Remember those plushstaches from a while back? It turns out making your own mustaches is dangerous, because it’s hard to tell when to quit. At first it’s fine to have just a couple, but soon you find yourself asking “do I really have enough mustaches?” Today I will be the villain, but what if tomorrow I need to be a stoic cowboy? Black and brown are so droll, what about pink or teal? Or sparkles? It is truly a dangerous path.

Lucky for you, in the ongoing quest to fill-out my cache of ‘staches, I have created some new patterns! These are made the same as the previous ones, but in case you need help, here is my handy tutorial.

For your wearing pleasure, I introduce to you:

The dapper “Little Belgian Detective”

And the sure to impress “‘Boh ‘Stache”

You can get both patterns (it’s a two-in-one) right here:

Good luck and remember, a girl (or boy) can never have too many mustaches! Especially if they are horrendously trendy.

]]> https://jefita.com/2014/01/20/growing-a-lemon-tree-and-fighting-off-winter-doldrums/ Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:03:44 +0000 http://jefita.com/blog/?p=561 Besides this being the time of year when everybody gets sick, this is also the time of year that I start to go a little crazy. As I’ve said before, I am not a fan of cold weather, and by late January, early February I am very tired of winter. I’m tired of it being freezing outside, and I’m tired of being indoors all the time. Almost more than anything, I hate everything being gray and gloomy. I seriously start to get depressed without regular sunshine and by this point it feels like it’s been months since I’ve really seen the sun. Perhaps this doesn’t bode well for my move to northern Japan, but I’m hoping it’s at least sunnier than winter in Maryland.

Every year, these grey doldrums spur me to wage my own personal campaign against winter indoors. Primarily, I have a collection of house plants that I nurse through the cold months and periodically add to their ranks. Green things are good company in the dull winter months. They don’t smell funny, make as much noise as the kitties or Mr. Boy, or judge my singing (that I know of).

A few Christmases ago I received a neat little book entitled Grow It Don’t Throw It, and it was a cute guide to growing all kinds of plants from kitchen scraps. Many of the plants the book covers are annual or very short lived houseplants, but I tend to favor perennials. So I decided to grow a lemon tree. Now this wasn’t my first attempt at growing a citrus plant. There have been multiple attempts, but either the seeds never sprouted or my frail little sprouts met the fate of many a houseplant around here. (I forget to water things regularly. Only the strong survive!) With the help of the book I was much more successful this time around. The seeds actually came up, and a few years later I still haven’t managed to kill them. Not that I haven’t given it a good go. I am a fan of houseplants that can survive a bit of neglect, i.e. forgetting to water, and these little trees are pretty hardy if you get them past the seedling stage. Several times I have thought I killed them, only to have them miraculously revive after a good watering. They are also slow growing so you don’t have to worry about having a big tree in your house.

I love my plants, I’m not sure they love me…

 So, without further ado,

How I Grew A Lemon Tree

(Also works for oranges, grapefruit, any other citrus fruit of choice)

1. First I selected several of the biggest seeds from a lemon.
2. I planted my seeds in individual (clean) jello/applesauce containers filled about halfway with well moistened soil. Then, I sealed all the little cups up in ziploc bags to keep them from drying out. The book said I should use peat pellets, but meh, my way was fine.
3. After that I tucked my seed/cup/baggies somewhere out of the way near my baseboard heaters. I figured since they were warm weather fruits, a little heat couldn’t hurt. On top of the fridge would’ve probably been a good option too.
4. The book said germination time was 2-3 weeks so I made a note to myself about when to start checking and then promptly forgot about them. A couple of weeks later I had of course lost my note, but I miraculously remembered to check them anyways. I was rewarded with adorable little green sprouts. Success!

When the sprouts got a little bigger I transplanted them into real pots. Per directions in the book, I added a bit of crushed eggshell in the bottom of the pot. My little trees have been living happily ever after (mostly). They like all the sunshine they can get. I put them outside in the summer, and in the winter they keep me company indoors. Since I’ve left them in small pots they haven’t gotten too big, which is fine with me.

Isn’t it a cute little guy? 

