Iris Folding - Paper Craft Tutorial for Fall Leaf

Have you ever heard of Iris Folding? I hadn't until just this summer. The first time I saw it, I was sure there was NO way I would ever try it because it looked so tedious and detailed. When I've asked people about it, they usually think it is a type of origami.

My most recent Iris Folding project was a card for my aunt using a Maple Leaf Pattern.

Here's what you'll need:

One card (or display paper if you'll use it for a scrapbook or for framed art)
3-4 decorative papers, depending on your design
1 pattern/template to follow (or make your own--not as difficult as it first seems)
straight edge paper cutting implement, preferably NOT scissors
Swivel or Exact-o knife, scissors can work here
tape (I would LOVE to have a tape dispenser here, but since I don't have one, it definitely works without it), acid-free is best, especially if it is going in a scrapbook
Sharpie marker-not necessary, but I liked the embellishment

How to make it:

Cut the pattern guide out of your template.

Place it on the BACK side of your card or display paper in the spot you will want the pattern to show through. Trace it with a pencil (that's why you're on the back side).

Use your knife or scissors to cut the shape out of your display paper.

Place your pattern so it shows through the window. Some recommend using removable tape to secure your pattern to the front side of your display paper (or card). I have found that once I start placing my folded paper over it, the pattern stays in place pretty well, but secure it if it makes you feel better.

Take your decorative paper and cut it into strips about 1" to 1.5" wide, length does not matter. This is a perfect way to use up some of your leftover scraps from other cards or scrapbook projects. Once you have several strips cut, fold them in half (if using 1.5" strips) lengthwise or about 1/3 of the way (if using 1" strips).

At this point, I also took my Sharpie marker and outlined the shape on the front of my card (display paper). On my darker cards, I used a silver Sharpie marker, and I thought it brought out the finished product beautifully.

Now, just follow the numbers on your pattern. You'll trim down your strips to the length you'll need, lay them down with the fold toward the middle and white/back side of the decoration facing you; tape it down. You'll see why it's nice to have a tape-dispenser! Someday I'll break down and go find one, but I just don't feel like shopping for office supplies today when there is so much crafting to be done!

Now for the Iris. Traditionally, this is filled with a piece of holographic paper. I really don't often see holographic paper that I like, so I've never used it. Sometimes I'll fill the iris with a contrasting color, but most often I just use part of the shape I've cut out of my display paper so the Iris matches the card.

After you have finished, cover the back side (it's SO UGLY!!!) with a piece of solid cardstock. That will hide the ugliness as well as disguise the bulk of all the overlapping paper.

Here is your finished product:

Pop it in the mail/frame/scrapbook. Slightly tedious, but so gorgeous and classy!

If my instructions aren't detailed enough, you can find a very detailed How-To with a video here. I'd love to see some links if you give it a try!

Fleece Find

Here's my exciting find of the day:

2 yds of fleece, $3!! It's too bad our house is currently mid-project with a lot of rearranging going on. I can't wait to make a couple little blankets!

Bead bracelet

While searching the "interwebs" for some craft ideas, I came across this bracelet idea. I thought it was really cute and could picture a friend of mine wearing one. I wrote down the items I would need on my next Hobby Lobby excursion and decided to give it a try.

Here's how it turned out:

Here's what I used:
Size 00 (or 3/4") safety pins
Seed beads
Elastic bead cord in black, size 1 mm
White Tacky Glue

How it goes together:
Place beads on safety pins, dot with glue and close pin. I put a dot of glue on a piece of cardboard to make it easy to pick up and swipe the pin through it without losing beads.
Cut 2 pieces of elastic about 10"-12" depending on the size of your desired end product. Allow for about 2"-3" extra for tying knots.
Tie the ends together *loosely* on one side to keep pins from falling off. This will come apart later, so just do it tight enough to keep it in place.
Begin threading on the pins, alternating directions of the hinged end to keep the bracelet even. Make sure the beads stay up!
When you have enough to fit the wrist, untie the one end and tie the two corresponding ends together. Trim or weave in the ends.

What I will do differently next time:
I purchased a slightly larger seed bead because I loved the colors. With the larger size, I'd go with a Size 0 (or 7/8") safety pin. This isn't necessary, but it would allow more than 3 beads per pin.
Also, I would probably dot a little glue on the end of the elastic to keep it from fraying as I put on the pins. It's an extra step, but it would make the process easier as you get closer to the end.

Helpful hints:
Purchase the pins from the jewelry making section of the craft store rather than the sewing section. You get a LOT more for your money!
Coordinate your elastic color to the colors of your beads to make it a bit more camouflaged.
If you wanted a few extra steps, you could even spray paint your safety pins to match the colors before adding the beads.

Send me a link if you try this!

