a sealer to prevent the raw edges from fraying.

Either way is fine..It just gives a slightly more shabby finish by leaving the raw edges exposed!

Now its time to fill our little shapes with wadding/filling. I use the filling/stuffing from a pillow. Don't try and stuff your shape too quickly..take your time and use small balls of wadding rather than trying to fill your shape with a big chunk of wadding in one big go.

Use the slit we cut earlier and gradually fill your shape.

Use a blunt pencil to force wadding into all the petals etc.

Once your shape is filled you are ready for the FUN part!!! Grab out your paints!

I love the Jo Sonja acrylic paints. They come in a great range of colours and mix well with white to create great new shades. Use a round paintbrush to paint in your colour/designs. Try stripes, spots, blocks of colour or other little details and designs. Have fun with your shapes and designs!!

Use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.

Now, we can add  in some detail. Firstly let's address the issue of the BACKS of each shape. Theres some wadding going on there..all hanging out and looking messy!!!

For the flower shapes we will actually cover up the messy back with some felt for the flower centre BUT for the heart and house shape let's handstitch the opening using embroidery thread. It doesn't matter if your stitching is messy OR the thread colour doesn't match your paint! We will paint over everything anyway.

Paint over your stitching...

And now we can add some felt and features to the FRONT of our shapes!

For the house I painted in a door and stitched a felt heart in place as shown. Before you add any felt details you may want to seal your calico shape with some sealer/varnish to protect and add some shine.

Don't forget to sign the back (or front) of your creation.

Paint a skewer and insert into the bottom of your shape. The wadding helps to keep the skewer supported and secure.

For your flower shapes we can add a felt heart for the flower centre. Use a long length of thread and sandwich your flower shape between two circles of felt.

Bring your needle right through the entire flower, securing the felt circle centres to the front AND back of your flower. Work your way around the entire circle centres as shown.

You can leave the back of your flower unpainted or use a solid all over colour OR paint each petal the same as for the front of your flower.

Insert a skewer into the base of each shape. Add some ribbon or any finishing touches you want to include and then stand back and admire your creation. Cute hey!

   

I hope you enjoy making your own little calico cheerful flowers and shapes:) And we would love to have you come along to our Mother's Day Market Stall where you can check out even more fun ideas! 

Comments

[Ayala]

Thanks for the inspiration, idea and instruction. It helped me very much when I needed an idea to make keychains for kids.
You can see here:
http://ayalalevinger.blogspot.com/2008/08/home-sweet-home.html
what I have made thanks to your instruction!

[nikki]

These are so adorable...I am off to the store for some calico! Love that you painted the fabric. Thanks for the great inspiration.

[nic]

these are so stinkin cute that i thought the different patterns were fabric until i read the tutorial and saw you PAINTED them!! so impressed. great idea!

[hazel]

I love this project! Love your color choices too! Thanks so much!

[Brenda]

UnBeLiEvAbLy cute! THANKS for sharing! AWESOME!

[cathy bodini]

Really lovely.what more can I say.Thanks for sharing them.

[cathy bodini]

Really lovely.what more can I say.Thanks for sharing them.

[Penny Hackney]

"Heaven on a stick"! Simply divine Kim - and lovely of you to share with us. xx

[amanda]

omg, LOVE these! thanks sooo much for sharing!

[Fion]

Like Lea, I thought you used different fabrics too till I saw your step-by-step tutorial! These are so very cute and they certainly brighten up any room or desk! A brilliantly cheery idea! Thanks so much for sharing!

[Karen Beazley]

Wow!! Kim these are too gorgeous very yummy. Thanks for sharing!
Karen

[Tammy Templeton]

Thanks for sharing these gorgeous flowers Kim :0) I have been a busy sewer lately and these look like a lot of fun to make.
xxTam

[Kirsten]

Kim - seriously - this is creative genius - thanks so much for the inspiration - you bowled me over with these. Love them :)

[Cherie]

too cute....
thanks for sharing
Cherie x

[Rach Richter]

These are just adorable Kim - well done!
(I thought they were fabric too - love how you've painted them)

Rach xx

[~shazz~]

very cute idea kim and very "do-able" for my 12 y.o. DD who loves creating "pretties".
thanks for sharing your instructions xo

[Lorraine Vidler]

Love these Kim, I have made my little bunch and sent you a pic, thanks for the tutorial they definately brighten up a room.

[Kirsten N]

Such a cute idea Kim!! Thanks:)

[Nat Mardon]

That's absolutely gorgeous Kim! Thanks for the tutorial :)

[Lea]

wow kim just so cute and funky.

[Belinda H]

Oh tooo gorgrous!
See i thought you used different FABRIC!!! then i saw the PAINT and I said A HA!!! tooo clever!

[Kerry Murray]

Kim how cute are these.I love them adorable take care Kerry xx

[Belinda Venables]

OH KIM! yummy - love them! The colours are adorable.
Thanks for sharing!
Belinda
xx

[Yvette Adams]

I love these so much!!!!!!!