This is about the time of year I would also start plotting out a proper garden and starting veggie seedlings. I love the anticipation of all those little green shoots emerging, even though I often manage to subsequently kill off a lot of them. However with my transcontinental move coming up in a few months, it seems a little pointless this year. I am saddened by the prospect of leaving behind all my veteran botanical companions. They’ve survived years of my dubious care and now I have to abandon them? Will they find a good new home? *tear, sniffle* I suppose I will have to see what sort of things I can grow in Japan.

Last year I started making these particular little lined drawstring bags. They aren’t anything new or amazing concept-wise, but they are pretty cute, easy to make, and don’t require much fabric. Perfect for using up those remnants and fat quarters.

I also think this is a good way to practice hand sewing, if you’re into that sort of thing. Despite the fact that I own three sewing machines, sometimes I just want a good hand sewing project. I find it pleasant and calming. And sometimes I get struck by unbearable envy of little Japanese women who hand sew everything, and it’s all disgustingly cute.

Anyway…

If you don’t like hand sewing you can whip these little bags up lickety-split with a sewing machine (less than half an hour if you are on good terms with your machine). Either way I think this is a good beginner sewing project.  They are cute, easy, fun, and also make nice little reusable gift bags.

Itty Pretty Drawstring Bags!

or

Justifying a Burgeoning Fabric Collection

Almost any sort of fabric will work for these little bags as long as it’s not super stiff or heavy (like thick denim). I usually use quilting cotton or other lightweight woven fabrics and that is probably the easiest to work with. The finished bags end up with a 3” (7.62 cm) square base, and uncinched stand about 4 ¼” (10.8 cm) tall.

Materials and Tools

• 2 pieces of at least 7” x 14” (approx 18 x 36 cm) fabric (a fat quarter or a remnant wider than 7” should be fine)
• Sewing thread (matching or contrasting)
• Hand sewing needle or a sewing machine
• 30″ (~76 cm) or so of cord (for the drawstrings, so not super thick)
• Scissors (and/or a rotary cutter)
• Pins
• Safety pin

Optional

• Embroidery floss or decorative thread (if you want to decorate the bag)
• Beads (to put on the drawstrings)
• Beeswax or a thread conditioner (Like Thread Heaven) if hand sewing

A couple of notes on hand sewing: I use a plain running stitch to make these bags, but if you wanted something a bit stronger you could also use a back stitch. Remember that the smaller you make your stitches, the less visible they will be. If you’re just starting out with hand sewing, don’t sweat it if your stitches aren’t very small or even. This will come with practice and probably nobody but you will ever notice they aren’t perfect.

The Making

1. Print out the pattern (Click to download pattern) or draft it out on paper or directly on the fabric. Here are the dimensions to draft it yourself (seam allowances included):

   
   Important: All seam allowances ¼” (.6 cm) 

2. Fold your fabric in half and then layout and cut your lining and shell pieces according to the diagram. Trace the pattern on the fabric first or pin it on and cut around it. If you need guidelines for your stitching, you can lightly mark the seam lines too. Pencil usually works fine if the fabric isn’t too dark.

   Note: It’s not super important for this project, but it’s good practice to pay attention to the grain of the fabric when laying out and cutting patterns. In this case the grain should line up with one of the straight edges of the pattern.

3. Take the shell fabric, still folded along the bottom edge with the right sides together, and straight stitch down the sides. Repeat with the lining piece, starting 1 ¼” (~3 cm) down from the top edge (where the stars are on the printed pattern). If you are using a machine, be sure to back tack at the beginnings and ends, especially on the lining.

    

   Optional: Press open the side seams after sewing. Be sure to fold the seam allowances in at the top bit of the lining too (where you didn’t sew). Even just finger pressing will make a difference.

4. Pull open one corner of the shell and flatten, matching the side seam with the center bottom (the fold line). Sew straight across the corner. (if you want to get technical, you are creating a gusset here) Repeat with the remaining corner of the shell, and one of the corners of the lining (leave the other side open). Press allowances towards the bottom, if desired. You should now have two square bottomed cylinder things (except for the lining which will have an opening at the bottom/side).

    

   That corner magically becomes a straight side!

5. Nest the shell fabric inside the lining so that right sides are touching. Match up the top edges and the side seams (pins are helpful here) and then sew all the way around the top edge.

