Jodie Rackley - Happy stitch: 30 felt and fabric projects for everyday

Felt: You can choose from a variety of felts at almost any craft store, including ecospun felt, wool felt and standard acrylic felt, plus many blends in between. For the majority of projects in this book, I used ecospun felt because I adore the bold colors, variety and textureplus its recycled! Feel free to use any blend of felt that youd like. They are all easy to work with and to embroider. You can find felt in sheets for smaller projects and in yardage for larger projects.

Scissors: A variety of different types of scissors is a must for any crafter. While most projects can be made with just a standard pair, it really makes crafting easier to have different tools to accomplish different tasks. When working with felt, a sharp, fine-tip pair of detail scissors is best for cutting out small pieces. Theyre also great for cutting around templates. A pair of sewing shears (the type that lay flat on one side) is perfect for cutting out pieces from your fabric yardage and for making patchworks. Generally, sewing shears are very sharp to keep the fabric from pulling or getting caught while cutting. Its also good to have a pair of pinking shears which cut in a zigzag pattern. They are fun to use for decorative fabric edges and for finishing seams so they do not fray. Finally, youll need a standard pair of craft scissors for cutting out paper templates.

Fabric and Interfacing: You can embroider and sew on almost any type of fabric. Since many of the projects in this book are functional items as well as decorative, I recommend using heavier cottons or lightweight denims, since both provide a durable and sturdy surface on which to sew by hand or machine. Blended cottons and polyesters can pull, stretch and fray if youre not careful when hand sewing. If you use lightweight cottons or blends, apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric. This thin webbing provides extra strength to the fabric and will help keep it from pulling, stretching or fraying when youre working with it. When sewing together bold prints, place a layer of fusible interfacing or muslin in between the two pieces of fabric to prevent the pattern or stitching from showing through to the other side.

Floss: Embroidery floss can be found as individual color skeins at almost any craft store. It is available in many different varieties such as cotton, linen, metallic, variegated and even glow-in-the-dark. Embroidery floss is made of six individual threads twisted together to make a thick thread. Most floss by major manufacturers is also coded with a specific number that is interchangeable between different brands. If you use up a certain color before finishing your design, this numbering systems allows you to easily find the same color again. You can also keep your floss organized by using floss bobbins to store your thread and by noting the color number on the bobbin; this also helps to keep your floss from getting tangled. Split embroidery floss by pulling the different strands apart, and use two or three strands instead of all six for finer detail work or a softer look.

Embroidery Hoops: Embroidery hoops can be functional as well as decorative and come in a variety of sizes to fit your needs. They can be made out of wood, plastic or metal, but for the projects in this book, we will use wooden embroidery hoops available at most craft stores. Hoops are a must for working on larger embroidery motifs. They keep the fabric taut and in place and allow you to clearly see your working surface. Hoops can also be used as frames for finished embroidery or patchwork pieces.

Sewing Machine and Thread: For the projects in this book, any standard sewing machine will do. While the majority of projects in this book use hand-sewing techniques, a few of the more complicated projects will require a sewing machine. But dont worryonly basic sewing skills are required and any standard thread will work just fine.