Category: how to

exciting developments in tiny curtain hardware for the cardboard doll house

March 31, 2023

by annwood

What’s more luxurious than a little wood stove in your bedroom on a cold spring morning? #lifegoals There has been major work on the cardboard house for the tiny doll. Decisions have been made and actions have been taken.

miniature curtains

The big news is an exciting development in tiny curtain hardware, such a break through, let’s start with that. The original plan was to just tack up little bits of fabric and lace but the idea of hardware and removable rods would not leave me alone.

The twig solution is just right for a cardboard house and super easy to do. All you need are some twigs and hot glue. Snip off sections with a little limb and glue to the wall.

Stitch or tie on fabric or weave a little twig through the lace.

*this post contains an affiliate link highlighted and marked with an asterisk

bedroom walls and floor

The upstairs walls got one more coat of paint in warm white and a border with a carved rubber stamp. I made the downstairs and upstairs stamps with this easy block kit (*this is an affiliate link – meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link). It really is easy and I want to make lot’s more.

There is a closer look at the stamped downstairs walls here.

The bedroom floor needed to be super simple and playful in scale. The removable cardboard floor is painted a reddish brown and simple planks were added with darker colored pencil.

wood stove and hearth pad

The wood stove for the bedroom needed a hearth. It’s a matte board (on the wall) and a half circle of foam core for the floor. The stones are made using this tutorial. The little stove (made with this DIY) also got a roaring fire. Cut the door on three sides with an xacto knife and bend it open. I painted the inside black and orange and yellow tissue paper was added.

It’s the coziest room ever. I want to live in it.

Checkout the miss thistle society for more tiny world tutorials. Are there twig curtain brackets in your future? Are you working on a world for somebody tiny? Let us know in the comments.

little chicks : free sewing pattern

February 3, 2023

by annwood

comments 8

Little chicks! Super quick and easy to make. And you can make little chicken families using the free chicken sewing pattern.

You just need fabric scraps and a few other things to get started.

download the pattern

You will also need:

fabric scraps – light cotton or linen
felt (I like wool felt)
embroidery thread
glue stick
stuffing
a basic sewing kit
pencil or disappearing marker

: chick 1

: chick 2

1. Pin the body pattern to 2 layers of fabric with the right sides together and cut out.

2. Mark the seam line, location for the beak and opening marks lightly in pencil or disappearing marker. Cut out the beak from felt. Pin the body pieces – right sides together – near the tail end.

: little chick 3

: little chick 4

3. Add a tiny bit of glue to just the back edge of the beak.

4. Fold back the top layer of fabric and place on the body fabric exactly as shown – point facing in. Use the guide lines on the wrong side of the fabric to check the placement.

5. Fold the top layer back down, pin and stitch the seam with very small, straight stitches. I got a much better result stitching these by hand. After stitching trim little triangles into the seam allowance being careful not to clip the seam.

Support free patterns like little chicks! And keep the awesome free projects flowing.

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: little chick 6

: little chick 7

6. Use your chopstick to turn the chick right side out. Push all the curves out with firm pressure.

7. Stuff with wool.

: little chick 8

: little chick 9

8. Fold in the opening of the edges and stitch closed.

9. You will find this method for hiding your knots helpful for embroidering the details. I added an X on each side for eyes using 2 strands of embroidery thread.

10. You can leave the beak as is or clip a little triangle out of the center.

: little chick 11

: little chick 12

11. For the legs use embroidery thread. Put the needle in the bottom seam as shown – coming out about 3/4 of an inch from where you inserted.

12. Pull the thread through so you have some length on each end and knot close to the fabric

13. Trim the legs. Use starch to give them a little stiffness (pro tip – hair gel works too)

You could also add a couple stitches on the side for a little wing detail and a hanging string (use this method again to hide the ends).

hello little chicks!

