Winter Comfort Crafting

With the cold days of winter upon us, it's the time of year when you want to cozy up with a feel-good craft project. So what could be better than making yourself something to keep you warm and toasty? We've asked five of the design team members to come up with projects to share with you today. They're all filled with winter comfort - so snuggle up with some cocoa and check them out -

Designer: Kendra McCracken
The cold months of winter often leave me wanting to curl up on the couch for an afternoon with a stack of sewing or craft books and a mug of hot cocoa. In our house, being curled up on the couch means no shoes allowed and that can mean cold feet. I have slippers I wear around the house but I like to have something a little less bulky for my couch time so I decided to make a pair of colorful, cute slippers, just for my couch time.

There are many free patterns online for slippers, as well as patterns available for purchase on Etsy. I chose a pattern I found in a book by Tone Finnanger, using a Fiskars ShapeBoss Template to create an embroidery pattern.

Tip:If you choose to use this same pattern from the book, I recommend taking the pattern to a copy store and having it blown up as the pattern as is in the book leaves you with a pair of slippers that look to fit a foot around size 5 or so.

I used my favorite Fiskars scissors, the No. 8 Razor Edge Scissors to cut the fabric pieces for the slippers. Using a fabric with a deep pile like I chose for my lining makes it a little more cumbersome when it comes time to stitch the pieces together. I thought the softness and added warmth were worth the extra time it took get the slippers together. I found trimming the pile down to the base in the seam allowance areas make sewing the pieces together easier. These scissors make quick work of cutting through the thick piling.

Using a ShapeBoss Template to create an embroidery pattern on a piece of muslin allowed me to create a simple yet fun embellishment. Adding some miniature pom-pom trim was the final step to creating my one-of-a-kind cozy, warm slippers!

Designer: Valerie Salmon
FINISHED SIZE:  50" x 62"
You'll need a rotary cutter, self-healing mat, acrylic ruler, micro tip scissors, 2 yards of fleece, thread, and a sewing machine to complete this project.

Surely, you've heard of the Snuggie -- the blanket with sleeves.  It's tough not to see their famous infomercials on TV or come across them in the stores.  I admit, I had resisted buying these for a while but when I was asked to come up with a cozy winter comfort craft project, I knew I had to do a DIY snuggie.  My kids love blankets and can never have enough of them.  I make them new fleece blankets every year.  And with their busy hands always playing with handheld video games or reading a book, this project was perfect.

Start out by laying out a 2 yard piece of fleece fabric.  Use a rotary cutter to cut 50" x 62" for the blanket.  Find the center and use a micro tip pair of scissors to cut out two oval armholes 14" apart, about 10" from the top edge.  Cut two folded 10" x 18" pieces for the sleeves and sew them into 2 tubes.  Carefully attach the sleeves into the armholes. 

Finally, turn in raw edges by 1/2" and sew to finish off the blanket.  It's now ready to keep your child warm and cozy. 

Designer: Patti Milazzo
As winter temperatures roll in, we try to find a balance in our home with conserving heat yet still remaining warm and comfortable.  Of course, I have the usual stack of blankets in the corner of the family room but sometimes it’s nice to have something to keep your toes a little extra toasty.  For my project, I really liked the idea of a heating bag filled with rice that you can warm up by simply popping it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.  It seemed ideal to soothe aches and pains or as a foot warmer when lounging on the couch.

I wanted to dress up my heating bag a bit so that it wouldn’t look out of place on the sofa so I created a removable outer cover similar to a pillow sham where the top and bottom edges overlap each other.  The cover measures 22” long by 6 ½” wide.  I secured the edges closed with Velcro for easy removal of the inner bag filled with rice. 

To embellish it, I used a few paper crafting tools – 1/8” Hand Punch, 1/8” Eyelet Setter, and the Circle Shape Template – to create fabric covered faux buttons.  I layered thin chipboard, thin batting and red fleece and stitched the fleece around the edge to cinch it around the chipboard and batting.  I machine stitched around the edges of the buttons; added gold eyelets to the center; then tied coordinated ribbon through the holes and stitched each one onto the top overlapping layer of the cover.

The inner rice bag is made like a tube with the bottom stitched closed.  I made it from muslin and measured it within a ¼” of the outer cover size so that it would fit snugly inside the cover. 

With this project, I used regular long grain rice from the grocery store for my first attempt.  Once heated in the microwave, it should hold its heat for approximately half an hour.  It’s important that the bag not be overheated to avoid scorching the rice.  It can also be used as a cold pack if you place it in the freezer for a few hours before using.  You can add aromatic oils for fragrance as well and there are other natural materials that can be used instead that heat well – like flaxseed – should you choose. 

Designer: Katrina Simeck
One of my favorite things to do in winter is curl up under a cozy blanket with a good book (preferably by a fireplace!). I created this comfy fleece blanket to keep me warm, and a fun (& functional) bookmark to mark my place. 

The fleece blanket is a great no-sew project that would also make a perfect gift. Start with two pieces of fleece...I used approximately 1.5 yards of each color. Trim into a square, then cut a 5in square from each corner. Using the Fiskars Rotary cutter, cut 1” wide, 5” long fringe on all sides. A Fiskars 1x6 inch ruler will you help you ensure that your fringe pieces are even. Lay the fleece pieces on top of each other, and tie the fringe into knots all around.

To make the bookmark, start with a strip of cardstock approximately 2” wide, and 10” long. Fold over 2” on one end. Embellish the strip with patterned paper (I used the Lacy Days of Summer border punch to create more interest). Adhere a scalloped circle (created with Fiskars Seal of Approval punch) on top of the folded section. To create dimension, I layered a 2nd scalloped circle, but punched each curve with Fiskars ¼” circle punch. 

Here’s the secret to really keeping your bookmark in place…adhere a small magnet to the underside of the scalloped circle, and the opposite magnet to the base of the bookmark.

Now pour yourself some cocoa, and snuggle up…happy reading!

Designer: Kelly Purkey
To get through a chilly Chicago winter, one of my roomates used to always wear the most adorable neck warmers around the house.  Neck warmers are small enough to sport around without any bulk and will help keep you toasty when there's a little chill inside.  With the help of your Fisksars tools you can easily create one of these must-have accessories to give as a gift this holiday season or one to keep for yourself!  All it takes is a little bit of fabric and can be created in less than an hour.

Cut the fabric for your neck warmer to be 5 inches wide and about 20 inches long using your Fiskars Rotary Trimmer.  I pieced together two pieces of fabric for an extra pop of color.  Sew top and sides of fabric with the patterned sides together and turn inside out, then press.  On one end I added some fun fringe using strips of fabric cut with my Fiskars Pinking Fabric Shears.  Make these strips different lengths and widths.  I glued them inside the bottom of the neck warmer then glued the bottom closed.  For some fun detail, I traced two hearts out of fabric using my Fiskars Hearts Template, trimmed them out and stitched onto the front.  Add velcro to keep the neck warmer closed.  A simple way to stay warm and cozy this winter!

We hope you've enjoyed these ideas and find a way to craft yourself a very cozy winter treat.

By Fiskars Design Team