Felt Pirate Fort Ikea Kura Bed

My son's third birthday is coming up next month and my husband and I decided to get him a new "big boy" bed for his room. While internet browsing for said bed, I came across this gem from Ikea:

The bed is reversible and can either be a low bed with a canopy or a loft bed with space to play underneath. The versatility and crafting potential (see: Ikea Hackers) piqued my interest and I convinced my husband to drive us 300 miles round trip in a borrowed minivan to the nearest Ikea that weekend.

Last year, I made these easy-sew curtains for my son's room with a fabric called "Baby Pirate" (and had Scrunch Nose Sews make matching slippers from the remnants).  I used this pattern as my inspiration for decorating the bed.  

Unfortunately, I cannot provide any patterns for the individual pieces because I did them all free hand. I can provide the measurements for the big curtain piece. The front panel piece with the ship and the palm tree measure 62 inches long by 35 inches tall, in sky blue felt. The door piece with the crab, treasure map and sun  measures 16 inches long by 44.5 inches all the way to the bottom. 

Here are some close ups so you can get an idea how they are pieced:

The treasure map is detachable with adhesive Velco keeping it on the beach. The map itself is pieced together from remnants of the curtain fabric. All of these items are glued using Fabri-Tac adhesive, but any permanent fabric glue would probably work. So far it has held up really well. 

The final outside piece is the pirate's treasure chest. The light blue felt panel for this one measures 41 inches long by 32.5 inches high.  

There are 10 numbered coins in the chest, attached with adhesive Velcro. 

My little swashbuckler had fun counting out the coins: 

Next are the inside panels. Since the canopy that Ikea sells that matches the bed has a starry look to it already, I wanted the insides to have a celestial feel. 

To achieve this, I cut panels from dark blue fleece that matched the blue of the bed as best as I could find. The two long panels measure 77 inches long by 30 inches high (I cut the door piece once the panel was hanging. The shorter side measures 38 inches long and 30 inches high. 

I found these foam glow-in-the-dark stars and moons at the craft store. Using the fabric glue, I adhered them all over the fleece panels. 

I hung the panels using as little glue and Velcro as I could so that if I wanted to change things later, I could. The clips of the canopy keep the bulk of the panels in place. 

I decided to add some glow-in-the-dark stars to the canopy as well. I used some plastic ones I found at Walmart, but I'm sure comparable ones could be found at any big box or toy store. I researched a few constellations and decided to make the Big Dipper, Orion, Hercules, and Cancer on the inside of the canopy.  They look a little upside down in the photo, but when you are laying underneath looking up, they go the right direction. 

It's like napping in space! (The Super Mario blanket was my son's choice.) The effect is really cool in the dark but unfortunately I don't have a camera responsive enough to capture "glow".  

Lastly, I made this felt pirate banner to decorate the wall opposite the bed. I'd give a run down on banner making but this post is long enough as it is. If you have a question about any of these things, leave me a comment and I'll try to help you out. 

And now his room is complete!

Happy Crafting!

~Brittany

Felt Marshmallow and Roasting Stick Tutorial

Ah, summertime. Warmth is in the air and and the days are long. I wanted to create something felt foody that gave ode to this wonderful time of year. Enter charcoal fire bowl and the roasting marshmallow. 

I noticed an abundance of felt BBQ grills (some taken straight from Jeanette Lim's awesome pattern book) and campfire logs. But I'm dying to get a fire bowl for our back yard. So if I can't have one in real life, I can definitely make one out of felt. But the ultimate accessory is surely the soft, gooey, sweet roasted marshmallow (which could be enjoyed year round if I had said fire bowl. Just sayin'.) I also made the roasting stick with a pipe cleaner. I saw lots of wooden dowels out there in the felt food s'more world but I am reticent to give my two year old a long tapered wooden stick. It's all fun and games until someone pokes their eye out! So here is how to make your own felt food marshmallow and (non wooden) roasting stick: 

The Ingredients: 

- 1 large pipe cleaner, 9 inches long

- roasting stick casing,  8 inches long and 1 inch wide, in dark brown felt

- 2 cream or white felt circles for marshmallow top and bottom, 1.25 inches wide

- outer casing, cream or white felt, 4.75 inches long by 1.75 inches wide

-inner casing, 1.5 inches tall and 1.75 inches wide

The Recipe:

The first step is one I did not originally do up front but should have. Fold over about a half inch of pipe cleaner on both top and bottom loosely so that the raw wire isn't sticking up. Take a scrap of felt and cover the pipe cleaner end. Sew both sides so the pipe cleaner has a little cap at both ends. This will help keep the pipe cleaner from shifting too much and keep the wire from readily poking through. 

