DIY Unicorn Horseshoes

     Yes, I know it would technically be unicorn shoes but I took some creative licence for clarity. I wouldn’t want you clicking on a link excited to see shoes with unicorns on them or even shoes FOR your unicorn. So really, I did this for you.

 No matter what you want to call this, this easy DIY project goes together super quickly and makes a great everyday toy for all ages but it would make a magical game for any Unicorn themed birthday party.  It’s easier than you think to make the stand and unicorn shoes even for a beginner.

Let’s start with the DIY horseshoe stand. For this make a quick trip to the hardware store.  You may have some of these things in your home already. You will need an electric screwdriver and phillips head bit, a 1/8″ drill bit that fits into that screwdriver,  1 – #10, 2″ wood screw, a 1″ thick dowel, something to cut it down with a simple handsaw will do the trick, and a wood post cap, these are sold by the decorative wood pieces, table legs etc. and lightly colored spray paint, this will be your base coat to help the decorative acrylic paints stick to the wood.

You will also need some acrylic craft paints in colors of your choosing, I used a light blue, pearl white, and  hot pink. I also mixed the pink with blue to get a purple tone.

Once your dowel is cut down use the drill bit to carefully drill a hole in the center of the cut end, if you skip this step it will be nearly impossible to get the screw into the dowel.

Place the cap onto the dowel and screw into place.

Spray your stand to give it the colors an even base to stick to without peeling.

From here you will want to paint your stand using acrylic paint . This is kind of just trial and error but after a few tries here are some tips, start by blotting colors into each other as a base then go over with a brush in upward or downward streaks to create motion. Dot with clusters of stars and swirls of pearl toned white. (more pics at the end)

Onto the unicorn horseshoes…

You will need:

Sequins I used Fairytale

Felt  9″ x 12″ sheets – you’ll need a little over half the sheet. I used Orchid, Dewberry, Grey and Aqua 

Matching thread, sewing needle stuffing

Using the template (at the end of the post) cut out 2 horseshoes from each of the 4 colors.

Use Andie’s Method for a fast and easy cut.

Attach sequins where marked on the pattern.

Need a refresher on adding sequins, I got you Adding Sequins

Lay the two pieces together and overcast stitch around the outer edge.

Overcast stitch the inner edges stuffing as you go, if you’d like to add a little weight.

This unicorn craft is a great family project.

Happy Crafting!

Andie

The templates are the same I just thought it would be handy for your to have more than one, because I care.

10 Handmade Felt Kids Gifts

Roll up your sleeves, throw on your elf cap and get to crafting a handmade gift the little one in your life will treasure.

Here are 10 great handmade gift ideas complete with free tutorials and patterns.

1. Felt Seahorse Ride on

This adorable felt hobby horse is actually pretty easy to make and guaranteed to be loved by all weary mer-people in your underwater castle.

2. Groundhog Puppet

Craft  handmade felt groundhog  and shadow puppets and help your little
one welcome spring with a giggle.

3. Felt Stethoscope

Create an easy handmade gift for aspirimg medical professionals these felt stethascopes are a Pinterest Favorite!

4. Felt Soildier Rattles

Although these sweet British Palace Guards do get a little rattled when you shake them they remain loyal and steadfast.

5. Cut Apart Felt Carrot

What’s more fun than play veggies ready for slicing? This free felt food tutorial will walk you through handmaking  the whole thing!

6. Chocolate Chip Cookies

chip cookie this one is an absolute basic felt food tutorial but it’s a great starter project if your new to sewing it’s also great for kids since it really couldn’t be easier.

7. Felt Play Money

Every kid can use some felt pocket money. This handmade play money is also a great way to teach your child math. Use high quality wool blend felt to insure your wool blend money will last through thousands of mini transactions.

8. Felt Starfish Baby Crinkle Toy

 Follow this simple tutorial for a  fun crinkle starfish toy no baby on land or sea can resist.

9. Tic Tac Toe

The hearts are simple to sew (or at least hard to mess up) and so this makes a great mommy and me sewing craft . And of course you could always substitute the Pink with another color like a bright green like Key Lime Pie or lovely blue like Sparrow if pink isn’t your thing.

10. Felt Ninja Pouch and throwing stars

These felt ninja throwing stars are lightning fast to stitch up and a great way to teach hand sewing your karate kid. A traditional throwing star has a hole in the center making it easy to string on a belt for transport. While you can easily add a hole in the center we think you’ll agree the ninja belt bag creates a far more adorable storage option.

Happy Crafting~ Andie

Avoid the cold and have your toy making supplies delivered.

American Felt and Craft

Sewing or Gluing Sequins To Felt- A Refresher

Do you love sequins?    Do you love felt?     Boy I know I do!

Combine the two and double up on the awesome!

Here’s how to sew down sequins.

