Disney Craftiness

I'm still in that post-Disneyworld glowing state.  How best to keep that glow alive?  Read Disney blogs and get crafty.

A wonderful woman helped us plan our vacation -- Deborah Breneman of Life Candy Travel (I can't wait to plan our next Disney trip with her!)  I wanted to give her a little something in thanks.  But is her home full of souvenirs from WDW?  Did she need another Mickey ornament for her tree?   So I decided to make her a little something.

I've been experimenting with raw-edge machine applique lately, and really like the look.  It's very easy to do, using the darning foot on the sewing machine -- you can just sew anywhere you like.  And, I really liked this pillow I saw on Natural Life:

So, I gave it a try myself, with a few Disney variations.

"Welcome Home!" was our greeting at the resort gate on our first day.  I cried a little.  (Surprised?)  I sewed a "Hidden Mickey" on the front door -- just sew round-and-round three times!

I had all these fabrics and trims in my crafty stash.  I made the appliques using iron-on adhesive, then just sewed around them and embellished.  If you sew around each element 3 or 4 times, it gives that shabby chic look that I love.

I made my first pillow in the shape of the house, as in the example, but for the second one I added some strips of fabric to make it into a square, which I liked better, and which I sent to Deborah.

Then, because I was really cruising with this machine embroidery technique thingie, I designed a pillow myself:

This one was much easier.  It's just a simple envelope-style pillow.  I chalked on the words, then machine-stitched over them 3 or 4 times.  Using the darning foot, you can sew back and forth a few stitches at the end of a word to lock your threads, then move to the next area you want to stitch, lock a few stitches and go -- clip and trim up the loose threads when you are done.  I made an applique of the star, ironed it on and stitched around it with black thread.  

I made two more pillows using this same technique, but I'll have to wait to show you those until after I give them away.  

And just because, here's Annie, lounging in the library chair:

 Peace,