Ribbon Wreath Craft

A while back, I found a tutorial for a Ribbon Wreath. I thought it was a neat idea, and it didn’t seem too difficult or expensive, so I wanted to try it. The first thing I did was look up the prices for the grosgrain ribbon I would need. Ummm….wow! That stuff was CRAZY expensive! Are you kidding? Wow, backburner that craft for a while! I was looking for cute and CHEAP!! It was looking like this thing could cost upwards of $40-$50 or more!

Fastforward a few months.

My new favorite area at Hobby Lobby is their fabric clearance shelf. Lo and behold, I found some pretty turquoise stripe grosgrain ribbon on clearance $2.10 for 10 yds. I was pretty excited by that price! With my 40% off coupon, I got the Styrofoam wreath form for less than $3. So, pretty Ribbon Wreath, less than $7! Yeah! Now to put it together… It took a little help from dear Kati, but I was finally brave enough to try this one.

Here’s what I used:
10″ wreath form
20 yds. grosgrain ribbon, 1.5″ wide (mine had 2 major flaws on one roll, and I still had plenty) Mine happened to have wire-edge. This is not necessary, but, hey! it was on clearance–I’m not picky. If you get wire-edged ribbon, don’t use your nice sewing shears to cut them!
Scissors (see above note)
Tape measure

To make:
Cut your ribbon into 14″ lengths. Leave one extra long length for hanging it.
Tie the ribbon in a square knot (or any type of not, just keep consistent with the whole wreath).
Keep going until the wreath is full or you run out of ribbon.
Tie on the hanging ribbon…hang it up!
I did not use fray check on the ends or burn them. You could do that if you wanted to, I just found it unnecessary and time-consuming.

What I would do differently next time: I *might* spray paint the wreath form first. On the off chance that any shows through, it could be disguised. Honestly, even with my perfectionism, I just don’t think I’d waste the time. The color/design of ribbon would probably be my deciding factor.

Here’s how it turned out:

A more detail shot:

You can see that it had an interesting double-sided design. There was the stripe on one side and a blue-to-white fade on the other. Odd, but I think it worked!

Did I miss any instructions? Let me know if you try one!

Tie Fleece Blanket

I've decided to keep a separate crafting blog. Here's my first attempt at a crafty how-to that I brought over from our family blog!

Start with some fun fleece from Hobby Lobby. I found a pretty purple that had 1 3/8 of a yard, so that’s the size I decided to use. =) You can go smaller for an infant size, but 1 1/2 to 2 yards is recommended for toddler or twin bed. For an adult or teenager, you definitely want 2 yds. Once I found the purple, I just looked for a cute coordinating pattern. Yes, normally you’d find the cute pattern first…I was shopping with a friend and 3 kiddos. Nothing makes sense.

As I said, I don’t sew (mostly due to not having a sewing machine + having a mother with skills AND the machine fairly close by), so I don’t have the tools of the trade. My friend offered me her rotary cutter and mat. It made the job nice, but it certainly isn’t necessary!

First step, lay out your two pieces WRONG sides together, as flat as you possibly can. Doing this during your inquisitive 4-year-old’s naptime is suggested so that it won’t move when he “wants to touch it and see how soft it is!” I try to be helpful whenever possible.

Obviously, the cuts aren’t perfectly even, and trimming is necessary. Also the selvage edge needs to be trimmed so there is NO ugly left. By the way, you can slightly see a curl to the material near the words in the bottom left corner. The edge with the curl will stretch quite a bit more when it comes time for tying.

Once it is trimmed and perfectly (at least close…says the perfectionist) even, you’ll need to cut out squares from each corner. This will show you about how long your fringe will be. I did mine about 3″ because it followed the pattern of blocks on the material! That made for easy decisions.

So here is what it looks like. Remember, try not to move it through the process so that everything stays in place and together how you like it.

Now it’s time to cut your fringe. I went about 1″, and I liked the final thickness. Cut through both layers at the same time. Here I am showing you that you can do it with scissors (if they’re good quality and sharp, like my Creative Memories scissors here).

And here it is with the rotary cutter that can help you keep your fringe even at 1″ spacing. Notice my lovely vein-y hands? Yep, I get that from my mother.

Here’s the home stretch for the tying! Now, I wanted to make sure that the complementing fabric showed on the opposite side, so I had to do a bizarre form of left-over-right, left-over-right to make it work. My first tie became perpendicular to the floor, then the next one finishes it:

And it’s done! It’s pretty easy, but it is a little tedious, so it can take a couple hours. I’m thinking mine took around 3 hours? It’s hard to tell since there are always distractions. But I LOVE how warm they are! I’m planning to make a nice throw for us, too.

Well, thanks for humoring me to feel like I can do great things!