Monday Project - Layered Felt Spring Bookmarks

This week, I'm taking a break from working on my complex cloth - I need to think about a couple of different ways I can go with it.  So --- it's looking a lot like spring around here and I need new bookmarks!  I've been enjoying my peach tree's blossoms and was inspired to make a peach blossom bookmark.  For the other one, I decided on tulips.  When we lived in up north, I had huge beds of tulips that looked beautiful every spring.  Now that we're in Arizona, I have to get my tulips from the store - I know, you can put the bulbs in the refrigerator for a few months and then plant them.  It didn't work so well for me.  I love all colors, but my favorites are probably the part yellow/part orange tulips I put on the second bookmark.


Materials:
*felt - for these I used brown, two kinds of pinks, two kinds of green, yellow and orange and light blue and cream for the backgrounds
*embroidery thread
*thin ribbon
*hole puncher
*felt glue
*patterns found here

I went into detail on making layered felt bookmarks in this post, so if you haven't done this before take a look at it first.


Peach Blossom Bookmark

1.  Cut two large and two small blossoms from light pink and two large and two small blossom centers from darker pink, a branch from brown, and two 2" x 6" rectangles of cream felt.

2.  Use a couple small dabs of glue to stick the branch onto one of the pieces of cream felt.   Use two strands of embroidery thread and a blanket stitch around all edges to attach.  Arrange the blossoms on top of the branch and embroider into place.

3.  Add the blossom centers and embroider into place.  Using three strands of thread, create stamens in the center of each blossom by sewing a short straight line and topping it with a french knot.

4.  Pin the second piece of cream felt onto the back.  Using a hole puncher, make a hole in the center of the top.  Using six strands of embroidery thread, attach the two cream pieces of felt using a blanket stitch - do not tie off yet.  Cut your ribbon and attach, taking a small stitch through the loop to secure.

Tulip Bookmark

1.  Cut one bottom petal from orange, one bottom petal from yellow, one top petal from orange, one top petal from yellow, two leaves from one of the greens, long and thin rectangles from the other green (the stems), and two 2" x 6" rectangles from light blue.

2.  Use a couple small dabs of glue to attach the stems to one of the light blue pieces.  Using two strands of embroidery thread and a blanket stitch, sew in place.

3.  Add the two bottom petals and then two top petals and sew in place.

4.  Add the leaves and sew in place.

5.  Using three strands of embroidery thread, create stamens at the top of each tulip by sewing a short straight line and topping it with a french knot.

6.   Pin the second piece of light blue felt onto the back.  Using a hole puncher, make a hole in the center of the top.  Using six strands of embroidery thread, attach the two light blue pieces of felt using a blanket stitch - do not tie off yet.  Cut your ribbon and attach, taking a small stitch through the loop to secure.

Happy Creating!  Deborah