Moroccan Pouffe Pincushion Tutorial

This is a Moroccan Pouffe Pincushion I made for my blog giveaway. I have made a complete tutorial with a downloadable template so that you can make your own pincushion!

Requirements

• Felt (various colours)
• Embroidery Thread / Needle
• Stuffing

Step 1: Print off the template ( downloadable link is at the bottom of this post).
Step 2: Cut out the 4 shapes from the template sheet.
Step 3: Place the template onto your felt and cut out the required amount of pieces. (Pic1 and 2)
Step 4: Place the diamond shapes onto one of the large circle pieces and pin the pieces securely. (Pic 3)
Step 5: Using the embroidery thread stitch all the diamond pieces onto the circle. This is to be the top of the pouffe.
Step 6: Using the embroidery thread stitch all the rectangle pieces together (along the longest side). Stitch closed to make a circle. (Pic 4)

Step 7: Stitch the small circle piece to the centre of the large circle on top of the diamonds. (Pic 5)
Step 8: Stitch the rectangle pieces (now in a circle) to the top circle piece, each rectangle should be underneath the gap parts of the diamonds (Pic 8 shows this clearer)
Step 9: Place the stuffing of your choice into the pouffe. (Pic 6)
Step 10: Attach the other circle piece to the bottom with some pins. (Pic 7)
Step 11: Stitch all the way around securing the circle to the bottom of the pouffe.
Step 12: To make it more shapely you can then using the embroidery thread and by placing the needle and thread through the centre of the cushion through the small circle to the bottom you can tighten the cushion to make it have an indent. If you do this a few times it should make it secure enough and then tie a knot on the underneath part of the pouffe.

Here is the link to the free template for this project: https://www.dropbox.com/s/se1b8pi1o6nb9d2/moroccanpouffe.pdf


Don't Forget you can still enter into my giveaway for this pincushion by leaving your details on my original post. The deadline is Sunday 26th January 2014. giveaway link

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10 Minute Easy Headband Tutorial

 

 

Today my 6 year old daughter made this headband. It really is that easy and that quick! She made it from pink patterned fabric from an old summer dress - so a great upcycling project too! The only part I had to do myself  because of her young age was the ironing.

 

 

Here is my tutorial for this really easy headband.

 

Requirements:

• Rectangle piece of fabric (ours was 19in long and 4in wide)
• one Hairband
• Iron
• Sewing Machine or Needle and Thread.

(measure the head of the person to make sure you will have enough fabric as sizes vary.)

 

 

 

Step 1: Cut out the rectangle shape of fabric and find a hairband to match. (pic 1)

Step 2: Iron hems on both sides (lengthways) and then fold in half and iron flat (Pic 2,3)

Step 3: Sew along both sides of the folded fabric (lengthways) closing the open side. (pic4)

 

 

Step 4: Fold over the short edges neatly, then iron the fold. (pic 5)

Step 5: Place the hairband into the folded end and sew along the edge to secure the hairband onto the headband. (pic 6)

Step 6: Then take the other end of the headband and place the hairband into the fold (making sure the headband is not twisted!).  Then sew along the fold to secure the hairband completely. (pic 7)

Step 7: You now have you very own handmade headband - made in less than 10  minutes! - it may take a little longer for children sewing though! (pic 8)

  

 

This was the old dress that she used for the fabric:

 

 

Giveaway! To celebrate my 2000 Facebook Likes

I am celebrating reaching over 2000 Facebook Likes on my page and also for reaching over 250,000 Page visits to this blog. Thank you everyone for visiting and taking your time to communicate with me here on my blog and also on my Facebook page. So I am going to do a giveaway to celebrate these milestones.

I have personally made a handmade crafty giveaway prize .This is a unique pin cushion for all those sewing/hijab pins you have lying around!

So if you want to enter my giveaway (open to everyone) then please leave your name and contact details. You can do this in the comments section on this post or send me a personal message. Also you can leave a message on my Facebook page.

Giveaway ends on Sunday 26th January 2014. 



PS: IF you want to know where the tutorial is for the photo above, here is the link: easy-cupcake-pincushion-tutorial.html

Book Review - The Magic Words

This Islamic book is one of my daughter's favourite books! She loves reading this one on a night time before she goes to bed as it is about a little girl trying to get to sleep! This book teaches young children a dua or short prayer that can be said before they sleep.

My Review

This book is a lovely book for young children. It is about a young girl named Laila who is finding it very difficult to get to sleep. It goes through all the different things that she tries to do to help her to sleep. She eventually decides she needs to find her Mama who then helps her to get to sleep using 'the magic words'. The Author has done a great job of telling a lovely story with the added bonus of including a short dua that becomes part of the story. This book can be read to very small children as there are plenty of illustrations to help you follow the story and of course the older the child is they can read the story themselves. My daughter has read this story many many times and she still loves it!

Review by my 6 year old

This book is about a girl called Laila and her mum and her pets and sleeping.  I like this book because it is funny and you learn.

The Magic Words

Author: Lisha Azad

Illustration: Azra Momin

ISBN: 978-0-9562141-8-8

I took a video of my young daughter reading this book, you can watch the video below via YouTube:

Crocheted Jar Cozy and Matching Coaster

Last week I posted about the Jar Cozy that my 11 year old daughter made, this week she made another one but this time with a matching Coaster! These are very easy to make, just one rectangle piece of crochet for the Jar Cozy and one square piece of crochet for the coaster.

She even tried experimenting and used a different technique to make this one! She crocheted using 2 balls of wool at the same time - even I don't know how to do that! The photograph below shows her at her craft.

Here is a photograph of the Jar Cozy before she stitched it up to go around the jar!

If you missed last weeks photo of her jar cozy here it is below: crocheted-jar-cozy.html

Crocheted Jar Cozy

Today's post is showing a craft that my 11 year old daughter made this week! I was inspired to make a cozy by my blogger friend Ameenah from: http://www.mariampoppins.com/ after we both saw a lovely one made by my other blogger friend Ameera from http://traditionalmuslimah.blogspot.co.uk/. I was too busy to make one but my 11 year old also loved the idea after seeing her photograph and decided to make one herself. Here is the photograph of the one that inspired us, isn't it so cute!:

I don't think she has put this on her blog just yet! But you can see it on her facebook page if you have a Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/TraditionalMuslimah Once she has it on her blog I will give the blog link insha'Allah.

I think my friend actually made hers by knitting but my daughter made hers by crocheting, these are easy to make either way!  All you need to do is make a rectangle shape which is wide/long enough to wrap around your glass jar. Add your preferred decoration and attach the 2 ends and place over your jar - simple! Below is a photograph of the cozy on the jar and off the jar:

My reason for lack of posts lately

For those who follow my blog regularly you may have noticed the lack of posts for the last few weeks.  The reason for this was that my Mum was very poorly and unfortunately I have to share the news that she passed away on the 5th December 2013.  It has been a very difficult time for the whole family and blogging was the last thing on my mind at this time. For those who follow me on Facebook I have already shared this news but I know some of my followers are not on Facebook, so thought it best to write a post directly to my blog. I will try to share a quick crafty post tomorrow of a craft that my 11 year old made this week and then hopefully start blogging about my own crafts soon, insha'Allah. Thank you for being patient with me during this difficult time.