    

6. Turn the bag right-side out now, through the opening that you left in the lining. After everything is right-side out, fold in the seam allowances of the opening in the lining and top-stitch very close to the edge to close. (Or you could be fancy and use a blind-stitch to close it.)

   

7. Flip the lining so that it nests neatly inside the shell fabric. There should be about a ½” fold of lining fabric that sticks up above the edge of the shell. Try to make sure that all the seam allowances of the top edge are turned down towards the bottom (It helps to use a knitting needle or other slender stick for this). Sew all the way around the top along the seam, just above the shell. This will make the tube or casing for the drawstrings.

    

   To keep the allowances tucked in at the tube openings, you can add a few stitches to tack them down.

   Optional: I like using contrasting or decorative thread for this part sometimes. If you don’t want it to show, choose a thread that matches the lining and “stitch-in-the-ditch” trying to sew as close in the seam line as you can.

8. Cut two pieces of cord at least 15″ (38 cm) long for the drawstrings. It’s better to go long here and then trim the length after. Attach a cord to the safety pin and use it to thread the drawstring through the tube at the top, starting at one of the side seam openings and going all the way around (not out the opposite side seam). Repeat with the second drawstring, but starting from the opposite seam opening.

    

9. Knot the cord ends together on each side and trim the ends to about ½”. If you want thread a big bead on each side before tying them off.

   

   If you cord frays a lot, either melt the ends (if it is synthetic) or put a bit of Fray Check or glue on them.

Bonus round: Do some decorative stitching around the bag (through both layers or just one) with some embroidery floss or other pretty thread. If you are ambitious you could use a plain fabric for the shell, and decorate it with lots of pretty embroidery before sewing the whole thing together. Little beads, buttons, or sequins could be pretty cute too. Go nuts.

Thanks to my sister for the lovely photos!

Tada! You are the proud owner of a cute little bag. Now go show it off and find some treasures to put in it.

If anything needs clarified in the instructions, please let me know!

To be the owner of a handsome mustache is quite a thing and seems rather popular these days.  However, life is very unfair leaving some of us genetically powerless to grow our own or forbidden to do so by the edicts of fashion or significant others. Long troubled by this problem, last year I finally created my own solution to this age old inequity without the need for razors, wax, or hormone treatment. It turns out it is quite simple (and inexpensive) to create your own facsimile of awe worthy facial hair. All you need is some felt, a needle and thread, and some sort of stuffing. Although perhaps not as satisfying as the real deal, a plush-stache is still very enjoyable. In fact, if you are already a mustache bearer, you can even increase your coolness without all the maintenance.

Plushstachery

or
How to Make Yourself an Awesome Mustache

This project has a very good satisfaction to effort ratio.  It takes very little work to make one of these mustaches, but they are very fun to wear around.  Even though this project does involve hand sewing, it is super simple and doesn’t take too long.  It doesn’t matter if your stitches are perfectly neat and there is no tricky business.  In fact I would say this is a very good beginner sewing or plush making project.

Materials/Tools

• Felt (one sheet is usually enough)
• Thread (preferably matching the felt)
• Stuffing (such as polyfill or felt scraps)
• Thin elastic cord (I recommend the clear stretchy kind for jewelry/beading)
• Paper (for pattern)
• Marker (I’m rather fond of fine-tip Sharpies) or white gel pen (something that will mark felt)
• Needle (a large embroidery sized one and a regular sized one)
• Scissors

Optional

• Pipecleaner or wire
• Embroidery Floss or other decorative thread

The Making

1. Print and cut out one of my mustache patterns (Plushstache_pattern1.pdf) or design your own.  I would recommend checking out the design on your face in a mirror after cutting it out.  It’s less trouble to redo the paper than the felt. Also, remember that the easy way to make your design symmetric is to draw half the mustache then fold at the middle and cut it out.
2. Trace two copies of your ‘stache onto the felt and then cut them out.
   
