tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337301.post-1162322601680143402006-10-31T15:45:00.001-05:002008-04-13T17:36:59.031-04:00<a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpiefinal-781511.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpiefinal-773542.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Dare I say I have my act together? The following is the tutorial promised for the "cutie pies" I posted last week.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie1-779025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie1-722209.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />MATERIALS<br /><br />Felted wool sweater - If you don't know how to felt a sweater, see this former <a href="http://blog.betzwhite.com/2006/05/refashioning-sweaters-part-1.html">post</a>.<br /><br />Wool felt<br /><br />Steam-a-Seam double sided fusible web<br /><br />Felt balls - I <a href="http://store.ornamentea.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&amp;Store_Code=bedizen&amp;AFFIL=05c61m41">bought these</a>, but they are easy to <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/felt-balls?xsc=stf_MSLO-ARTICLE">make yourself</a>.<br /><br />Needle and yarn<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie2-798139.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie2-756441.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Cut a circle out of the Steam-a-Seam (mine is 7" diameter). Peel off paper from one side and fuse to the solid wool felt, following product directions. ***(1/3/07 UPDATE: Please note, I corrected a mistake in this post. The diameter I used was 7", not 6" as orginally posted. Sorry!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie3-739923.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie3-797553.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Cut the solid felt out around the edge of the Steam-a-Seam. Remove remaining paper.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie4-758507.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie4-725117.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Place fusible side face down onto wrong side of sweater felt. Fuse and trim out circle. Be sure your work is totally fused around the edges so it doesn't de-laminate once your start bending it around. I like to cover it with a damp press cloth and go back at it with a lot of steam.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie5-743009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie5-714975.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Make a sundial...no, wait, just kidding. Place your felt balls around the perimeter to get a feel for how many you'll need. I used 14. There's is probably some kind of "pie-R-squared" formula to calculate # of balls based on circumference, but that's just not my style...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie7-794581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie7-741751.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Thread a needle with yarn, double stranded for strength. Start to sew through the felt circle, through the ball, then back through the felt again. I started about 1/4" from the top edge of the felt and went through the center of each ball so that the tops of the balls would peek out a little.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie8-783379.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie8-799240.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Keep going making sure that the felt wraps about half way around each ball. Keep adding balls, alternating sides of the felt circle.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie10-712653.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie10-731370.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Stop and check about halfway around the circle, making sure you have used half the balls from your "sundial" estimate. Scientific, I know...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie13-714741.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/uploaded_images/cpie13-707469.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Keep going around until you're back at the beginning. When you're happy with the look, knot the yarn in an inconspicuous place. This one took me 2 tries to get it to space out right, but it went pretty fast regardless. Felt is pretty forgiving as long as you don't expect it to be perfectly uniform!<br /><br />I think these would look really fun with various size felt balls or beads as well. Do me a favor and send me your photos if you make some cutie pies of your own!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/27337301-116232260168014340?l=blog.betzwhite.com'/></div>Betz Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07462296992185760050noreply@blogger.com30