\

Next, fold the roasting stick casing in half, position the pipe cleaner inside, and sew up the sides. As you can see my pipe cleaner ends are not covered but yours should be. 

Then, take your inner marshmallow piece and wrap it around the roasting stick, leaving about an 1/8 of an inch overhang at the top. Sew up to the piece and when you get to the top, close the seam. 

Next, take the inner piece that was just finished and trace the bottom of it on to one of the felt circles. My circle was about a half inch wide. Cut the circle out from the middle of the piece, which is now the bottom of the marshmallow. 

Position the opening of the inner piece in the middle circle of the bottom we just cut out and sew the two together as shown. 

Now, sew the outer marshmallow rectangle piece around the bottom circle. Trim this piece as needed when you sew it around. 

Stitch up the side seam towards the top of the marshmallow. 

Next, add stuffing. Be careful not to over stuff  and throw the inside piece off. I suggest putting the marshmallow on the roasting stick and then adding the stuffing so it maintains the proper shape. 

Lastly, stitch the last circle on to the top of the marshmallow. If you wanted to add a dark brown or black piece to the top/side of your marshmallow for a burned or melted look, you can do that too. But I was lazy and wanted to get out and roast my mallow. 

Yum!

Happy Felt Fooding!

~Brittany

DIY Felt Rose Ring Bearer Pillow

Since my son is going to be a ring bearer for the first time in his Aunt's wedding, I wanted to make him a special ring bearer pillow. I used the felt rose pattern from The Purlbee. Those roses are so easy and cute, no need to make up something new. I chose white and dark red to match the decor, but this could easily be changed to what ever colors were necessary. Andie over at American Felt and Craft has compiled a great Pin board of felt flower tutorials HERE. You can modify the center flowers to match a wedding theme. 

The Ingredients: 

-3 Felt Purlbee roses in the color of your choice

- Felt Pillow Square front and back, mine is about 7 inches on each side

- Ribbon for tying rings, about 18 inches long, I used organdy but satin works well. Use a lighter to lightly seal the edges of the ribbon to keep it from running.

-Ribbon for holding the pillow on the underside, 8.5 inches long. I used 1.5 inch wide satin ribbon

-Coordinating embroidery floss

-Polyfil Stuffing

The Recipe: 

Find the center of your pillow top piece and sew the ring ribbon (folded in half) with an X. 

Next, stitch together the three roses to form a small bunch. 

Position the rose bunch over the ring ribbon. Be sure to pull the ribbon up through the center between the flowers. Stitch the roses in place on the front pillow piece. 

Mark the back pillow piece where the hand hold ribbon needs to go to be evenly centered.

Start sewing your front and back pillow pieces together. When you get to the marked spot where the ribbon goes, keep a half inch of the ribbon down between the felt and carefully sew it between the layers. 

Keep sewing around to the opposite side and attach the other end of the holder ribbon to the back. Make sure you angle your needle down when you sew through the ribbon so it doesn't stitch through the top. 

As a special detail, I embroidered the wedding date and the bride and groom's initials on the back for a personalized touch before I finished sewing the pillow up.

When you get half way through sewing the final side of the pillow, add all the stuffing. Use a stuffing dowel to make sure the fluff gets into all the corners. Finish sewing the pillow shut. 

 The back of the completed pillow, 

and the front. This pillow is easy, pretty and inexpensive while creating a special hand sewn keepsake.

Happy Wedding Crafting!

~Brittany 

Easy DIY Glass Cupcake Stand

My sister-in-law is getting married this August. Thanks to the ridiculousness that is Pinterest, I have spent many hours looking at all the wedding pretties on far too many pin boards. Since cupcakes are being used as wedding favors, I thought it would be a fun idea to display the cupcakes as a table centerpiece. Enter this DIY cupcake stand. It turns out Dollar Tree stores have a great selection of glassware and you can order in bulk on their website and pick it up in store for free, a handy feature for the spendthrift bride.

To construct the cupcake stand, I got two of these taper candle holder sticks:

and one of these 10 inch cut glass plates: 

The plate is surprising sturdy and pretty. All of these items were a buck a piece (so we're up to $3 worth of material, if you are keeping count).

To glue all this together, I used E-6000 craft glue. You can find this at pretty much any craft store for about $5 and it is pretty awesome. It does have a strong smell so I recommend using it in a well ventilated area. 

Start by cleaning and drying all your glass pieces. Place a small amount of glue around the rim of one of the candlestick holder tops. Flip the other candlestick over and place it on the gluey piece. Any excess glue can be wiped away with nail polish remover. I let this candle holder pillar sit for about an hour. It was still tacky so take care not to bump it too much. 