3. Place the two pieces together (put the marked side in if you don’t want it to show), pinning if desired.  Start sewing at the top middle, using a whip stitch, moving towards the tips.  When you are almost back to the middle on the bottom, stop and tie off, leaving a gap so you can stuff it later.  Now do the other half the same way, but wait to tie off until you have finished the next step.
   Optional:  If you want, you can put a pipecleaner or wire inside your ‘stach to help keep it’s shape better.  I like doing this so I can shape it to my face too.  Shape your wire beforehand, and then insert when you stuff on very straight designs or just after coming around the tips on complex designs.  Hopefully the diagram makes sense of what I said.
4. Start stuffing! Starting with small pieces gently push the stuffing into the tips first with a pencil or other pokey tool.  Continue stuffing just until desired amount of “bushiness” is achieved. Don’t add too much stuffing! My villainous pattern only has a tiny amount in the middle, under the nose area.  Sew closed the opening after you are finished stuffing.
   
5. Thread the embroidery (or other large eyed needle) with a long length of elastic cord. It’s better to err on the side of excess here. This is what is going to keep the mustache on your face so it needs to be long enough to loop behind your ears after attached to the mustache. Following the diagram, thread the elastic through the back of the mustache and then knot the loose ends together.  Now check to see how your mustache fits.  You should have a large loop on either side that fits over and behind your ears. It should be just tight enough to keep the ‘stache right under your nose, but not so tight it cuts into your face (otherwise it will look like you have cat whiskers). Adjust the position of the knot until the right fit is achieved then trim ends to 1/2″ or so.
   

   This is the type of cord I used along with a large embroidery needle

   

   The back should look something like this when you finish

6. Go awe the world with your newfound mustached glory!
   

If you create your own glorious mustache, I would love to see it!

And remember, don’t let hipsters dim your enjoyment of mustachery.  Frankly, proper mustaches have always been cool.

This past week I needed a simple activity to distract me from being desperately unhappy about being on a diet of gelatinous material.  For some reason I can’t fathom now, I allowed some villains to remove seven of my teeth.  I think I must have been tricked.  I get rather put out when I am denied enjoyment of tasty foodstuffs.   Combined with all the other discomforts resulting from teeth thievery this made me a big Grumpasaurus Rex.  To alleviate this situation I turned to my store of instant gratification projects.

I find paper folding rather relaxing and it doesn’t get much easier than these cute little stars.  It is a pleasant sort of mindless activity.  It’s the type of thing that girls enjoy making in class when they are supposed to be taking notes.  All you need is some paper, a pair of scissors, and time to kill.  The scissors can even be optional if you are good at folding and tearing paper.

So what do you do with all these tiny stars?  I like to put them into all my packages like 3D confetti.  Some people make gobs of them and put them in pretty vases and jars.  I’ve also seen people coat them with a clear sealer (like Mod Podge) and use them for earrings and other jewelry.  I think it would be neat to string them up like a beaded garland.  Or you can throw them at the cat and/or significant other.

I know there are lots of other tutorials out there for these things, but making a tutorial and taking lots of pictures was part of the strategic distraction from my dental woes.

Tiny Paper Stars

or

Origami Mini Stars

Materials/Tools

• Some sort of paper:  copy paper, magazines, etc
• Scissors

Notes: Avoid thick or stiff paper.  Paper that is about the thickness of regular copy paper is ideal.  Old magazines with the slick, sort of thin paper works great.  I particularly like seed catalogs and coupon clippers because they are colorful too.  If you want to be fancy, some people sell paper specifically for these stars.  It’s already cut into strips and has pretty patterns and colors.  Search for “origami” or “lucky” star paper.

The Making

1. Cut the paper into long narrow strips.  A paper cutter is very handy for the part if you have one.  The strips should be somewhere between 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide and 10 or so inches long.  It doesn’t have to be very exact.  If you are using a magazine or regular size sheets of paper, just make them the length of the long side of the paper.  I made these about 1/2″ wide but I really prefer them 3/8″ to 1 cm or just a bit smaller.  You can experiment with different widths to see what size you prefer.  Just a tip, wide strips work better if they are longer too.  Conversely for skinnier strips it doesn’t need to be as long.

All those garishly colored ads finally have a purpose!

1. Take one of the strips and basically make a knot at one end.  To start out make a loop a couple of inches from one end (1).  Whichever side you want to show should be on the outside of the loop and the short end should cross underneath the long end.  Take the short end and tuck it back through the loop (2).  Holding this end, carefully start to pull the other end to make the knot snug without crinkling it.  Start to flatten the knot and continue to pull the knot snug (3).  The goal is eliminate the gaps at the corners and form a tidy little pentagon.  Once the knot is tight, completely flatten it and trim the short end close to the edge of the pentagon.