I hope you make lots of little chicks! If you do I’d love to see. Please use #annwoodpattern on instagram. Or share in the ann wood handmade community.

the shimmering space between

January 6, 2023

by annwood

comments 45

materials, fabric and fabric scraps gathered on my worktable

When I began my first 100 day stitch book last year the plan was to be purely abstract. To commit to a “yes and” improvisational process, let go of outcome, be concerned only with making marks with stitches and responding to those marks. Create for the sake of creating.

On the first day there was a little pile of fabric scraps and a blank page. The scraps were odd and unintentional shapes – off cuts from other projects.

The vision of pure abstraction dissolved almost immediately, representation crept in, sometimes obviously (to me) and sometimes subtly. There were boats and trees and castles and mushrooms, vessels, and lots more. My first impulse was to work to banish those recognizable images. The problem was they snuck in on their own. I didn’t plan for them. And that really was the improvisational process I had committed to.

day 6 2022

So I let them come. Sometimes they took over and sometimes they shimmered in and out as I worked. The revelation was the images I ended up liking the best, the pages where I felt like I got out of my own way (the whole point of the exercise) shift between abstraction and figure.

Did I make the image or did it just appear?

It’s sort of like looking at clouds. Clouds don’t try to look like anything in particular but it happens all the time, we perceive an image. There is a word for it and everything – pareidolia

“ the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. “

That was the biggest revelation and lesson of last year’s 100 days. It pointed me towards a place that feels inspiring and creative and challenging, a good place to play. The ambiguity is freeing.

Let’s talk about another word- intuition

“the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.”

The point of this 100 day exercise is to listen to yourself, to learn to feel for and trust your intuition. Really listening, connecting to your intuition and expressing yourself is difficult. Daily practice helps. What might 100 days of showing up and listening reveal about your own work, process, imagination?

The 100 day stitch book begins on January 20th and ends on April 30th. Find the details here.

I’ll close this post with your warm up assignments :

Checkout the stitch book I made last year- starting at the bottom of the post you can see each page over the five days and you can see the book assembled here.

Gather some materials and put them in a box. Label the box 100 day stitch book 2023. The hard part is over, you already started.

Will you join me for 100 days of stitching? Let us know in the comments and join us in the stitch club community.

make scrappy trees from recreational patchwork

November 11, 2022

by annwood

comments 25

These little tree ornaments (or garland) are a quick and easy project perfect for scraps and a great excuse for indulging in some recreational patchwork: sewing lots of random fabric scraps together (on the sewing machine) without thinking about it too much, inviting happy accidents.

The trees have batting inside and are finished with quilting stitches. As many or as few as you like. I used muslin for the back, I like that they feel like tiny quilts.

To make the patchwork start with a big variety of light weight cotton and join pieces together. Press the seams open, trim the edge and sew more together etc. etc.

When a bunch are joined you can cut it into smaller sections and join those together. You get the idea. It could go on forever – joining, cutting and joining again. I love doing it and it also get’s me moving if I’m feeling stuck or keeps my hands busy while an idea is percolating.

how to make the trees

download the tree template

You will also need:

embroidery thread
a large sharp embroidery needle
cotton batting
optional – muslin for the back
chopstick for turning
basic sewing supplies

: 1

: 2

1. place the tree template on your patchwork and cut out with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance

2. Place your tree back fabric (I’m using plain muslin) over thin cotton batting. If your back fabric has a wrong and right side you want the right side facing up.

: 3

: 4

3. Place the cut tree over the back fabric with the right side facing down.

4. Pin the pattern back on and cut out.

Support free patterns like scrappy trees! And keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

back to the trees:

: 5

: 6

5. Sew around the edge of the pattern leaving one side partially open. The opening should be about 1 and 1/2 inch.

6. Trim off the points close to the seams being careful not to clip the seam. Clip little triangles out in the corners of the trunk and clip away any excess seam allowance.

: 7

: 8

7. Turn your tree right side out through the opening.

8. Use the larger end of the chopstick to push out the general shape and the sharper ends to push the points all the way out.

