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Nordic Star Cushion Tutorial

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Nordic Star Cushion Tutorial

Decorating for Christmas is a lot of fun, but there’s no need to stop at Christmas trees and fairy lights!

Changing your cushions is an easy way to add a little bit of the current season to your home, and Christmas is no exception. You don’t even need to buy new cushion pads. Just slip the new covers onto your existing cushions!

This Nordic star cushion tutorial shows how to make a simple, envelope back cushion with a Scandinavian style star appliqued to the front. The star is made from 8 diamond shapes, and you can download the template for this here.

nordic star cushion coverI used fleece fabric in red and white as I love the warm snuggliness of fleece. It’s easy to sew and doesn’t fray. The hems can just be folded over and the appliqued pieces don’t need to backing with interfacing.

You could make the cushion in red and white, as I did, or you could use other colour combinations like grey and white or blue and white.

The cushion cover should fit a standard sized cushion pad. A 1 cm seam allowance is included in the measurements.

How to Make a Nordic Star Cushion

Cutting Out

From red fleece, cut 1 square 42 cm x 42 cm and 2 rectangles 42 cm x 30 cm.
From white fleece, cut 8 diamonds (you can download the template here).

Sewing Up

1. Take one of the red rectangles and hem along one of the long edges. Repeat for the other rectangle. Put them to one side.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

2. Take the red square and position the white diamonds onto it as in the pictures below. Pin them in place.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushionnordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushionnordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushionnordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

Don’t be tempted to skip this step! You’ll not get them all in, then you’ll have to spend lots of quality time with the unpicker. I’ve been there!

3. Using a long, straight stitch, applique the diamonds to the cushion front.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

4. Take one of the rectangles and place it top of the cushion front with the right sides together. The top edges need to be aligned and the hemmed edge should run across the middle of the cushion.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

5. Take the other rectangle and place it on top of the other pieces. This time the bottom edges should be aligned.

nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

Pin the pieces together, then sew around the outside of the cushion cover. I turned it over before sewing, just to be sure that I wouldn’t sew over the points of the star.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

6. Trim the seams and turn the cushion out. Pop a cushion pad inside.nordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushionnordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushionnordic star cushion tutorial diy christmas cushion

Now you might like to make a reindeer cushion or two to go with your new nordic star cushion!diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

If you liked this Nordic star cushion tutorial, you might also like these tutorials:

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nordic star cushion tutorial

Reindeer Christmas Cushion Tutorial

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Reindeer Christmas Cushion Tutorial

Changing the cushion covers is an easy way to mark the changing seasons at home, and Christmas is no exception.

Pretty cushions made in some snuggly fabric cry out for cosy times indoors, the best way to enjoy winter!

There’s no need to buy new cushion pads (unless you really want to). All you have to do is slip new covers onto your existing cushions, then, once Christmas is over, put them away with your Christmas decorations until next year.

This reindeer Christmas cushion tutorial shows how to make a cushion with an envelope back. This is my favourite way to make cushions as it is easy and doesn’t require any fiddling around with zips or buttonholes.

I used fleece because I wanted to use a fabric with a warm and snuggly texture. I actually used the wrong side as the right side because I liked its woolliness.

I’ve got another Christmas cushion tutorial planned for next week too, so watch this space!diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

How to Make a Christmas Reindeer Cushion

You Will Need

Half a metre of fabric (I used fleece. This is an affiliate link), a reindeer template (I have one available as part of the Christmas bundle), usual sewing supplies.

Bear in mind that if you are making the reindeer from cotton or another fabric that frays, you will need to back the fabric with fusible interfacing first.

The measurements here assume that you have a standard 45ish cm cushion pad that’s probably gone a bit saggy, as this is what I made mine for! A 1 cm seam allowance is included in the measurements.

Cutting Out

From the white fleece, cut 1 reindeer.
From grey fleece, cut 1 piece 42 cm x 42 cm, and 2 pieces 42 cm x 30 cm.

Sewing Up

1. Pin the reindeer to the centre of the square piece of fleece, on the right side.diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

2. Applique the reindeer to the fleece square. The best way to do this with fleece is to use a straight stitch and sew close to the edge of the reindeer. It’s generally recommended that you use a ball point needle (affiliate link) when sewing fleece, although I used a universal one and it was fine.diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

3. Take one of the smaller fleece pieces and hem along the long edge. As fleece doesn’t fray, it’s fine just to fold it up once. Repeat for the other piece.diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorialdiy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

4. With the right sides together, place the top back piece on top of the front section, so that the hemmed edge is in the middle and the top edges are aligned. diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorialRepeat for the bottom back section. diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorialPin them in place.