Find the center of the underside of the plate. This is easy on this particular one because the candle stick top fits right around the perimeter of the flowery star burst design in the center. Add a small amount of glue around the rim of the candlestick pillar then carefully set it to the underside of the plate. Let this dry for at least 24 hours, though the glue says it can take up to 72 hours to cure, so be careful with it until then.

 And Viola! Here is the stand with some of my felt food on it. I can't wait to see it with real cupcakes. This stand would also be great for displaying brunch goodies if  a wedding isn't really on your radar.

Happy Crafting!

~Brittany

     

What's in a Doula's Bag?

Last month, World Doula Week was celebrated March 22-28. These humble birth attendants certainly deserve their own week, probably their own month. A kindred sister to the midwife, a doula provides physical and emotional support to a laboring mother and her partner. She plays an important part in the births she attends, reducing incidences of c-section and epidural use while increasing breastfeeding initiation and overall birth satisfaction. If you aren't at all familiar with what a doula is and what they do, be sure to check out THIS ARTICLE.  

When a fellow blogger asked me if I had an item similar to the Midwife kit that she could give as a gift to her doula, I thought a felt playset would be a fantastic idea. In addition to a fun appreciation gift, I think this set would help a child conceptualize the tools a doula would use at a new sibling's birth. Here are my felt doula tricks-of-the-trade, developed with suggestions from the Mama's Felt Cafe Facebook community:

Of course we need a bag to carry all our birthy goodies in. I chose a tote style bag so that it would be easy to grab for the on-the-go doula. 

First up for items are a fan and a purple rice tube. No matter what time of year you are giving birth, laboring is well, labor. I remember feeling alternatingly too cold and too hot while I was having Asher. A fan helps keep a mama cool while she is working oh so hard. The rice tube is filled with real rice and although I would not suggest heating the felt, a real rice sock can be warmed and provide relief to achy muscles. It's also provides a fun texture to play with. 

Next comes the granola bar, this one is cranberry oatmeal flavor. This item could be for the mama or the doula. During long labors, both the mom and her support team need to make sure they feed to hunger and drink to thirst. We know there is no reason to deny a birthing woman food and labor can even be stalled if the mother is hungry and uncomfortable. Many doulas make sure to carry some healthy snacks with them to births.

I also included two starlight peppermints in the kit. One is for the mother, to help ward off any labor induced nausea. The second is for the doula, so she will have sweet breath while working with the mother. Smells seem heightened during labor and anyone who has breathed coffee or onion breath on a birthing mama has probably been shown the door!

Last was a bottle of lavender essential oil, complete with removable cap. Many find the scent of lavender calming and relaxing. It can also be mixed to be used as a massage oil and rubbed on the mother if she likes. If you happen to be a doula (or just a person of interest) you can win a (non-felt) doTERRA Essential Oils kit from The Black Sheep Princess and Essential Oils for Family Wellness. The kit contains lavender, peppermint and lemon oil plus a list of suggested uses. Enter to win HERE.

Based off a logo by Everyday Miracle Doula Services

So there you have it, all the tricks in my doula bag. Did you have a doula at your birth? Would you consider a doula for your next birth?

Happy Felting!

~Brittany

Star Trek + Felt + Giveaway = Love

Being a kid in the early 90's means there is a good chance you've seen an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I'll admit to a long standing crush on Commander Will Riker, though only in the seasons when he had a beard. 

When a friend *ahem* asked for a Star Trek Kindle case, it sounded like project worth taking on. I chose Captain Picard's rank and uniform design and went to work. 

I discovered some other pieces of Star Trek felt awesomeness during research and development: 

This Star Trek Quiet Book Pattern from Julie Bell is complete with template for TNG finger puppets, 

This Spock pillow is crafted by Victoria The Germ,

and just in time for Easter, this wool felted bunny, an ode to the Expendable Ensign, made by WoolyKins. 

Now to celebrate this feat of geekery, I'm giving away a custom made Star Trek: The Next Generation device  sleeve. Completely hand stitched with two layers of felt on top and bottom to protect and clean your electronics. The winner can choose between Command Red and Engineering Gold and the rank (those gold buttons on the collar) from Ensign to Captain. Winner can also specify the device (Kindle, Nook, Tablet, Ipad, smart phone, ect.) but you'll have to provide me with measurements for something other than a Kindle or Iphone. 

Enter to win with the easy Rafflecopter form below. This contest will be open for two weeks and end midnight EST April 18, 2012. Will will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. Open to residents of US and Canada. Star Trek is copyrighted by Viacom. 

May the odds be ever in your favor

and Happy Winning!

~Brittany

a Rafflecopter giveaway