: 9

: 10

9. Fold in the opening edges and press the tree. Don’t sew it shut yet – leaving it open is handy for hiding the ends of your threads if you’re quilting it. Add some quilting stitches. I made the executive decision not to care what the stitches on the back of the tree look like – wabi-sabi style. If you do care just turn the tree over with each stitch to make sure you’re bringing the needle out where you want it.

10. When you’re done quilting bring the thread out at the tip to create a hanging string and finally whip stitch the side closed.

These are super quick – I made a bunch in just a couple hours and they go fastest in batches. They’re sweet to hang on a tree or anywhere and a nice extra on a package.

I hope you make scrappy trees! You can use #annwoodpattern on instagram to share or join the community!

crow sew-along week 2 : top secret trick for wing texture

October 7, 2022

by annwood

comments 18

stitched crow wings with black feathery ruffles at the top

Welcome to week 2 of the crow-along!

Your goal for this week is to make your wings and tail. That’s steps 33 – 54 in the pattern. Please read through those steps before you start, it helps a lot to see where you are headed before you begin.

week 1 of the sew-along is here

The wings and tail are easy and quick and I’ve got a couple tips to make them even more crowy.

Tip #1 – Stripes are your friend.

Stripes give your feathers a little extra bang for the buck. With 2 layers of fabric, right sides together, place the feather pattern piece on the diagonal and cut, super simple. A variety of scale is nice too.

The pieces are tacked down with a little glue stick. You can hand or machine sew the lines (step – 47 in the pattern.

Tip #2 – My top secret method for making feathery texture with a light weight fabric

Please watch the video above (click here if you don’t see the video). And I’ll go over the basics below.

You need a strip of lightweight fabric. The strip should be about 16 inches (it’s more than you will use but you don’t want to run out) of un-gathered fabric per wing. It’s about 1 and ¼ inches wide.

Gather the strip by hand or machine. My stitch line is slightly off center. It’s super quick and easy to do on the machine by turning the tension to the highest setting and the stitch length to the largest setting. If you’re gathering by hand make a back stitch after every couple inches to keep it from all unbunching.

overdyeing fabric scraps for birds and mushrooms and owls

September 29, 2022

by annwood

comments 12

textile mushroom with a goldenrod dyed cap with french knots

Overdyeing, dyeing fabric that already has color or print, can transform cut up clothes and all sorts of mismatched scraps into great fabric for birds and owls and mushrooms.

Let’s start with a natural dye, goldenrod. It’s all over the place on the east coast right now and I’ve always wanted to make dye with it. You can find all the details in this tutorial for the dye experiment , here’s what happened in my rookie effort.

The scraps are cotton and linen, some with prints and several neutral shades. The fabric gets soaked in hot water before going into the dye. I harvested enough flowers to half fill a big stock pot. They were brought to a boil and then simmered for about an hour.

I did not love the smell. It’s not really a bad smell – just kind of a lot. The color was lovely. Following the tutorial I added about a tablespoon of alum (It’s used for canning and found in the spice aisle in the grocery store) to the pot after straining out the plants and before adding the soaked fabric.

After the simmering was done (about an hour) the scraps stayed in the pot while it cooled. The results were an odd yellow perfect for a mini toadstool.

And there is a bird in progress too. There is something about the wash of color over different fabrics that make it feel birdlike and natural. I’ll share the finished bird here soon. I’ve got a few others in progress including blue birds made from fabric overdyed with woad blue (these were done with french general in France this summer).

And these black scraps are for the crow sew-along. They are dyed with black RIT dye. It’s a purpley shade and perfect to mix into the wing fabrics.

Have you tried plant based dyeing or overdyeing? Are you gathering fabric for your crow? Let us know in the comments.

make this very scrappy and super crafty bunting

August 26, 2022

by annwood

comments 42

In the slushy, hot doldrums of summer it’s the perfect recreational sewing project. A couple weeks ago I started making a few and lost control of myself. You know how that goes. There was no real plan for them but an idea for very scrappy and super crafty bunting emerged while I was stitching.