If you leave gaps like this the star will be lopsided or lumpy

1. Fold the long tail across the little pentagon (5).  It should line up neatly along one edge (6).  Flip the whole thing over and repeat (7).  Continue flipping and folding until you get to the end of the paper (8).
2. Fold the little flap over and carefully tuck it in under the two layers that cross over it.  Ta-da!  You now have a cute little origami pentagon.

Eep! I really should have cut my nails.

If the tab at the end is too short or difficult to tuck in, trim it off and tuck in the new flap instead.

1. Lightly holding the little pentagon in one hand along the edges(9), with the other hand use your fingernail to push in the middle of one side (10).  (Pretend I have a tripod for my camera and I can use both hands for 10)  Repeat for the remaining four sides and magically your pentagon has transformed into a puffy little star.  If you want the points to be crisper, carefully pinch the tips (*).  Some people use pliers or tweezers for that part.
2. Repeat ad nauseum with more paper until you have gazillions of tiny stars.  They are much better in large quantities.  Just a warning, they aren’t hard to make, but can be time consuming if you make a lot.  However, it’s a nice activity while you are watching tv or something else mindless.

Troubleshooting

If the stars are crumpling when you try to push in the side, your paper is too thin and you should use longer strips so there are more layers.

If the sides are too stiff to push in, your paper is too thick.  Try making the strips shorter and if that doesn’t work, find a thinner paper.

And lastly, remember these are for fun and don’t have to be perfect to be cute.

That’s all for now folks.  Maybe I can get around to covering my adventures in canning soon.

Every now and then I find it important to have what I consider an “instant gratification” project.  Usually it’s the end of the week and my brain is through being creative, but I still want to make something.  Other times I use it as a pick-me-up when I get frustrated because a prototype has just epically failed or I’ve had another string of losing battles with my sewing machine.  It’s something that I know I can’t screw up and that is going to turn out fine even if everything else I’ve been working on has made me want to cry.    Ideally these projects are quick and entertaining, cheap as free (or nearly so), and don’t require any special tools or skills.  I’ve come up with many of these projects over the years, so this is the first of many in this theme.

This week’s project is actually the result of two things, just for fun and also a little bit of necessity.  I’ve been doing a lot of custom commissions lately and needed to unwind a bit.  I love custom work and coming up with new designs, but it is a bit brain taxing by the end of the week.  I’ve also been attempting to get a bit more organized.  I write lots of notes to myself, like new ideas for stuffed animals, important dates, tiny drawings for who knows what, and an assortment of other random information.  Unfortunately I usually write these things on any handy post-it note or scrap of paper within reach.  As you can imagine this leads to a disarray of scattered notes that is not particularly useful or organized.

This is on a good day

I’ve used this unkempt method for years, so I’m pretty adept at dealing with my “rat’s nest” method of filing, but I’m working on this whole “grown-up” thing.  I suppose the modern approach is to use the computer or fancy phone or even a planner to keep track of these things, but I like the more tactile approach.  The act of physically writing things down and list making are both very gratifying to me.  My first thought was to buy several of those tiny little pocket Moleskines.  I have a strange affection for tiny little books and they come in all sorts of wonderful colors.  Then I recalled that I didn’t really have the extra money to spend on an army of tiny notebooks, and I didn’t need to anyways.  I’ve had a book on bookmaking that I’d barely touched so why couldn’t I just make my own booklets?  Double plus bonus, I could make them basically for free and they are super easy!  Thus inspired I proceeded to make several of these handy booklets and I took lots of pictures so you can too.