5. Sew all around the edge of the cushiondiy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

6. Trim the seams and threads. Cut across the corners. Turn the right way out and stuff your cushion pad inside.diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorialdiy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial finished cushion 1diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorialdiy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

Tips and Suggestions

If you’re struggling to sew the fleece, try using a ball point needle.

If you are using cotton or another fabric that frays, you’ll need to use fusible interfacing on the reindeer.

Other fabrics you could use include felt (for the applique), velvet, thick cotton jersey or faux fur.

If you feel that your cushion is a little plain, you could add some ribbon or other trim.

If you liked this reindeer Christmas cushion tutorial, you might also like this Christmas present cushion tutorial.how to sew christmas cushion present tutorial diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

diy reindeer christmas cushion tutorial

How to Make Dried Fruit Decorations

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How to Make Dried Fruit Decorations

There’s no question at all that Christmas is a special time of year.

Obviously it wouldn’t be Christmas without presents, but I like to focus on getting somebody something they would like rather than feeling that we have to buy all the stuff. In the world. Ever.

I also like to focus on the things that don’t centre around stuff. Like family time, togetherness and memories. Remembering people who don’t have all the nice things that we do. And also remembering when God came to Earth as a tiny human baby to bring to fulfilment God’s plan of salvation for the whole of humankind.

I prefer to do this without filling up the bin with a ton of plastic tat, and this is one of the reasons why I like to make Christmas decorations. Another reason is beacuse it’s fun!

One of the things I really love to do is to make dried fruit decorations. I’m already looking forward to a couple of weeks’ time when I open the box of Christmas decorations. I’ll get lovely orangey whiffs from the dried fruit decorations that I’ve made over the last few years! And once those decorations are no longer any good, I’ll put them in the compost bin or dispose of them with the potato peelings and tea bags.how to make dried fruit decorations

Making Dried Fruit Decorations

Drying the Fruit

Drying the fruit is very simple. All you have to do is slice citrus fruit thinly, then pop it in the oven on about 100 degrees c. Any hotter than this and the fruit will cook, which is not what we’re doing here! It takes a few hours and the smell is amazing!

It’s also possible to dry whole fruit. I usually stick to satsumas as they are small and take less time to dry out. Obviously the whole fruit takes longer than the slices.how to make dried fruit slices

Full instructions (with pictures) for drying citrus fruit can be found here.

How to Make the Dried Fruit Decorations

You Will Need

2 dried fruit slices per decoration (I used a variety of orange, lemon and lime), a button, raffia or bakers’ twine, a cinnamon stick or a piece of star anise. These are affiliate links.

Making the Decorations

1. Thread a length of raffia through both holes of the button so that the button is in the middle.how to make dried fruit slices

2. Thread both ends of the raffia through the hole in the middle of the first orange slice. If there’s not a hole, you’ll need to make one with a darning needle or a skewer.

3. Thread on a second slice. It’ll look better if this slice is slightly smaller than the first one.how to make dried fruit slices

4. Use the ends of the raffia to tie the cinnamon stick or the star anise to the fruit slices. Trim the ends.

5. Take another piece of raffia fold it in half. Thread the folded edge through the first slice just under the outside edge. You might need to make another hole here.

6. Push the ends of the raffia through the loop and tighten. Tie the ends together.how to make dried fruit sliceshow to make dried fruit slices

If you have more time, you might like to try these ideas.

Dried Fruit Decorations Using Whole Fruit and Slices

Dried Fruit Garland

Pine Cone Garland

And if you like to make your own decorations and you’d like some free templates, if you sign up for the updates and extras, you’ll be sent some! The form’s below.

DIY Scandinavian Style Christmas Decorations

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DIY Scandinavian Style Christmas Decorations

There’s no question at all that the Scandinavians do winter better than anyone else.

One of the things I loved about a recent trip to Norway was eating breakfast by candlelight. The mornings were gloomy and the sky overcast, but in the hotel breakfast area, there were cosy pools of light where you could sit and enjoy your salmon and scrambled eggs. We might be the only people in Norfolk who eat breakfast now by candlelight!

Enduring harsh winters is probably best achieved by embracing it, by enjoying cosiness indoors and dressing for the weather when you’re forced to leave the house.

Christmas is the season of cosiness, and pretty Scandinavian style Christmas decorations make me think of snow, a roaring fire, peace and contentment and delicious smells coming from the kitchen.