These little vintage Yoyo’s, or Suffolk Puffs, turned up at the French General workshop.
There is something extra dear and compelling about them and I was immediately charmed. Maybe it’s the size? They are smaller than I have seen before and the fabrics are fabulous.

Maybe you need some scrappy bunting or you are just in the mood to stitch a bunch of something, either way, I got you. It’s super easy and takes forever.

: 1

: 2

: 3

1. Start with a circle of light cotton fabric that is 3 and ⅜ th inches in diameter. You can use this template . Use sturdy thread – I’m using cotton perl. Put your needle in ¼ inch from the edge on the wrong side of the fabric and fold the edge over.

2. Stitch right along the folded edge with stitches about ¼ inch.

3. Gather tightly and knot – optional – iron flat – I like them very squished.

That’s the slow part. Making all those little puffs. The assembly part was much quicker than I expected.

To assemble the bunting lay out the triangle shape as shown – a row of 4 on top, next a row of 3, 2 and 1 (I used 10 but you could also make a smaller triangle with less for a mini bunting).

Stitch the string of 4 together with sewing thread. I connected them with 3 or 4 knotted stitches on top of each other. Pro tip – keep your thread attached and trim it later.

new tutorial : miniature farm house plate rack

August 5, 2022

by annwood

comments 10

A farmhouse plate rack for her perfectly mismatched heirloom china. It’s easy and quick to make and it might be the sweetest thing in the world. A new miss thistle society project is a perfect way to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the sewing pattern.

There has been major progress and one big set back in miss thistle’s cardboard house. The blue and white combination for the stamped walls was fine. I just didn’t love it. When I tried to paint over it the stamp pad ink ran and smudged and bled through. Relentlessly.

What finally fixed it was a wash of orangey/brownish paint that neutralized the weird blue and made a perfect variegated background for re-stamping with a more teal blue. The result feels just right. I can feel many generations of thistle women in this little room.

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link. Links are highlighted and marked with an asterisk.

Let’s make the plate rack. It’s super easy and you could use the same technique to make all sorts of tiny shelves. And it’s quick, less than an hour except for drying time.

tools and materials

Please read through all the instructions before beginning

scissors
paintbrushes
wax paper
popsicle sticks – *find them here
wood coffee stirrer
optional – miniature clothespins – so cute – *find them here
wood glue
fine sand paper
light weight cardboard
paint

1. You need 9 popsicle sticks, 1 coffee stir stick, a piece of light cardboard and – optional- 1 mini clothespin. Use scissors (that are not your favorite scissors) to trim the popsicle sticks. Measure carefully and make the cuts as straight as possible. Also use caution- the ends you trim will go flying. Note– if your sticks break your scissors are too dull.

2. Cut 7 sticks to 3 and 3/8th inches and 2 sticks to 2 and 1/4 inch.

3. Cut one piece of cardboard to 3 and 1/2 inches X 2 and 1/4 inches

4. Trim one corner on each of the short pieces to round it. Lightly sand the edges of all the cut pieces.

: 5

: 6

5. Place wax paper on your work surface and paint wood glue onto the top half inch of the cardboard.

6. Press one of the longer pieces into the glue – centering it on the cardboard along the top edge.

: 7

: 8

7. Paint another half inch of glue below the first stick and add another – pressing it firmly against the first stick. Repeat with another stick so you have 3 sticks glued down..

8. Apply a strip of glue right under the third stick.

: 9

: 10

9. Press the edge of the fourth stick into the glue – perpendicular to the other sticks. Hold it for a minute or two to let the glue set a little. This will be your top shelf.

10. Apply a half inch of glue and press the next stick flat below it – pressing it firmly against the edge.

stuffing : 7 tips and tricks

July 22, 2022

by annwood

comments 21

All your precise cutting and careful sewing are lost without thoughtful stuffing. Songbirds are a great example of how stuffing can take your project from OK to magnificent. The birds need to be firmly stuffed to fully express all their curves and have “birdness”. The birds below were hand stitched using the songbird sewing pattern. I’ve got 7 tips to help make your birds or any 3 dimensional sewing projects awesome.

