9th of April, 2023
How to make everlasting fabric Easter eggs
Are you the type of person that lets an opportunity go by for decorating and crafting some silly little things that you can only use on specific moments in the year? Well, I’m not!
This spring, I wanted to spruce up our home with some lively patterns and colours (we all know we could use it with the weather we’ve been having!). My first thought went out to painting eggs, a tradition also known as ‘Pysanky‘, where eggs are painted in the most vibrant dot or folk patterns. Alas, as I was short on time – and paint – these past few weeks, I decided to use what I had already laying around the house: lots and lots of scrap fabric! An idea was thus conceived: ‘I shall make *everlasting* fabric Easter eggs!’, I thought to myself, blissfully unaware of how much more time I’dd lose by trying to hand sew them all. To the fabric stash!
I picked some of my favourite patterned fabric: blue checks, soft green florals and deep dark velvet florals, along with a plain cloth, for which I had something special in mind. Since I was a little girl, growing up, my mum and I would go to the nearby woods and pick the perfect branch as our ‘Easter tree’. We brought it home and decorated it with fuzzy little chicks, yellow feathers and hanging eggs. It was this memory that sparked my direction for my fabric eggs, and I wanted to make mine hanging aswel. For this I used the ribbons you always find at the nape of clothing (who knew these would actually come in handy).
The process of making the eggs is rather simple and is a cozy way to spend a lazy afternoon on. My method of making my ‘everlasting fabric Easter eggs’ entails 9 to 10 easy steps, as you can see here:
What you'll need:
- scrap or leftover fabric
- needle and thread
- (hemming) pins
- scissors
- pencil
- small ribbons
- stuffing
- cup of coffee!
Step 1: Drawing
Draw an egg shape on the fabric of your choice. Don’t draw it too small, otherwise it’ll be difficult to sew, turn and stuff properly. You can use a pencil just fine, or a pen that won’t seep through the fabric. Beware of any stains on the right (pretty) side of the fabric.
Step 1.a: Embroidering
If you like the ‘folky’ look or if your don’t have any fabric that appeases you, you can always have go at embroidering your pattern! It sounds more daunting then it actually is, and with a few simple stitches you can achieve an elaborate design! Give it a go and you’ll surprise yourself! Additionally, you’ll need an embroidery hoop and embroidery thread by colour(s) of your choice. I used a few vibrant colours and a simple design.
Step 2: Cut out your shape
Step 3: Transfer your shape to another piece of fabric
Be aware to put either the right sides or the wrong sides of the fabric together. You can choose to use a different fabric, colour or pattern, which will give your egg an eclectic look. I kept mine matching, but it’s a great way to use up very small pieces of scrap fabric! Just have fun with it.
Step 4: Choose your ribbon and thread
Again, you can choose to go matching or clashing!
Step 5: Sew the right sides together.
You can use (hemming) pins to keep the 2 pieces of fabric together while you sew.
Don’t forget to put your ribbon in! Tuck the loop inside – between your 2 layers of fabric – the egg and sew over the part of the ribbon that come out of the egg. Do this multiple times as to asure your loop is secure.
Step 6: Leave an opening in your egg and turn it inside out
Step 7: Stuff your egg
I used old pillow stuffing, which had goten to the perfect size, as you can see on the picture. If you don’t want to sacrifice a pillow, you can use about anything, even other scraps of fabric.
Step 8: Sew your egg shut
I used an invisible stitch to close the egg. You can find a tutorial for it here. Be careful not to pull too much on the fabric as it can create a sharp line instead of a soft one.
Step 9: ALL DONE! You have made your very own everlasting Easter egg!
All there is left to do is enjoy your new ornament or proceed to Step 10: REPEAT!!
Have fun!
xoxo
Shana
Take a peek at the others in my own little collection:
