Spring Wreath

Today I got out my Easter/Spring decorations, and felt something was lacking.  I saw a wreath on Pinterest http://makingitfun.blogspot.com/2011/12/quick-and-easy-wreath.htmlthat I wanted to copy, but the directions weren't great.  So, I put my creativity to work, and here is what I came out with:

Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!  This project does not require any sewing skills- here are the directions:

You will need

•  7 Assorted Fabrics- One Fat Quarter each should do
• 1/4 Yard of Fabric for Wrapping the Wreath
• 14" Wreath (mine is Styrofoam)
• 12 3" Styrofoam balls
• 12 2" Styrofoam balls
• Fabric glue
• Hot glue gun
• 48" ribbon



1. Tear the fabric for your balls into 1" strips.  Start by cutting just a small snip at the 1" mark, and then tear.  (A great way to relieve stress!).  Remove all excess threads.
2. Wrap the strips around the balls.  You may need more than one strip per ball, just overlap where you left off when you start a new strip.
3. 
   Glue the end of the last strip on the ball with the Fabric Glue.  Let dry for 1 hour.  Here is what the finished ball will look like:
4. 
5. Tear the fabric that will wrap around your wreath into 3" strips.  Tie the ends together, and then wrap around your wreath, using the fabric glue to secure the end.  Let dry one hour.

6.  Place your balls around the wreath, to determine your layout.  I would recommend taking a picture after you do this, so you remember how you want it if they start to roll around. 

7.  Hot glue the balls to your wreath.  I glued the large balls first, then alternated the smaller balls inside and outside the wreath.  I glued the small balls both to the wreath, and to the larger balls.

8.  Cut your ribbon into two 24" strips, and then glue each strip to the back of your wreath. 





KU T-Shirt Throw

If anyone knows me, you also know my husband is a HUGE KU fan.  We were finally able to replace some of his most beloved t-shirts, so I decided to make him a T-Shirt quilt.  Here is a picture of the finished quilt:

Here are the directions, in case you would like to make one of your own!  The finished dimensions are approximately 55x71".

You will need:

• 12 T-Shirts (you can use fewer if you have some that have print on both sides)
• 2 yards of fabric for the border
• 3 1/2 yards of fabric for the backing
• 3/4 yards for the binding
• Interfacing
• Twin size batting

1.  Using a rotary cutter and mat, cut each t-shirt down to 14" squares.

2. Cut interfacing into 14" squares and iron onto the back of each piece.  This will keep the t-shirts from stretching out as you are trying to sew.
3. Lay out your quilt, and take a picture so you remember for piecing together later. 

4. From the binding fabric, cut:

• 2 pieces that are 6x46"
• 2 pieces that are 6x72"
• 3 pieces that are 4x46"
• 8 pieces that are 4x14"

5. Piece rows together, so you have 4 rows each.

6.  Add the 4x46" strips between each row.
7.  Add the 6x46" strips at the top and bottom.
8.  Add the 6"72" strips along the sides.
9.  From the backing fabric, cut it into 2 pieces that are 45x65", and then sew together to make a 65x90" larger piece.
10.  Sandwich together the top of your quilt, the batting, and the backing.

11.  Pin all layers together for quilting.

12.  Quilt together.  I stitched in the ditch around each t-shirt, and then halfway between each square on the binding and along the edges.
13.  Bind the edges using your favorite method.  (I used 3" strips and hand-sewed my binding)

Here are some close-ups of the finished quilt!