1. A well stuffed creature starts with preparing the seams before you turn it right side out. Clip little triangle sections out of the seam allowance around the curves. Be careful not to cut the seams.

2. Turn your bird right side out. Take the wider end of a chopstick and run it firmly along the inside of the seams. It gives you a head start on pushing those curves all the way out. I learned this trick from a student at a workshop and use it all the time. It’s especially helpful on small curved seams that you can’t easily press open.

3. Use great stuffing. I only use wool. It makes a firm shape, I find it easier to work with than poly fill and you can fine tune the shape – more on that later. Find it in my shop.

4. Take your time. I spend a huge amount of time stuffing my birds and other creatures. Add a little at a time. Start by pushing the stuffing all the way to the head. Adding too much at once makes it harder to completely fill the shape. Keep adding stuffing until the bird body feels and looks full and round.

5. Close your eyes. Run your fingers gently over the surface and feel for empty spots or lumps. Your fingers will pick up things your eyes won’t.

6. Adjust from the outside. Use a large needle to fine tune the shape, move little bits of stuffing around inside the bird. You can get stuffing into or out of little spots that would be impossible to get to from the inside.

7. When you’re ready to close stitch part way and then add a little more stuffing (songbirds get temporarily closed at this point in their process so I’m basting).

Stuffed! The birds are round and the shape is completely filled out, the seams and surface are smooth. They are ready for feathers and I’ll update this post soon with the finished birds.

And if you feel like joining me in songbird sewing the pattern is 25% off until July 31.

Show me your magnificently stuffed songbird by using #annwoodpattern on instagram or emailing a photo to info at ann wood handmade dot com.

Do you have a favorite stuffing trick? Let us know in the comments.

textile book tutorial part one – organizing and assembling

February 23, 2022

by annwood

comments 27

*This tutorial is divided into two parts. This is part 1, part 2 is here. Please read both completely before beginning (start here with part 1).

The easiest way to understand how this little textile book is constructed is to watch the video of the last step – assembling it – first. After that we can talk about creating the pages etc.

Don’t see the video? – find it here.

I used this book as a 100 day stitch book project last year (2022) – my first two pages are above. You can check out the finished 2022 stitch book here. If you are stitching along with me this year stitch your pages before you assemble the book. I’m sharing the assembly tutorial now so you know where we are headed. Plus it’s a really cool way to make a textile book that you could use for all sorts of things.

Learn more about the 2023 stitch book project here

To create your pages you need 20 rectangles – 7 X 5.5 inches – you can use the page template download below to make them. Ignore the other marks on the pattern for now – just cut the rectangles. I’m using cotton and linen for the pages

Stitch whatever you like on your rectangles, embroidery, collage, mess around, try stuff, meander. Leave about 1/2 inch margin all around the edge to make book assembly easy.

To make the book you will need these templates:

download the page template here

download the page chart here

how to assemble the book

Before assembling the book finish stitching on each of your 20 rectangles however you like – (I’m using plain fabric rectangles for the demonstration book today).

Clearly mark the – right side – of each of the 20 finished pages with its number using masking tape and a sharpie marker.

The book has 20 pages, including cover and back. There are five sections – each composed of 4 rectangles/pages.

3 sections have slots.

and 2 sections have tabs.

Use the page chart to layout the sections. For example The first section (a slot section) would look like this.

Use pages 6 and 1 for the front and 2 and 5 for the back of section one. We are looking at the right sides of the fabric.

And here it is assembled – front and back – page 5 is on the back of page 6 and page 2 is behind one. Use the chart and it all works out.

: section 1 – front

: section 1 – back

Below is section 2 – a tab section.

: section – 2 front

: section 2 – back

Lay out your 20 numbered pages in 5 sections following the chart and then use the instructions here to sew the slot and tab sections.

