pattern & project: school merit badges

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I was never in Girl Scouts or AWANA (although I had a short run as a Pioneer Girl), so earning patches or badges was never really a part of my life. But I love the idea of them. It probably has to do with them being small and cute and something to collect!

Well, I've created some school-themed merit badge designs to embroider and make into little patches or badges! These are the kind of thing that you could stitch up ahead of time and present when the time comes. Rather than being something that inspires a child to do something, I like to think of them as a way to remember fun and important things that happen along the way.



The pattern includes an apple (Meeting your Teacher!), book (Learning to Read!), star (Super Star Student!), bandage (School Nurse Visit!), hall pass (Hall Monitor!), + and - (Mastering Addition & Subtraction!), x and ÷ (Mastering Multiplication and Division!), cursive lettering (Learning Cursive!), 100 (100 Days!), A+ (Great Grades!), and K-5 for starting (or finishing) each grade.

Those are just ideas for how to use them...get creative with your mini awards!

To make the badges, you will need:

Fabric
Embroidery floss
Water-soluble pen or a pencil
Felt
Pins
Scissors
Safety Pins or sew-on pinbacks
Merit Badge PDF



Trace the patterns you are stitching onto fabric, and include the circle to make cutting easier. Stitch the designs however you like, but don't stitch the circle.



Pin the fabric to felt, and cut around the circle.



If you're going to make your badges into pins, now is the time to sew the safety pin or pinback in place on the back of the felt circle.



With the embroidered fabric and felt pinned together once again, stitch around the edge. I used 3 strands of floss and a wide whip stitch, keeping the stitches fairly close. It took two 24-inch pieces to make it around. You could also use a row of running stitch or blanket stitch around the edge.




When your stitching is all done, your badge is ready to present!



I've been wanting to make merit badges for a while, and there are more planned. Be on the lookout for some Christmas designs, plus some for household tasks and more!

Download the School Merit Badge PDF

look back: dull pencil toppers

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Sometimes I like to look back at old posts, dig out the good ones, and then post them again. Today I have two for you to check out!

The first is an embroidered pencil topper. It's easy to make, and could be adapted to use other patterns, if you're not feeling the need to top a pencil with a pencil!



The second is a set of printable pencil toppers. Here you can once again top your pencil with a pencil...or you can confuse things with a special pencil made for a pen!

Looking for more fun school supply designs? Check out my digital kit on Kitschy Digitals!

calendar: print and post for september

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Hello, September! I'm amazed at how quickly you've come, but I'm happy to see you.

This is going to be the first of a few months where I will be trying to set aside the things that DON'T need to be done, and focusing on things that REALLY, REALLY need to be done. Hopefully one of them will be shared here soon.

In the mean time, #30Lists starts today, so I'll be doing my very best to get a good start (and keep up all month!). You can sign up for this fun and simple challenge and join the hundreds who are participating! With the exclusives, ideas, discount codes, and pure enjoyment...it's well worth the cost. (PS: I'm both a sponsor and an affiliate!)

Now, to keep track of this glorious month that will bring us the start of autumn, grab a calendar for your computer, tablet, handheld, or wall!

Download the 2560x1440 Wallpaper.
Download the 1920x1280 Wallpaper.
Download the 1280x800 Wallpaper.
Download the iPhone Wallpaper.
Download the iPad Wallpaper.

To use the iPhone and iPad versions, click the link for the wallpaper you want. When it opens, touch and hold the image until it pops up with the option to save. After you've saved the image, go to your settings, choose wallpaper, then find the image you've just saved.

Prefer the analog method like shown in the photo? Download the printable version, and tack it up on your bulletin board!

Download the PDF Printable September Calendar.

Happy September, Friends!

itty bitty embroidery hoops

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Happy Labor Day, fellow Americans! And happy Monday to everyone else!

Back when I was planning my summer class about re-sized embroidery, I found The Creative Muster. Laura makes these itty bitty embroidery hoops that were perfect for a little class bonus! Can you see how tiny they are? Just one inch!

They were too cute to pass up, so I bought a couple packs. And then recently, some new designs came out, and Laura sent me some samples! I've been playing with them a bit, and here's how they look:




I love the different shapes, and how even just adding fabric makes them extra special. The large oval and the small flower work the same way as the one-inch circle: You stitch your embroidery first, then insert it into the hoop, as they have a solid piece to hold the fabric.

But then there's the two-inch hoop. It has a ring that fits in the back, which means you can actually work in the hoop! I've never had a hoop so very small before...but it really works well! They all do, really. In fact, you need to use quilting weight or lighter fabric in these, because the fit is good and tight to hold your work.

If you like itty bitty, teeny tiny embroidery, be sure to visit The Creative Muster!

embroidery tinting with crayons

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I've been playing with different ways to "tint" embroidery and this week I'll be sharing them here! Tinting is a nice way to add fill color to your stitching, without filling an area with lots and lots of stitches. It's like coloring in the outlines...but you start with the coloring!

Crayon tinting is one of the most common tinting methods, I'd say, and we're starting with that. The look can vary based on the fabric you use, how much pressure you apply, and the surface you're working on. Try it out a bit before you start working on a finished piece to see how your materials are going to work with this. Play with it and see how many ways you can tint with crayons!



The pattern that I'm using for this is from my Ice Cream Socializers pattern set. It is traced onto fabric with a standard pencil.

A pencil is good because you won't need to rinse it, it makes a fine line, and won't be affected by the ironing that comes later. Just try hard not to get any stray lines so it will be easy to cover with stitches.