Tiny Booklets 101

Materials

• 1 4×6″ rectangle of thick paper such as cardstock or thin cardboard like a cereal box
• 8 4×6″ sheets of regular paper like plain printer paper or lined notebook paper
• Sturdy thread, waxed if you can find it

Optional

• Beeswax to wax the thread
• Markers, paint, stamps, or whatever you want to decorate your book

Tools

• Scissors or a paper cutter
• Sewing needle, embroidery size is pretty good
• Awl or other pointy/pokey tool
• Ruler
• Bone folder, knitting needle, or your own fingernails
  

  Click to zoom in

A few notes on tools and materials: These instructions make a booklet that is 3×4″ big with 16 pages.  A sheet of 8 1/2x 11″ paper is enough for 2 4×6″ rectangles, so you would need one sheet of cardstock and 4 pieces of plain paper to make one book.  If you are creative you can make this all out of recycled materials like leftover scraps of paper and cardboard.  If you want to be a bit fancier, you could buy some of that scrapbooking paper that has all the pretty patterns and colors.  I didn’t feel like hunting down waxed thread, so I just used regular thread and ran it through some beeswax a couple of times.  If you don’t have beeswax either, it’s really not that important.

I don’t own an awl, so I improvised and switched out the blade of my exacto knife with a sturdy needle (like for embroidery).  This is a pretty handy tool for lots of other projects too.  I also don’t own bone folder, which is a traditional tool for paper folding, but I figured out that the tip of a knitting needle or something else hard like your fingernail works too.  And finally, if you want really even pages, a rotary cutter or paper cutter is great and makes things a lot quicker.

The Making

1. Fold all of your inner sheets and the cover paper in half.  I would recommend folding the inner paper separately from the cover.  Run a bone folder (or knitting needle or fingernail) along the folds so they are nice and crisp.  If you are using really thick paper or thin cardboard, you may want to score (lightly cut) down the middle before you fold.
   

   Look at that beautiful folding!

   

   The crisper the fold the flatter the book will be.

2. With the cover paper and the pages put together, poke three holes along the fold.  One should be in the middle and the others about a 1/2″ from the top and the bottom.  If your pokey tool is kind of thin like mine, wiggle it around a bit to make the holes a little bigger.  Make sure to put something like a phone book or a stack of newspaper under your booklet before this step so you don’t also put a hole in your table.
   

   Stabitty, Stab, Stab

3. Now it’s time to break out the needle and thread.  Thread your needle with 18-20″ of thread and DO NOT knot the end.  Starting from the inside of the booklet push the needle down through the center hole and pull the thread until only a couple of inches (or enough to comfortable tie off with) are left sticking out.  Keeping a hold of that tail, bring the needle back up through the top hole and then back down through the bottom hole, gently pulling up all the slack each time.  Finally, carefully poke the needle back up the middle hole, being careful not to poke through the thread that goes across the middle.  Gently pull up the slack again and trim to the same length as the beginning tail.
   

   This is where it begins

   

   The stitching should go in the numbered order

   

   Now you’re ready for knotting

4. With one tail to each side of the string down the center, tie the two ends together in a square knot over the middle.  Trim the tails however long you prefer, but don’t cut them all the way to the knot.  It’s very important that the knot be over the middle string so it can’t pull back through the hole.  If you don’t know how to tie a square knot, I’ve included some informative pictures.
   

   It is very important the knot is around this string.

   

   Remember, right over left, left over right

   

   This knot looks very similar, but isn’t as good

5. Technically the booklets are finished at this point, but I think they look better and will lay flatter if you leave them under something heavy (like a pile of textbooks) for a couple of days.  Just don’t forget where you left them unless you like surprise books.  I suppose that’s kind of fun too though.  After this, or before if you skip it, decorate to your heart’s content and enjoy!
   

   I like my tails kind of long

   

   View from the outside

   

   I tried one with pleather, but it curled up too much.

Like I said before, these books are very easy to put together and don’t take very much time either.  It’s a great way to use up scrap paper and I can be as creative or lazy as I want with them.  They are a very appropriate purse or pocket size and I can have a different one for each new purpose.  It has been very helpful for keeping track of hours I spend on my work, and all the different projects I’m supposed to be working on.   Now I have to decide what to do with this newest batch.  Or maybe I’ll go make some more.

Anyways, picking up from where I left off last week, this is the exciting conclusion of my companion cube tutorial.  At this point I have the six sides of my cube finished and it’s time to transform it into a 3-D shape.

