NEW: Sweet Sweater Sprouts!

i know. i said that i really wanted to create seasonal home decor that wasn't CUTE. 

but my muses keep giving me ideas for CUTE projects. 
at THREE in the morning. sigh.
the muses have no regard for our schedules -
 they want what they want WHEN they want it.
so when deb can't sleep, deb sketches. and the muses inspire.

and so, i proudly present
my NEWEST 'Sweet Sweater Original' creation: 'Sprouts'!

perfect for springtime and cute as can be,
these lil' guys make me smile. and they couldn't be easier to create...
continue reading for my tutorial!

dwk

if these look vaguely familiar to you,

 they were inspired by my 'Sweet Sweater Potz' creations from LAST spring!
(post linked below)

TUTORIAL

materials:

dark brown sweater fabric (smooth texture looks most like dirt)

polyfill stuffing . terra cotta pots . bead-head pins (2 per Sprout)
tiny rubber bands . green chenille stem / pipe cleaner . ribbon (optional) 

method:

top row, from left:

cut a circle from the brown sweater fabric -
make it @ 1-2" larger around than the top of the pot.

fill the pot to overflowing with polyfill stuffing.

lay the circle of brown sweater fabric over the top of the pot and fiberfill,
then use a wood skewer or the scissor blades to push the fabric down
between the fiberfill and the pot edge.

bottom row, from left:

roll a small bit of fiberfill into a pea-sized ball.
wrap it in a small piece of the brown sweater fabric
 and secure the fabric with a small rubber band wrapped tightly.

i left the extra part of the fabric below the rubber band,
and used that to hold the 'nose' in place when i pushed it into the edge of the pot.
you could also use hot glue or a straight pin to hold the 'nose'.

top row, from left:

cut a small hole or slit in the center of the brown sweater fabric 'soil'.

for the large Sprout, i used a fake leaf cluster:

cut a small piece of green chenille stem and insert it into the hole in the leaf cluster
(where the plastic stem used to be).

insert the chenille stem into the hole in the fabric, and gently press down
until the leaves are touching the fabric 'soil'.

bottom row, from left:

for the lil' Sprout, i used leaves cut from green ribbon:
(but you could use tiny fake leaves)
i cut the ribbon in a shape that was two leaves connected - 

then i used the scissors placed in the center of those two ends
and pressed it down into the hole in the brown fabric,
until the leaves poked upward out of the 'dirt'.

the last detail is to add two 'eyes' to each Sprout
by inserting two matching ball-headed sewing pins just above the 'nose' -
i placed the eyes a bit closer together on the lil' Sprout than the large one.

in these two photos, you can see how their tiny lil' noses pop up!

i call the small one 'Lil' Sprout' - 

but i can't come up with a name for the large one. any ideas??? 

i also can't decide if i like them better with or without the green gingham ribbon 'bow ties'...

either way, they make me smile and add a whimsical
(and undeniably CUTE) element to my studio for spring!

related content:

Sweet Sweater Potz

all Sweet Sweater Originals

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #721

thank you for including my project in your feature, Donna!

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