With all your sections sewn assemble the book.

assembling the book

Get set up by laying out out your pages just like the left hand column of the chart. Then follow along with the video at the top of this post.

PS – the designer of the slot tab method of binding books is Michael Budiansky – checkout the handmade books blog for more– it’s a cool site.

textile book tutorial part two – making the sections

February 23, 2022

by annwood

comments 23

* The tutorial is divided into 2 parts. Please read both parts entirely before beginning. Seriously, it helps. Start here.

The book has 20 pages, including cover and back. There are five sections – each composed of 4 rectangles/pages.

3 sections have slots.

and 2 sections have tabs.

This tutorial demonstrates how to construct the two kinds of sections in the book – slot and tab. Before you begin to sew the sections please read this post on how to create and organize the pages.

You will need:

your 20 pages/rectangles
chopstick or similar
a basic sewing kit
embroidery thread

make a slot section

: 1.

: 2.

1. To make a slot page take two rectangles and lay them out with the right sides facing you.

2. Place one over the other – right sides together.

: 3.

: 4.

3. Draw a half inch margin down the right hand side of the top piece.

4. Clip the short lines on your page pattern. Fold the center section back.

5. Place it over the rectangles and mark the short horizontal lines.

6. Sew the half inch seam above and below those marks.

the fourth annual international scrap festival – 10 ideas for your fabric scraps

February 11, 2022

by annwood

comments 48

small fabric projects on a table - made from scraps of cotton and linen and text in the center -scrap festival 2022

Welcome to the fourth annual scrap festival! That magical time of year when we celebrate scraps a little extra. I’ve scoured the interwebs for some awesome tutorials and created a new fabric book DIY that’s perfect for scraps.

It’s also perfect for the 100 day project if you feel like trying that. Fun and very manageable – you could do 15 minutes a day. I’m participating using the book as my project. My daily progress post will be in the @annwood instagram stories and on a page here too. If you’d like to sew along with me use #annwoodstitchbook and #annwoodpattern on instagram. You don’t have to commit to the hundred days to sew along but If you would like to more details are here.

Find the full tutorial for making the book here.

For now let’s talk about how to get started on a couple pages:

*Download the template and cut 2 rectangles – these will be 2 pages.

Ignore the other marks on the pattern for now – just cut the rectangles. I’m using cotton and linen for the pages – the brown is from a worn out duvet and the black was a little jacket.

Stitch whatever you like on your rectangles, embroidery, collage, mess around, try stuff, meander. Leave about 1/2 inch margin all around the edge to make book assembly easy. Need some inspiration? You might find this post helpful. I test drove the 15 minutes a day idea and this is what I came up with.

I used a timer and everything. It was a focused 15 minutes and felt good. The time limit eliminates paralysis and overthinking and invites happenstance. I love the idea of each day building on the previous.

For the one hundred day project my suggestion is 15 minutes per day. The book has 20 pages including the front and back covers so each page is stitched for 5 days, 15 minutes per day. So do-able! Over achievers feel free to do more. As I’m stitching and sharing I’ll include some simple prompts and suggestions in case you’re feeling stuck.

Why do it? It’s a little window of time to listen to yourself, try stuff, make marks, experiment. A place for ideas to turn up. And a perfect place to celebrate your most precious scraps!

You don’t have to do the 100 days to sew along but if you are, start stitching on Sunday 2/13- 15 minutes per day. After 5 days, move on to the second page. Meet me back here on February 23rd for the full book tutorial (you’re gonna love it, super easy to make and the binding is clever).

I hope you make stitch books! Don’t forget to use #annwoodstitchbook and #annwoodpattern on instagram. And if you’re doing the hundred days also use #The100DayProject

UPDATE 2/13 – find day 1 here!

9 more scrap projects!

1. A sweet bucket pouch from honeyfolkclothing. The pfd is free through the end of this month only and you can find it here. And checkout @honeyfolkclothing (heidi) on on iinstagram for lots of inspiration. She is a scrap hero!

