Hello, crafting friends! My name is
Beverly Tiemann. I’m a stitcher, card-maker, mixed media artist, and quilter. Today, we are going to talk about 3-D Felt Décor. Are you ready for some new summer decor? Spellbinders has three new die sets to help Fergus the Gnome make the most of his summer.
Fergus is sizzling hot with his new surfboard, shades, and flamingo friend! Complete his summer ensemble by providing him with a little shade from an adorable coconut palm tree. If you have yet to meet Fergus, please check out
this blog post for a complete introduction to him and his over-the-top cuteness!
Spellbinders Merino
Felt is die-cut the same as cardstock. Here is a quick reminder about the order of the sandwich plates when cutting paper/felt. Pictured below, the new
Surfboard dies are on top of the colors Potion and Magic from the
Kaleidoscope Collection. Both dies fit on the
Platinum 6 platform at the same time.
The dies are intended to cut felt but they cut other materials equally well. The
surfboard pictured in the middle was made with white Pop-up Die Cutting
Glitter Foam, (the black glitter is discontinued). Another was made with discontinued Spellbinders Pop-up foam. Most of the embellishments were cut with wool.
Here are the pieces cut from the
Fergus body die set:
From
Pansy felt: Die cut the Body twice and the Bottom once. Die cut both the Hat Brim and Hat Band twice each.
From
Candy felt: Die cut the Coat Front and the Sleeves twice each. Die cut the Coat Back and the Hat Top once each.
For the nose and hands, die cut three matching or similar shades of felt. Pictured is
Caramel
Cut the Small Beard Layer and, from the
Summer Embellishments set, cut one Mustache. Pictured color is
Mushroom, also from the
Neutral Collection.
Sandy Maciver has wonderful videos that give detailed instructions on sewing and assembling Fergus
here.
Palm Tree Instructions
Using the
Palm Tree die set, die cut the trunk and the circle three times each. Cut the triangular base once from the same color as the tree trunk. Die cut the leaf shape five times. Use the same color for all the leaves and coconuts, or choose two different colors. The
Palm Tree shown here used felt from the
Neutral,
Cool and
Holiday Collections. The trunk and two coconuts are
Caramel. One coconut is
Mocha colored. The leaves are
Dark Olive and
Mossy.
The nose, hands, and coconuts are all made the same way from a die-cut circle. The coconuts are a little larger than the nose/hands circle, but the technique is the same. Do a basting running stitch a little less than a ¼” from the edge - around the perimeter, leaving tails at the beginning and end. Pull the tails to gather the edges to form a ball-like shape. Put a little bit of fiberfill stuffing to hold the shape and then stitch across and back several times until the shape holds. The coconuts will be sewn to the tree after the trunk and leaves are completed. The picture below shows the stitching for the hands. To fit best in the sleeves, sew the gathering stitch about 3/8” from the edge and trim a little off the edges to reduce bulk.
To assemble the tree trunk, stitch the three pieces together using 2 strands of
embroidery floss or size 12 perle cotton. The stitching on the leaves is decorative. Use the same weights of thread for them or increase to 3 strands of
embroidery floss or size 8 perle cotton for more substantial-looking stitches.
Sew the trunk pieces together using the straight running stitch, leaving one side open. Attach the base to one side. Line the top of the tree trunk with poly fiberfill. Sew the trunk sides together. There will be a space left at the bottom for filling the base with walnut shells to stabilize it for standing. The weighting of the base step is done after the three trunk pieces are sewn together to form a tube-like structure. Alternatively, the fiber fill can be stuffed from the bottom, but because the trunk is narrow, there is more likelihood of breaking the felt stitches if it is vigorously pushed to the top.
Continue sewing the top of the trunk together. The stitches at the top can be a bit wonky because they will be covered with leaves and coconuts. Fill the base with walnut shells. These can be obtained from a pet store. Sew the base to the sides of the trunk and attach the leaves and coconuts. The tree is sturdy once it is assembled, but balance can be an issue if too many leaves and coconuts are placed on one side.
Here is Tropical Fergie, with a relaxed vibe sporting a linen coat and hat. The frayed edges are intentional to go with her laid-back style. Use the dies from the
Fergus set as tracing templates onto stabilized fabric and sew by hand or machine.
Die cut the
mustache die four times to create hair. Leave off the beard.
To make the flower lei, cut the hibiscus flower and center 10 times each. Die cut the leaves 5 times, which will net 10 leaves. Sew together with one or two strands of embroidery floss to make a long lei.
Die cut other Summer Embellishments as desired to decorate Fergus, Fergie, and the Surfboard.
There are so many ways to stylize
Fergus. By varying colors and placement, Fergus can have many different looks. He is a fun addition to the
Fergus series! I hope you enjoy making him as much as I did. Thank you for visiting today. Tag me on
Instagram if you make a Fergus. I would love to see what you create!
[spellbinders-supplies]PE-104,S7-278,S4-1545,S5-755,S5-756,FS-001,FS-002,FS-003,FS-007,FS-008,SCS-291,SCS-256,PCGO4E[/spellbinders-supplies]
Other Supplies
Glue, walnut shells, fiberfill stuffing, perle cotton size 12 and size 8, two hat pins
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