OUT: Itsy Bitsy Spider with Make It and Love It

Ashley from Make it and Love it is here today!  If you don't know who Ashley is, maybe you just got the internet?  She has loads of tutorials that are perfect for those who are new to sewing or experienced seamstresses who want a quick project.  Her ideas seem to be never ending!  I think what is most admirable about Ashley is that she will see something she likes and figure out how to replicate it, saving money and often times recycling something else that might have just been thrown out-such great qualities to have!  Happy to have her as my final guest for Once Upon a Thread, here's Ashley!  

Yay..........I love this Once Upon A Thread series that Katy puts on. And was so excited to join in this time around (last time I was days away from popping an 11 pound baby out of my belly!). And wow, all of the projects have been fantastic this time around. Again. How I love this series Katy!

Anyway, I love children's books. And I love being inspired by them. I had about 27 ideas running around in my head but I finally I chose the book The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms. The story and song is a popular one......but Kate Toms gives it such a fun spin.


The story line is so silly and the flow is so easy to love. And most likely, you'll giggle through the whole thing.


And what I love about it, is that each image is a scene created with textured fabrics. They're so eye-catching. And darling.


So, of course I fell in love. And then decided to take an image from the book and create a piece of art work out of it.....using some textures from my stash of fabric scraps.


Don't you think it would make a great little addition to a nursery or toddler room? Sit it on top of a dresser or hang it from the wall. Or hey, it would even be cute in the bathroom, hallway, playroom, etc. (Okay, and after I made this one......I decided it would be cute to make 2 more scenes from the book and hang them all together on the wall.)

But really, you could do this with any book and any scene.......

But what a great gift it would be to give someone a book, along with a piece of artwork that corresponds. Anyone making their Christmas gifts this year?


Would you like to create one of your own?

If you want to create a page from The Itsy Bitsy Spider like I did.......here's what I did.
(But keep in mind, you really could do this with any book and just use this as a guide.)


First of all, decide on the size frame and matte you want to use (I bought a frame with a 11x14 opening but the matte is an 8x10 opening).....then cut a piece of burlap that is an inch bigger than the opening of your matte on all sides. Now place the matte on top of the burlap to see how big your opening is and mark with chalk or place pins on each side to use as your guide.


Now sew a few stitches around that edge but about a 1/4 inch in from where the matte would sit....so that you can see the stitches after the matte is in place.


Now, cut out some shapes to create the water spout. Then add a few stitches for detail. (The yellow fabric is duck cloth and the blue is faux leather.)


Now, you could use your sewing machine to stitch each piece on......or use the glue gun. Since this won't be washed or played with, using a glue gun totally works. And is a quick short cut. Place your water spout pieces down and glue in place. (I always placed the matte down over top to see if my placement was good before gluing anything down.)


Then cut out the shapes for your spider, umbrella, and raindrops. I used all different textures and materials. Anything works though.......use up your stash!


Then place your spider down on the burlap and arrange the legs how you'd like them. (I just bent the twine to get the bend in each leg.)


Then lift the body off carefully and glue a foot down to each end. Then place the body down with glue, sealing in the top end of each leg with it.


Now, glue your umbrella down in place.........and then add the top arms and hands, attached to the umbrella. (I tucked the other end of each arm underneath the body fabric.)


Then add eyes, nose, and mouth out of felt.


To finish it off, I stitched out some lettering with my machine (feed dogs down) and glued it to some burlap and then down to the matte. (You could also hand stitch some lettering or print the title off on the computer.)



It certainly makes your book come to life a bit more. And will put a big smile on your face.


Now make another one or two from the book. Or choose another book and make a scene to match.
But have fun...........and enjoy your favorite book scenes inside a frame.
And thanks again Katy for inviting me over! I had so much fun.


 What a fantastic way to personalize a child's room with their favorite book!  Thank you, Ashley!