Now it's time to color! To keep the color light and smooth, I like to work with the fabric in a hoop. You need to work a bit to keep the tension tight, but to me, it's worth it.

You can add a bit of shading by using more pressure or going over an area again. But to me, the worst thing you can do with crayon tinting is to just color hard right away. It leaves visible lines that make the fill uneven.




If you want the color to be darker, place the fabric on a smooth hard surface and color lightly first, then go over it again, slowing adding more pressure. Of course, the texture of the fabric will alter how the color looks. And if you want to add some design to the tinting, you can place the fabric on a textured surface.

After you've finished coloring, it's time to iron and set the color. Place a piece of plain paper over the crayon tinting, and with the iron set for cotton, iron the paper for a minute or so. This helps set the color without ruining your design or your iron!



Now you can stitch over the pencil lines that you should still be able to see (depending on how dark the coloring is).

By ironing the crayon, it makes it pretty color-safe, but if you plan on washing what you're stitching a lot, I'd recommend fabric crayons to be on the safe side. Or, do a test on a swatch of fabric, then run it through the wash. (Most of my embroidery projects are things that don't get laundered, so I'm not too knowledgeable on that part!)

Come back tomorrow for a look at colored pencil tinting, but for today, have fun with your crayons!

tinting embroidery with colored pencils

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Yesterday I showed you a bit of crayon tinting, and today I have a similar technique, but with colored pencils. What I like about the pencils is that you can sharpen them for more detailed coloring, and they blend really well (especially with smooth fabric). You can use any kind of colored pencils for this, but I thought it was a good time to pull out some supplies I've had tucked away for a couple years.



My dad and I went to an art show sponsored by Blick, where they had all kinds of vendors and lots of demonstrations. Prismacolor was there and they showed off these Art Stix. Essentially, they are the inside of a pencil, but in stick form. The representative showed all of their wonderful uses, and my dad and I were drooling. This is not a cheap set of supplies. And then...they did a drawing, and we won!




We brought the box home, played a bit with a few Art Stix, and then my dad told me to keep it with my supplies. And so they sat until I decided to try them out with some tinting. It's not the same as working with a pencil, but having a larger area to color with was nice!



Like with the crayon tinting, start by tracing your pattern onto fabric, then place the fabric in a hoop.




Color gently, layering in the color. Try to keep the color smooth.

One of the fancy features of Art Stix, which also applies to Prismacolor pencils, is that when you get them wet, they color differently. Darker. This is really nice for adding some shading, while using the same color.




After ironing it, stitch the outline around your coloring!

I rather like how this Fast Food Bag came out! He's from my Take Me Out set, which is one of my favorites. Now, I just need to decide what he'll become...

Tinting with pencils as I've shown here is most suitable for wall art and pieces that won't be washed. If you want to make your work more permanent, I've read that textile medium does the trick. Just paint it on before your embroidery, let it thoroughly dry, then stitch. There's a good tutorial on Giggleface Studios. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon!

Pull out your pencils and start coloring, but get ready to play with watercolor tinting tomorrow! (It's really cool!)

tinting embroidery with watercolor paints

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It's a week of embroidery tinting! So far, we've explored crayon and colored pencil tinting, and today I bring you what I think is the prettiest of them all: Watercolor Tinting! This is a little different from all the rest, because the paint gives more of a wash to the background, but that's what makes me love it so!

The paints that I'm using are opaque watercolors, but you can use other types. I just wouldn't recommend the washable kid paints, because...well...they're meant to wash out! Also, I'm using cotton fabrics for this. Blends with lots of polyester are probably not going to work so well.

You'll see two ways to do this. The first will fill the whole background with a soft wash, and the second will just fill a specific area. Both are pretty dreamy, if you ask me...



Place your fabric in a hoop and lightly mist the fabric with water.

NOTE: Unless you want to tint your hoop with paint, use a hoop much larger than the area you intend to paint. Mine got a wee bit blue...



Start adding some paint. Keeping it pretty watery is a good place to start.



Add some more intense color by using less water on your brush. Think about what you'll be stitching over this, and consider using the paint to create some depth and shadow.

Give the paint plenty of time to dry. It will dry lighter, and may get some interesting textures in it, as you'll see below. If you want, you can layer on some more paint.

You can iron this to heat set it a bit or toss it in the dryer. For this one, I didn't wash it, but you can. The color will fade some, but not much.



Once you're finished with your painting, trace the pattern using regular pencil. (Mine is from the Solar System Set in my Etsy shop.)

You could trace the pattern before painting if you want to try and keep the paint within certain areas, but be aware that the paint will bleed and spread a lot.




Stitch the design, and enjoy your lovely background!



This second method uses a freezer paper stencil!

Cut out a shape from the center of a piece of freezer paper, then iron it onto your fabric with the shiny plastic side down.

I doodled a cloud to go behind the cloud I wanted to stitch. It doesn't match the same shape, which is what I wanted. If you want to keep the watercolor exactly within the area of your embroidery pattern, cut out the silhouette of your pattern.



With the stencil in place, and the fabric in a hoop, paint inside the stencil. Take the paint all the way to the edge, blending the colors as you like.



After the paint has completely dried, remove the freezer paper and iron the fabric.



Trace your pattern onto the painted fabric using pencil. Mine is from the Doodles and Dreams set of patterns.



Now you can stitch! For this, I used DMC Pearl Cotton Variations. I love how it has the same blended look of the watercolor background!




There you have it! Two new ways to tint your embroidery with watercolor paints! Tomorrow I have one more tinting tutorial...this time with markers...