Story Telling: Blog Party + Tutorial

 Yay!  So happy to be part of Carrie Bloomston's fabric release blog party.  As soon as I got a peek at Story, her new fabric line, I got all excited and was inspired to tell my own.

While Story can be used to create amazing quilts and bags, it is also fabric that appeals to kids in a BIG way.  It invites creativity and play.  It's the perfect kid-friendly fabric.

When the package of fabric arrived, my kids got excited too.  What was this wonderful fabric with colorful images and words?  And could they play with it?  Yes, yes!  Phoebe was taken by the images and immediately began to write her own fabric story appliquéing images and writing a silly love story that only a ten-year-old can tell.

I had fun playing with it too.  I stitched up this cute My Very Own Skirt from Sewing School.  A sweet house pocket and dog stuffie was a must!

I also couldn't resist making a Quiet Play mat where images and words from the fabric can be used to tell stories again and again.  This project is from Sewing School 2.  You can make one too.  I'll show you how.

First, make a mat using a felt square backed with cute fabric.  I stitched a house pocket onto the felt square and added a loop of elastic at one end.  (detailed directions for this are in Sewing School 2.)

To make the felt-backed images, use Ultra Heat'n Bond.  I like to iron a large section of fabric onto the Heat'n Bond and then iron the whole thing onto another felt square.  If you've never used Heat'n Bond before, it's easy, just follow the package directions.

Now you can cut out the images and they will kinda-sorta stick to the felt mat.  You can move them all around and have a never-ending tale.

When you are finished playing, the pieces fit neatly into the pocket.

Time to go?  Roll up the mat and hit the road.  It's perfect for kids on the move!

Big thanks to Carrie for letting me be a part of her Story Party.  I know that when you get your hands on this fabric, you will have fun creating too.  Don't forget to share with the kids in your life - you'll be amazed by their stories!

Stop by Such Designs and enter to win a fat quarter bundle and a copy of her awesome book The Little Spark which I raved about here.  You should also stop by these other crafty sights for more Story fun.

April 13th Tia Curtis, Brooke Sellmann, Jill McNamara

April 14th Shea Henderson, Giuseppe Ribaudo, Jenny Kelly, John Q. Adams

April 15th Verena Ehrhardt, Karen LePage, Rachel Gander, Sally Keller, Cristy Fincher

April 16th Jules Goldin, Amie Petronis Plumley, Bonnie Bobman,

April 17th Daniar Listyasari, Kerry Green, Ramona Burke, Kerry Goulder, Erica Sage

* Official Story photos by Jill McNamara photography.