Fat Quarter Friday: Alphabet Softies

This week's Fat Quarter Friday are Alphabet Softies! They are basically just little alphabet pillows made from fat quarters. I thought that this project would take a lot longer than it did, but it actually went pretty quick and was a lot of fun. 

Materials:

9 fat quarters (if you want to make the letters smaller you can use less)

Coordinating thread

Polyfill

Step 1: Cut out your fabric squares. Fold your fabric in half before you cut because you want a front and a back for each letter. I wanted my letters to be a little bigger, so I cut them out to be 6x7in. Using this size I was able to get three rectangles (front and back, so really six) from each fat quarter.

 Step 2: Using scrap paper, draw your bubble letters and cut them out. If you would rather skip this step, you can use a fabric pencil and draw the letters directly on the fabric squares. I however would rather have the paper pattern. I just free handed the letters, but I'm sure you could print out letters from the computer if you want them to look a specific way.

 Step 3: Get one of your rectangle sets, the bottom piece should be wrong side up and the top piece should be right side up. Place your paper pattern on top of the fabric and pin it in place. (Note: Ignore the lines drawn on my C, that was a mess up, not part of the project.)

 Step 4: Cut out around the pattern leaving a 1/4in boarder around each edge. If you have pinking shears, you should use them because they will eliminate excessive fraying. Alas, I do not have pinking shears (Christmas present, hint hint), so I just used regular old scissors and will have to live with frayed edges. Where the edge of the paper pattern falls is where you are going to sew.

 Step 5: Remove the pattern and sew around the letter with a 1/4in edge, leaving a small section of the letter open. Stuff the letter with Polyfill and sew up the open edge.

 Step 6: If some of your letters pull funny like my U here, use a needle and thread to make a couple pleats around the edge of the letter to pull it back to normal (shown with the arrows).

 They turned out pretty cute! Some of the letters aren't as good looking as I would have hoped (the R is the worst), but overall I would call this craft a success. I do love how colorful and happy they are! Now I just have to wait several months before Ada will be interested enough to play with them.

I wanted to show how big the letters turned out, so I used a soda can as a tasty point of reference!