2. string quilt – Lots and lots of skinny fabric strips stitched together and can be arranged in intriguing ways. Simple, meditative and built for scraps. Find the tutorial here.

3. Something for little folks by sewmariana – a fabric memory game – find the tutorial for the game squares here.

4, And use your bigger scraps or pieced scraps (like hexies or the afore mentioned string piecing) to make a sweet fabric container to keep them in with this DIY.

There are tons of scrap friendly projects in the free pattern library here – a couple favorites are:

5. happy cats

6. and the newest – dancing hares

7. Improv with X. I love the idea of experimenting with a simple shape. Checkout the X quilt improv blocks here. And tons more inspiration from shecanquilt on Flickr here.

8. Something for your littlest scraps, These charms are super sweet. I love how mini they are and they could be stuffed with lemon verbena or lavender. Such a sweet little gift. Find the tutorial here.

9. Sweet for spring – carrot treat bags to sew – plus find fabric eggs and more spring ideas here.

A couple bonus ideas from the blog

Long pin cushions are a perfect scrap project and super handy to have. And imperial cats are great to experiment with.

miniature curtains

bedroom walls and floor

wood stove and hearth pad

Checkout the miss thistle society for more tiny world tutorials. Are there twig curtain brackets in your future? Are you working on a world for somebody tiny? Let us know in the comments.

Support free patterns like little chicks! And keep the awesome free projects flowing.

hello little chicks!

I hope you make lots of little chicks! If you do I’d love to see. Please use #annwoodpattern on instagram. Or share in the ann wood handmade community.

Will you join me for 100 days of stitching? Let us know in the comments and join us in the stitch club community.

how to make the trees

Support free patterns like scrappy trees! And keep the awesome free projects flowing.

back to the trees:

I hope you make scrappy trees! You can use #annwoodpattern on instagram to share or join the community!

Welcome to week 2 of the crow-along!

Tip #1 – Stripes are your friend.

Tip #2 – My top secret method for making feathery texture with a light weight fabric

Please watch the video above (click here if you don’t see the video). And I’ll go over the basics below.

Have you tried plant based dyeing or overdyeing? Are you gathering fabric for your crow? Let us know in the comments.

Maybe you need some scrappy bunting or you are just in the mood to stitch a bunch of something, either way, I got you. It’s super easy and takes forever.

That’s the slow part. Making all those little puffs. The assembly part was much quicker than I expected.

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link. Links are highlighted and marked with an asterisk.

Let’s make the plate rack. It’s super easy and you could use the same technique to make all sorts of tiny shelves. And it’s quick, less than an hour except for drying time.

tools and materials

Stuffed! The birds are round and the shape is completely filled out, the seams and surface are smooth. They are ready for feathers and I’ll update this post soon with the finished birds.

And if you feel like joining me in songbird sewing the pattern is 25% off until July 31.

Show me your magnificently stuffed songbird by using #annwoodpattern on instagram or emailing a photo to info at ann wood handmade dot com.

Do you have a favorite stuffing trick? Let us know in the comments.

*This tutorial is divided into two parts. This is part 1, part 2 is here. Please read both completely before beginning (start here with part 1).

To make the book you will need these templates:

how to assemble the book

Before assembling the book finish stitching on each of your 20 rectangles however you like – (I’m using plain fabric rectangles for the demonstration book today).

Lay out your 20 numbered pages in 5 sections following the chart and then use the instructions here to sew the slot and tab sections.

assembling the book

You will need:

make a slot section

Find the full tutorial for making the book here.

For now let’s talk about how to get started on a couple pages:

*Download the template and cut 2 rectangles – these will be 2 pages.

UPDATE 2/13 – find day 1 here!

9 more scrap projects!

There are tons of scrap friendly projects in the free pattern library here – a couple favorites are:

A couple bonus ideas from the blog

Do you have a favorite scrap project? Will you join me in sewing a fabric book? Let us know in the comments and happy scrap festival 2022!