Rows of Sequins:

Sequins: Hot Pink from American Felt and Craft

To sew down rows of sequins start by coming up the back of your piece with your threaded needle.

Slide your sequin down the thread.

Move needle behind your sequin.

Push needle through and come up one space in front of the sequin you just placed down.

Pull the needle through and thread the next sequin repeating the process.

Sewing down single sequins or sequins that are spaced further apart is also very easy.

Come up through the bottom of your piece. Slide sequin down thread.

Create a small stitch to hold half the sequin, repeat on the other side. These two stitches are enough to secure the sequin but without another sequin behind and in front of it like the ones above the sequin is more likely to catch on items. You can also hold it down with an even four stitches but keep in mind  the more thread you use the less sparkle.

While we’re on the subject there is a right way and a wrong way to secure sequins to felt using felt glue.

Sequins: Grape Soda from American Felt and Craft

Felt is made up of small bits of fibers all tangled together. If you press the glue into the fibers it becomes trapped inside the fibers making the piece stiff but failing to properly secure the sequin to you piece for the long haul. If you press into the felt piece when gluing the sequins the bond will be stiff and brittle and the pieces are more likely to pop off.

Instead float the sequin on a thin pillow of felt glue as the moisture evaporates the sequin will become more even with the felt and the glue will dry clearly.

When your sequin dries it should look like this.

Happy Crafting!

~Andie

Stop by the Shop for 30 colors of Sequins,  Felt Glue and a whole lot more!

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch & Troubleshooting the Blanket Stitch.

The blanket stitch a simple how to.

The blanket stitch is the foreign film of stitches, at first blush it seems so complex, so unusual and seemingly difficult to understand. However like foreign film it’s actually pretty basic, a simple reiteration of something we all know and are comfortable with just done in a diffrent way.

While working on my latest blog project (which will be up in the next few days) I found myself in need of that old standby the blanket stitch this is a very simple and basic decorative stitch with beautiful results and millions of applications.

If your new to the blanket stitch or it’s been awhile here is a simple how to. The blanket stitch is basically a series of interwoven loops, this stitch takes a little practice but is wonderful for finishing around curves, it will not however stop your fabric from fraying so I wouldn’t use this on anything other than fleece, felt and other nonwoven fabrics. This is not as hard as it seems, if the words confuse you look at the pictures closely or visa versa. If you still don’t think you understand I encourage you to grab a scrap some thread and a needle and just try it, chances are you’ll get it in no time. This is the same stitch taught in summer camp wallet making all over the United States. If hyperactive 8 year olds can do I know you can too!

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch Step 1

*note circle indicates hidden knot

Step 1:

To start you will need to place your knot and bring your thread to the front. Take the needle to the back of your project run the needle through to place your knot and come down diagonally to the raw edge.You can now begin your blanket stitch by inserting your needle from the front at the desired depth of your stitch, usually around a 1/4″.

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch Step 2

Step 2:

Pull thread to make a loop make sure that the thread lays on top of the loop, (the tail of the Q is on top of the loop) pull it through until it lays nicely.

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch Step 3

Step 3:

Pull thread through in as straight a line but not too tightly. This is your first blanket stitch…see that wasn’t so hard.

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch Step 4

Step 4:

Take the needle to the back again and emerge ¼ inch away from the first stitch. A good rule of thumb is to place your stitch as far apart as the depth of your stitch. So the deeper the blanket stitch the farther apart your stitching can be. The new stitch will create a loop with the previous stitch making a U shape, repeat the loop and Q shape process. When you reach the end make sure you come up alongside the first stitch and knot in back.

No really that’s it! Nothing to it!

Just don’t ask me to explain crying clowns on the beach or why releasing balloons on a bridge at dawn is so moving you’ll have to take a foreign film class for those answers!

Trouble shooting the stitch

Having problems?

Most are easily fixed with a quick adjustment here are some of the more common blanket stitching issues.

Stitches are uneven- You can easily measure out and mark off the stitch points before sewing.

Thread causes the felt to pucker- Thread is pulled too tight or your stitches are too deep.

Stitches are wonky – Remember you are creating little angles and if your depth vs. height are too different you may have some issues with the stitches looking right.

Stitches are falling off of the edge – Your stitches are too far apart from one another or your pulling your thread through at an angle.

Stitches aren’t laying straight – You need to pull your thread straight along the line it may help if you turn your project to the side.

Loops are too loopy and look sloppy – Slow down and pay close attention as you pull your stitch through you are probably causing it to knot too early, you may also need to change the angle from which you pull your stitch through.

You keep losing the stitch forcing you to start again – Your stitches are too close together making forming a blanket stitch impossible and finding the next step difficult or your pull through thread (the tail of the Q) is on the wrong side of the loop.

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