Do you feel that crisp air? That chill bite of the autumn breeze? Are your senses filled with the sight and smell of beautiful changing foliage all around you? November is here, and with that, fall is officially in full swing. With the spooky season behind us, we here at Pinwheel Crafts are setting our sights on comfy and cozy projects for the coming months, chilly days indoors, and special holidays spent with loved ones.

Whether you’re five, fifteen, or fifty, we want to help you and your family get into the spirit of the season with some fun and creative crafts to do together! So, without further adieu, let’s get into the nitty gritty of these fun craft projects.

DIY No Sew Pillows and Blankets

Sewing can seem like a daunting task for many people with little to no experience. If you’ve never held a needle and thread, or have and found the fine motor skills required difficult to come by, then we have an alternative design option for you. There is a simple trick to creating your very own pillows and blanket that require nothing but felt, stuffing, and your own imagination.

You will need:

• Soft felt in 12 x 12” cuts, or larger
• Stuffing of your choice (we use Poly-fil premium polyester fiber fill)
• Buttons, stickers, and whatever decorations you like

Directions

1. If your felt is not already cut into 12” square, go ahead and do this now. If you want larger or smaller pillows and blankets, you can cut your squares at whatever size you prefer. Just make sure they are all the same size since this is needed to create symmetrical pillows and blankets.
2. Cut 1” wide and 2” deep fringes along all the edges of the felt squares. This is how we will secure the pieces together. Just like the square size, you can change the width and depth of your fringe cuts, but keep them uniform with the same number of cuts on each side so each tie will have a matching partner on its neighboring pieces.

Pillow Construction

1. Lay two squares of felt on top of each other with the edges and fringe matched up.
2. Tie the lined up fringe pieces from each felt square together along all edges. Make sure to leave 2-3 of them untied.
3. Use the pillow’s small open section of un-tied fringe pieces to stuff in the desired amount of stuffing.
4. Once the pillow is stuffed to your liking, tie the remaining pieces together.

Blanket Assembly

1. Lay out your felt squares on the floor in a grid pattern in the design that you want.
2. Starting on one edge, tie the fringe piece together (much like with the pillow) to create a row of ties felt squares.
3. Repeat this step for each row.
4. Once all of your rows are tied together, line them up with each other and tie them together on their long edge.

Viola! You now have a comfy, cozy, matching pillow and blanket without a single tangle, needle poke, or headache. How cool is that? If you like new sew projects, make sure to check out the Pinwheel Crafts Unicorn Pillow Kit. It has everything you need to make an adorable unicorn pillow without sewing a single thing.

DIY Throw Pillow

Making a pillow from scratch can take a lot of thought and planning. Of course, if you are simply wanting to dip your toe into sewing and diy decor, a little introduction to design and sewing is a great idea. It’s also a great way to introduce your children to beginner sewing concepts. This is a very open-ended project with the goal of giving you or your child complete creative control while also learning a very useful sewing skill: the ladder stitch. 

You will need:

• A blank pillow sham or craft pillow cover
• Pillow stuffing of your choice (we use Poly-fil premium polyester fiber fill)
• A sewing needle and basic thread in a color that matches your craft pillow case/sham
• Supplies to decorate the pillow (fabric paint/markers, pom poms, ribbon, colored felt, buttons, etc)
• Glue to attach decor (silicone glue, or hot glue with adult supervision)

Directions

1. Decorate the pillow cover/sham using the art supplies gathered. You can attach fun felt shapes, draw cute fabric marker design, or create something more abstract with your baubles and glue. 
2. Once all decorations are attached and the glue is dry, fill the pillow case/sham with the desired amount of stuffing by pushing it through the small opening. 
3. Once the pillow is stuffed, use the ladder stitch to close it up. 

The Ladder Stitch

1. Fold edges of fabric in to create a quarter inch hem.
2. Thread needle and secure at one end with a knot
3. Push the needle under the hem through the fold to the top (this will hide the knot inside the pillow).
4. Directly across from where the needle came out, push the needle into the opposite hem and out again.
5. Jumping back to the first side, create another stitch directly across from the last stitch.
6. When you get to the end, leave a loop in the last stitch and then pull the needle back through the loop and pull tight (this will knot your thread). 

If you don’t have time to gather these supplies, make sure to snag one of the Pinwheel Crafts Panda Pillow kits. It comes with everything you need to create your own custom, panda face pillow. To top it off, it uses the ladder stitch and has a great visual aid to help walk you through the steps. This is one our newest kits, so get your hands on one now, because there’s a good chance they’ll be sold out before the holidays.

Conclusion

We hope you are inspired enough to make something cozy and comfy for yourself or your loved ones. Winter is swiftly approaching, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for more adorable, weather appropriate projects to keep you warm and entertained during the coming months.