In an effort to try and get some of this into my tiny corner of the British Isles, I’ve made some Scandinavian style Christmas decorations of my own. And I’ve got more of these kind of projects planned too!diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

Here’s the tutorial, but if you can’t be doing with all the cutting out, you can buy a kit here with the pieces already cut. All you’d have to do is sew them up. Although you could use glue instead if you didn’t fancy sewing them, I won’t tell anyone!

How to Make Scandinavian Christmas Decorations

You Will Need

Red and white felt, ribbon, usual sewing supplies, pencil and paper or the template, which you can download here.

I got the felt from Hobbycraft. They also sell gingham ribbon. These are affiliate links.

Making the Template

If you’ve downloaded the template, you can skip this part!

1. Draw a circle onto a piece of paper. You could draw round a glass or a mug. This is want I did! You’ll need 2 of them, one for the template and one to work out the size of the shapes for the star.

2. Take the second circle and divide it into 8. Use this as a guide to draw the shapes for the star. Pick the best one and cut it out.diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

Cutting Out

Cut 2 circles from red felt.

Cut 8 of the little star pieces from white felt.

Making Up the Decoration

1. Take one of the circles and the star pieces and arrange them as I’ve done in the photos. You might find it helpful to mark the centre of the circle by tacking a few stitches.diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble stardiy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble stardiy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble stardiy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

2. Tack them in place, then applique them to the circle. I would really recommend not skipping this stage! The sharp eyed among might notice a mistake on the white bauble. This was caused by not arranging them onto the bauble and tacking before sewing them in place!diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

This is a little bit fiddly. If you’re using your sewing machine, it’s easiest if you use a small stitch. Otherwise you could sew them on by hand.

3. Place the other felt circle over the back of the first one. Sew the circles together.diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

4. Cut a length of ribbon and sew it to the decoration.diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble stardiy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

If you like the red and white, you could make another one with a white bauble and a red star!diy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble stardiy scandinavian style christmas decorations felt bauble star

If you like this post, you might also like this one showing how to make felt birds. There’s a template that you can download for free, otherwise I have bird kits for sale here. The kits contain everything you need to make 1 white and 1 red bird.

You might like these posts too.

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How to Dry Citrus Fruit For Making Decorations

Christmas Stocking

Very Easy DIY Christmas Earrings

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Very Easy DIY Christmas Earringsvery-easy-diy-christmas-earrings tutorial how to

It’s nice to have something to wear at Christmas.

However, buying new clothes can be expensive, and it doesn’t always seem worth it to buy something just for Christmas.

And as any of you who have kids will know, going clothes shopping with children in tow is not fun!

I love to make my own clothes, but this is time consuming and, in the run up to Christmas, time is in short supply, especially if you want to retain enough of your sanity to actually enjoy it!

An easier (and usually cheaper!) way to sort yourself out with a Christmas outfit is to Christmas up something that you have already, and this was the 9th challenge in The 12 Days of Christmas DIY Challenges.

You could applique something to an existing outfit (like I did with this interactive Christmas jumper), add a Christmassy trim, or find/ make/ buy Christmas accessories. If you’d like some more ideas for what you could do here, please take a look at the links at the bottom of this post.

The overall theme for The 12 Days of Christmas DIY Challenges was to make stuff for Christmas using what we have already, I decided to have a rootle about, and this is what I found!very easy diy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial how to

About half an hour later, I had some lovely new DIY Christmas earrings!

If you’ve never made earrings before, don’t be put off. The only thing to remember is not to pull the jump ring apart. It needs to keep its circular shape, so separate the ends in such a way that it stays a circle.

How to Make Very Easy DIY Christmas Earrings

You Will Need:

Felt, beads or sequins, glue, 2 ear wires, 2 jump rings, a darning needle, paper and a pencil.

How to Make Christmas Tree Earrings

1. Onto a piece of paper, draw a simple Christmas tree. Folding the paper in half and then drawing will give you a symmetrical tree. Cut out the tree.very easy diy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial how tovery easy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial diy how to

2. Using your template, cut 2 trees from green felt.very easy diy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial how to

3.Take one of the felt trees and make a hole in the top of the tree with the darning needle. Open the jump ring using a twisting motion and thread it through the hole.

4. Thread the ear wire through the jump ring and close the jump ring. Do this for the other tree too.very easy diy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial how to

5. Glue the sequins or beads to the trees.very easy diy christmas earrings christmas tree earrings tutorial how to

Wait for the glue to dry. You have some new earrings!very-easy-diy-christmas-earrings

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