Hello Benzie!

(This post is my application to be on the Benzie maker team.  It’s a bit different than other posts on this blog.)

Hello Benzie!

I’m a newbie to Benzie products.  My first purchase was about six months ago.

I fell in love as soon as the package arrived. The color palettes are so pretty and the quality of the felt is wonderful. 

I would be thrilled to be a member of Benzie’s new maker team because I want to inspire other crafters to play.  We may call it arts or crafts, but honestly, when we make something we are playing.  We are stretching our creative muscles.  Play is a magical thing for humans at any age.

Look how the felt holds it’s crisp edge despite repeated handling to make this animation.  LoVe!

Machine embroidery is my main craft of choice but I also play with Sizzix dies, paper, rubber stamps, sewing and the occaisional wood or clay project.  My favorite thing to make is dolls, although I prefer to call them cloth characters.  Typically, my creations have some kind of face on it – a face with lots of character.

I create my own files for the computerized embroidery machine (a process known as digitizing).  My plan is to get this website whipped into shape and offer digital embroidery designs and PDF sewing patterns beginning May 1st, 2020.  After that I will be working on new designs and building my social media presence to reach as many crafters and inspire them to play with fibers and threads too.

The photos below are six projects I’ve made with Benzie felt in the past 6 months.  

Dolls & Stuffies

Ragdoll parts were cut with the Sizzix doll die (by Kid Giddy) then machine sewn together.  The face was machine embroidered.  Benzie felt was used for hair, glasses, heart and jacket.

This stuffed owl was made using a process called “in-the-hoop” meaning all the topstitching and seams were done by the machine program.

Applique

Piggy applique on cotton notebook cover.

Octopus felt applique on a fabric envelope

felties

Machine embroidered feltie faces use a layer of felt on front and back.

Feltie doggies are made the same way on the embroidery machine.

Quick video showing the embroidery machine in action.

Tutorials

There are not many published tutorials on this site right now since I’m updating my website with higher quality instructional videos and PDF patterns for the new launch.  Here is an example of a previous video to give you an idea of my tutorial style.  I like to make things goofy as I make goofy things.  I’m constantly working to improve my video delivery and have invested in some nice audio and video equipment for this year.

So that’s me in a nutty shell.  It would be great to work with Benzie and inspire other makers to make art, craft and playfulness.  I would like to introduce more people to machine embroidery, die cutting, and other projects working with Benzie products!