Materials Roundup

• 6 complete sides from Part I
• polyester fiber fill or other fluffy filling of choice (fabric scraps can be used too)
• gray thread
• plastic pellets or rice (optional)
• nylon hosiery (foot part) or sock (optional)

The Making (continued)

1. At this point I decided to trim back behind the light gray corners pieces.  In theory this helps the shape when I stuff it, but I’m not sure it’s really that noticeable in the end product.
   

   This is how it looks from the back. Be careful not to clip your stitches.

2. Now it is time to start joining all the pieces together.  First I attach them all together in a flat pattern.  The order or pattern isn’t really significant, but this is how I chose to do it.
   

   Just line up the edges and sew them together

   

   This is how I joined the all together. The letters correspond to the order that I put the sides together in the next step.

3. After the pieces are all joined I start connecting the sides to form a 3-D box.  I sewed together everything but the top flap so it resembles a jack in the box.
   

   Ready for stuffing!

4. Surprise extra lesson time!  Before I go any further I have a few things to say about the art of stuffing.  It is a bit trickier than it seems and can be frustrating when you are just starting out.  I suppose it should also be noted I’m crazy nuts about certain details and may have spent an unhealthy amount of time considering this topic.  This project is fairly easy but I will be super detailed because I can!  Here are a few tips:
   • Don’t over fill. It’s really easy to get carried away and keep stuffing until your plushie is a poor bloated mutant.  Overstuffing can also permanently distort or stretch your fabric.  On the flip side, if you don’t stuff enough, it will lose it’s shape.  Ideally there is just enough stuffing to hold the shape but not be bloated.  Don’t be afraid to take stuffing out and try again.
   • Don’t wad. Be careful not to wad or ball the stuffing too much or your plushie will end up lumpy.  If it gets balled up, tease it loose again.
   • Not all stuffing is created equal. The regular (sometimes labeled  “premium”)  stuffing is good general purpose, fluffy but coarse, and inexpensive, but I think it is better suited to larger projects.  “Ultra Plush” is very soft and is really nice for stuffing smaller pieces as it is easier to shape.  However it tends to compact a lot  so it takes more and is more expensive.  Fabric scraps are probably the cheapest option and will behave completely differently than a fiber filler.  Fabric scraps are very dense when packed and will have less squishiness, especially depending on what sort of scraps you use.  I would recommend cutting the scraps into smaller mostly uniform pieces because they will create a more even filling.

Optional step: I want my Weighted Companion Cube to actually be weighted, so before stuffing I filled a little sack made from some cut up nylons with about 1/2 cup of the little plastic beanbag pellets.  In my original cube I used rice, but have since become more internet shopping savvy and discovered that the little plastic pellets are very inexpensive and I don’t have to worry about bugs or moisture making them icky.  I imagine the toe end of a sock or some other little pouch can be used to contain them just as effectively as the nylons.

I think I used about half a cup of pellets, but it’s mostly a matter of preference and what will fit.

1. Let the plushing commence!  First I take four small pieces of stuffing and push one into each of the the four bottom corners to make sure the corners get filled in.  Next I make a layer for my “bean bag” to rest on.  After that I continue to add more stuffing around the bag until I reach the top of the cube, but I don’t cover the top yet.  If you don’t put any weight in, you can skip the “nesting” part and just put a big clump in.  Just remember that the more stuffing you add, the rounder your cube will be.
   

   It’s important to get the corners first.

   

   The layer on the bottom is fairly shallow. Just enough to keep the bean bag/weight padded.

   

   Put the weight in on top of that bottom layer before adding more stuffing.

   

   Essentially I’m building a little cozy nest around my bean bag.

2. Taking my needle and thread back up, I begin to sew the top closed leaving one last side open.  Before I close it I carefully push small pieces of stuffing into the top corners same as I did for the bottom.  Then I fill in the rest of the empty space at the top and finish sewing up the final side
   

   Now you can add the rest of the stuffing.

   

   The end is in sight!

Optional step 2: Break for tea and pickles.  We’re in the home stretch now and must gather ourselves for the final push.  Mmm…Earl Grey and bread-and-butter pickles.  I would recommend having the pickles while you put the tea kettle on.  If it’s after five o’clock, a beer is also a good choice for those of age.

