fortunate!

ok, i know i've shown the fabric fortune cookies before, but i'm still TOTALLY in love with them, so here's the latest version:




i've used the same (rather brilliant!) tutorial from lady harvatine's blog but this time i made the cookie just a bit smaller (3.5" diameter) to fit in one of the small plastic "chinese takeout" boxes i got from oriental trading company. i made the decorative panels for the box in printshop using a dingbat font and a couple of digital brushes, and cut it out with a nestabilities labels die. the little dragons i found on a free clip art site (via google image search) and the chinese coin and ribbon are from my stash. the fortune inside the cookie reads, "you will have a very happy birthday!" and i hope that when my uncle receives it he will do just that! ♥

i made a fortune last night!

two, actually. so of course i had to make fortune cookies in which to put them. see?

stef sent me a link to this tutorial a couple of weeks ago, and i thought it was AWESOME! (also the blogger, lady harvatine, is hilarious!) it was not particularly difficult, either, even for someone with limited sewing skills. (which is pretty much ME in a nutshell, eh?!!) i did make a very small variation to the instructions which saves two steps, that i'll put down at the end of this post; along with instructions to make this 99% a no-sew project. (so if you have no interest in ever making one of these, just skip that bit, k?)

i know what you're thinking. you're thinking, "hey lauren! could these *BE* any cuter??!" well, yes, actually. yes, they could:

as soon as i saw the tutorial i thought of the cute "chinese takeaway" containers they sell at michaels, and how adorable it would be to put some shredded paper "noodles" in one to pad the cookies, which now look a bit more like a gift, don't they? (this pair were made for my in-laws' wedding anniversary, so the "fortunes" are love-based, and i used coordinating fabrics.) oriental trading sell smaller boxes made of semi-sheer plastic which are the perfect size for ONE cookie padded with a few "noodles"!

of course i had to decorate the outside of the box a little bit, too...hey...it's what i *DO*!!! :)

♥♥♥♥♥

the slight variation to the instructions which saves two steps...and incidentally makes it easier for newbies to stitch a neat circle: instead of tracing and cutting out the 4.5" circles, just lightly trace a 4" circle onto your 5" square of felt with a pencil, pin it to your 5" square of cotton and machine stitch all the way around the circle ON THE LINE. then cut out the circles close to the stitching w/pinking shears as directed, and keep going from there!

how to make this a 99% no-sew project with no sewing machine necessary: use fusible web (aka "wonder-under" available at most craft stores) to attach the felt and cotton fabric layers before tracing and cutting your circles; then sew the center seam by hand. woohoo! you've got COOKIES!!! :)

if i knew you were coming i'd've *SEWED* a cake!

like this one!

i made it for missus trash's birthday. it seemed like the thing to do, what with her being such a smashing seamstress, quilter, and fabric artist...and my having just learned to sew a bit!

i got this FAB pattern from the dollifever etsy shop. it was actually meant to be made of felt, and top-stitched together, but my new-found machine-stitching skills were burning a hole in my pocket, so i decided to attempt to convert the pattern. i added a 5/8" seam allowance to each pattern piece...and somewhat to my surprise...it actually worked!!! i used ribbon for my piping instead of felt, and added pre-made paper flowers on top, et VOILA!

ok, it is just a leeeeeeeeetle bit wonky. (you'll notice there is no photo taken from the front of the cake, staring down the point...this is not an accidental omission!) i definitely need to be bolder when it comes to making the little nips in the fabric where you need to turn the seam quite abruptly. also, i have no idea how to perfectly press tiny sewn things with my big honkin' iron! but all in all, as a first solo project, i am not at all unhappy with my effort, and i was definitely pleased & proud to present it to my lovely friend!