Mmm...felty!

Hello again, dear Swapatori! This month's crafty project comes from the October 1968 issue of Pack o Fun magazine. I have a real affection for Pack o Fun because it's the total antithesis of Martha Stewart Living. I have no strong issues with MSL other than the fact that every time I try to make something featured in it, my version comes out all wonky and looking nothing at all like the beautifully photographed example in MSL. I've since given up on the notion. The production quality of Pack o Fun, on the other hand, is most definitely low-fi and that's its charm. Some of the projects in PoF are a bit goofy (macaroni mobiles, anyone?) and if you base your judgments on the diagrams and photographs that accompany the instructions, you'd never want to try any of it. But just as my attempts at making stuff from MSL come out flawed, the projects I make from Pack o Fun come out much, much better than expected.





I thought I'd have a go at the "Weaving Fancy Shapes" project. The introduction begins, "It seems like every home can use more pillows." Does your home need more pillows? Think about that one. This project involves making pillows out of felt. I've had a long-running crush on felt. It's my craft medium of choice because of its versatility and its humble fuzziness. This project involves cutting a pattern out of felt and then weaving felt in a contrasting color through the pattern. I chose to use the pattern template exactly as it was featured in PoF so as to remain as faithful to the instruction as I could. Okay, with some slight, ahem, modifications.



The instructions didn't specify pillow dimensions, so I based my template on the size of the pillow filler I bought. I made a paper template with a 1" grid on it, transferred the pattern onto the grid, cut the first two alternating rows of the pattern to make the stencil, and then traced through the stencil onto the back of the felt piece with a sharpie. Then I cut out the pattern with an X-acto knife.



The felt I used is wool felt. Polyester felt has a tendency to pill and look crappy with even minimal use, so no go with the poly. I wove strips of orange felt through the gray and when I finished, I flipped the piece over to the front side and discovered something interesting.





The pattern on the front side, the "right" side, looked vaguely like poorly rendered images of the state of Texas, while the reverse side had a more interesting pattern- almost like an optical illusion. I decided to go against the instruction and bring the back to the front. I hand-sewed three edges with orange embroidery floss using a blanket stitch, added the pillow filler and finished off the remaining edge with more blanket stitching.





The verdict? I'm totally happy with it. It exceeded my expectations and looks really swank on my sofa. Thanks, Pack o Fun!