1. There is only one thing left to do and it’s attaching all those little light gray tabs that go in between the corners where the sides come together.  Once again I layered a piece of fleece underneath the felt for extra thickness.  This step is rather tedious and straight pins are rather handy.  I didn’t think this through all the way when I did it so I pinned them all on at once and had pins sticking out everywhere which made it difficult to hold and sew.  It was a bit prickly.  (Cringe at my puniness!)
   

   Layers upon layers….

2. Finis!  I now have a beautimus beloved Cube.  I shall go forth and taunt my geeky friends.  Hopefully this tutorial has been clear enough that you can figure out how to make your own.  If you have any questions, please let me know!
   

   Victory for cuteness!

And away I go!

The First Cube

Now it has recently been announced there will be a Portal 2!!  My inner fangirl went squee and decided I must make a new and improved homage to the beloved cube.  And so we are brought to the present.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let Wikipedia enlighten you or better yet, go play the game.  In short, Portal is a delightful first person puzzle game and the Cube is part of it.  It’s hard to understand what the fuss is about unless you have played the game, but the wiki will give you some idea what I’m making.

Now back to what I was doing…

If you would like to follow along with this project listed below are the things you will need.  Just a warning, this isn’t a particularly expensive or difficult project, but it is a bit time consuming.  There are a lot of little pieces to put together and it is all handsewn.  It is not a quick afternoon project.  Unless you are some kind of sewing wizard.  I’m not quite at that level yet, but I’m working on it.

Materials

• 1 9×12″ sheet light gray felt
• 1 9×12″ sheet dark gray felt
• 1 9×12″ sheet light pink felt
• light pink thread
• light pink embroidery floss or pearl cotton
• gray thread
• polyester fiber fill (or other stuffing of choice)

Optional

• rice or plastic pellets for weight
• extra felt, fleece or quilt batting for padding

A few notes on materials: The first time I had trouble finding both colors of gray felt in the handy 9×12″ sheets so I used white and gray instead.  I eventually realized the felt can also be found on bolts in the regular fabric section.  A quarter of a yard is plenty for this project.  If you check the remnant bins at the fabric store (usually near the cutting tables) sometimes you get lucky and find the colors you want and it’s super cheap.  Another option is to buy all of it online where there is usually a greater selection all in one place.

A pattern might also be handy at this point, and luckily I happened to have made one.  This pattern, left unsized, makes a cube that is 3″ big.

PRINTABLE CUBE PATTERN

TERMS OF USE: This pattern is for personal use only!  You may not sell this pattern or cubes made from this pattern.  Please do not distribute copies of this pattern to others.  Instead please refer back to my blog so others can download it for themselves.  Make sense?

On to the nitty gritty!

The Making

1. First off I cut all the pieces out.  My pattern has the corresponding color and number of each piece conveniently marked, so I end up with 6 dark gray squares, 24 light gray corner pieces, 12 light grey tabs, 6 light grey circles, and 6 pink hearts.  I also wanted to add a bit more dimenstion to my cube so I cut out extra pieces to go underneath the circles and the tabs.  I have lots of fleece scraps so that’s what I used, but felt or quilt batting would work too.
   

   So many pieces!

   

   Make sure to trim these pieces slightly smaller than the pieces they will go under.

2. Starting with the bottom layer details, I used pink embroidery floss and the backstitch to add the lines that cross the center of the cube.   The stitching doesn’t go all the way to the center or the edges since other pieces will cover those areas.
   

   It helps to trace some guidelines first to keep the lines straight

3. Next the little hearts were sewn onto the gray circles using whip stitch.  From here on whip stitch is what I use to sew everything together unless I state otherwise.
   

   Aww…

4. Taking the padding and the just finished small circles, I carefully center and then sew them on top of the dark gray squares.
   

   The extra layer will make the center pop out more

   

   Now it is starting to look familiar

5. Now comes probably the most tedious part of this whole venture:  attaching all 32 corner pieces to the squares.  The corners are lined up on top of the squares with the edges sticking out and sewn together where they overlap.  It makes more sense if you look at the pictures.
   

   Some straight pins are handy at this point

   

   This is how the corners should line up

6. And that’s all for part one!  Now there are six finished sides and all that’s left is putting them together and stuffing.  Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion sometime next week.
   

   Progress is beautiful

And remember:

There’s no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake