Crafts

One yard of the 54" or more fleece can make you three (or more) really nice looking scarves to use or give as gifts.  You can get 4 from a yard if you only want to go with a narrower version.

Simply cut the material into three or four pieces 13" or 9" wide and 54" long.  Run your thumbnail gently down the 54" lengths and the fabric will just curl in...no side seaming at all.  Fold each length into thirds and run a quick iron over it to keep it folded that way. VOILA...fleecy, warm neck scarf!

Variations! At each end of the scarf cut equidistantly spaced fringes...as wide or narrow as you wish....but don't go toooooooo narrow if you want to use the thumbnail curling effect there!

For a fancier look, you can applique intitials on these....or embroider names or designs....or even iron on fancy little commercial iron ons.  I made sure to cut the fringes on mine so I had an equal number...and then took two, pulled them together and slipped a metallic pony bead over them and knotted below the bead.  (Mine's black and gold.) You could alternate bead colors, or make the scarves in school colors, or use a rainbow of beads.  You can also just add beads to singleton fringes....or pull three in for a different effect.  You can choose to skip the beads altogether and just knot, too....or curl with the thumbnail and leave plain.  DO NOT APPLY TOO MUCH PRESSURE WHEN PULLING DOWN...KEEP A LITTLE GRIP FURTHER UP THE FRINGE....OTHERWISE YOU MIGHT TEAR OFF A NARROW FRINGE! They also look good with NOTHING else done but the first steps!

I saw one of these at a craft bazaar....but passed it up then.  Saw one a week later in a nice store that they were asking $19.95 for and it was absolutely the same thing....except it had a label! Not wanting to pay THAT price and having missed an opportunity for the lower bazaar price, I headed for my local fabric store to do it myself and was shocked to see how simple it actually turned out.  I got  wonderful price on fleece so I bought yards and yards of it and surprised all my kids AND grandkids and several sibs and teachers with these for about $1 each....and you know at least one of those folks has to have priced them elsewhere!!!  I also bought some super fancy fabrics...some studded with metallic circles, some in rainbows...and figured I could hem the edges but do the same thing.  Many fabrics didn't need hemming....just a quick run with the iron!  So, I was also able to gift some of my gift list with a fancy scarf for the office Christmas party or those nights out on the town!  (I also have the most extensive wardrobe of neck scarves in town! Some were just too pretty to give them all away? KWIM??)

As always, add your own variations to this idea....or add on more quick fleece tips and hints and patterns.  We're all getting close to "that time" yannow!!!!!!!!!

NO SEW FLEECE PILLOW

Cut two circular pieces of fleece four inches larger than you want the finished pillow to be. Make a pattern using plain paper or even newspaper if you won't be working with a light colored fleece.  Ink may smear onto fleece from newspaper.  Cut a 4" smaller circle PATTERN.  Pin the two pieces of fleece together.  Pin the smaller pattern in the center of the two pieces of fleece and cut equally distant inch wide fringed through the fleece to the edge of that inner paper circle. 

Remove paper circle and begin knotting fringes together.  Double knot and fluff the ends of the fringes as you finish knotting.  Before you finish, stuff pillow with fiberfill and knot off the last few inches.  Voila...done.

You can use two circles of the same or contrasting colors.  Perhaps  favorite team colors for a sports fan? School colors for kids?  You can get several pillow forms out of a yard of fleece, depending on the size you want to make.  Handy with painting?  You could even  paint on a face!

This months' Family Fun has patterns in it for making a heart shaped version AND a Lion version....both of which look like great fun, too!  

http://www.fabriclandwest.com/Fleece_Country/Fleece/fleece_toque.htm

It looks so cute and I've been waiting for the perfect time, but the perfect time never seems to come along...I'll have to set aside a special "sewing day" I guess =)

~Judy

thank you!

Lia