New Things in the Store!

I've just added a couple of new pretties to the Hazel & Honeysuckle MadeIt store! 

Cute, huh?

Is the pink heart on green floral cotton and felt the one for you? Perhaps the adorable "Buzzy Bee" on grey felt is more your style? These beauties can be added to a brooch backing, hair clip or elastic headband - you choose!

 

I've also re-listed these gorgeous fabric and wooden bead necklaces, I have two of these myself and just LOVE them! I always get strangers commenting on them when I wear them out!

Do you like the Asian-style fabric or the fun flowery brown fabric best?

Remember, I do ship internationally and I love doing custom orders, 

especially for you my favourite bloggy friends! <3

No-Sew Fabric Flowers Week (#2) - Simple Layered Flower

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's no-sew flower! Today I'll share with you a simple layered flower. I'll apologise in advance - I forgot photos for a couple of steps! Let me know if anything is unclear!

You will need:

• Scrap fabric
• Scrap lace ribbon
• Coordinating fabric covered button
• Hot glue gun

First, cut a circle of your scrap fabric. You could trace a lid or something, I'm a slacker so I cut a square, fold the square into half and then half again, and cut a curved edge.

If the corners are a bit pointy or uneven when you open it up, just trim them until it looks nice and round.

Put a small dab of hot glue in the centre of your circle, then quickly hold the circle in quarters (I'm bad at explaining this step - see the photo below!) and pinch the centre so the glue holds.

This gives the circle a bit of volume and shape.

Put another dab of glue in the top centre of your fabric circle and add your ribbon. Add it by holding your ribbon strip in a loop, and pressing it down into the glue. Press the ribbon in place until the glue dries enough to hold it.

Add another dab of glue to the centre of the lace and press your fabric covered button in place.

(I love fabric covered buttons!)

Optional: Turn your flower into a brooch!

To do this you will need a coordinating felt (or fabric) circle and small rectangle, and a brooch back.

Run glue around the edge of your felt circle and press it onto the back of your flower until the glue holds it in place. Run glue down the back of the brooch and press it to the centre of the felt circle. Pop some glue on the back of the small felt rectangle and press it onto the brooch back. 

It should now look like the picture below:

Ta-da! You're done! 

Now you have a beautiful layered no-sew fabric flower!

No-Sew Fabric Flowers Week (#1) - Twisted Roses

As some of you may know, I've been a bit obsessed with paper and fabric flowers lately! I've been gathering inspiration left, right and centre, and have now created a few no-sew fabric flowers that I'm going to share with you! Well, at least no machine sewing. I'll do machine sewing ones a little later :)

Every day this week I will share a tutorial for one flower - sound good?

Today's tutorial is for Twisted Fabric Roses!

Actually, I'll share two variations :)

You'll notice that all of this week's flowers are in black and white, yum!

No-Sew Fabric Flower #1a - Plaited Roses

Acquire your materials:

• 3 thin strips of your fabric (longer strips = larger flower)
• 1 circle of your fabric (or matching felt if you wish)
• Hot glue gun 

Tie your three strips of fabric together with a knot at one end. As close to the end as you can. 

  Plait your three strips of fabric and knot again at the other end. At one end, trim the excess fabric as close to the knot as you can.

Use your hot glue gun to stick some glue in the centre of your fabric circle.

Attach the trimmed knot end of the plait to the centre of the circle.

Spiral the plait around that central knot, a little bit at a time, working towards the outside. Pop down some glue, push the plait into place, and continue until you've spiralled around enough times to use up the plait. It should look like this:

Pop some glue on the side of your rosette, just before the knot. Press down the fabric.

Trim off the knot and press the end of the plait down.

If you need to, trim the edges of your fabric circle so they don't stick out around the edges of your rosette.

You're done! Now you can attach it to a brooch back, head band or other project!

No-Sew Fabric Flower #1b - Twisted Roses

Acquire your materials:

• 1 thick strip of fabric (again, longer strip = larger flower)
• 1 circle of your fabric (or matching felt)
• Hot glue gun
• Optional: Project to add your flower to!

Fold your fabric strip in half.

Roll the end around itself a couple of times, then glue it to the centre of your fabric circle.

Spiral the fabric strip around the centre, gluing and twisting the fabric as you do.

When you've used the entire strip, glue the end of the strip to the side of the rosette.

Trim off the excess from the fabric circle so that none shows around the edges of the rosette. You've made another rose! Stick it on one of your projects :)

Come back tomorrow for another no-sew fabric flower tutorial!

Tutorial - Cameo Brooch

For Christmas I decided to make my Great Aunty a brooch. I'm decent at making stuff for people my own age and mum's age, but not so confident when it comes to making things for people of the grandparental variety. I think this time I've got it right - see what you think!

I was on a bit of a tight schedule and no local craft stores had cameos or appropriately lacey settings for such things, so I improvised and bought two sets of earrings from one of the jewellery stores nearby. I already had a bunch of Swarovski and other crystals in the soft, peachy pinks I wanted to use and my trusty bottle of gemstone glue. So first, assemble materials!

Next I cut the earring bars from the back of the two earrings using wire cutters and filed the stumps down so they were smooth and wouldn't scratch or catch on anything. I also undid the jump ring holding the little bow to the cameo setting, so I could place the bow differently in the finished piece.

After that, all there is to do is lay it all out how you want and glue it together! The gemstone glue dries clear so you can't see it at all when it's completely dry. Still, it's a good idea to wipe away excess glue with a damp cloth.

One thing I did find helpful was to place a small rectangle of medium weight interfacing between the two earring pieces and glue each earring piece to that. It gave it a better surface to hold to and is nice and sturdy. I did the same when adding the brooch pin to the back, you can see it here:

The finished brooch is quite large, but I think my aunt will like it! You don't have to massacre earrings to make these, you can order unset cameos and lace backings online (I love some of the ones on Etsy!) or you might be lucky enough to have a craft or beading store nearby that stocks the materials!

Merry Christmas!