Beyond the Quilt:
The Rose Of Sharon Die

When I ordered the GO!® Rose of Sharon die (55045), an AccuQuilt exclusive designed by quilter Sharon Pederson, I didn’t have a project in mind. Instead, my mind swirled with possibilities of how I could use this shape to create unique crafts, toys and accessories.

Inspired by the work of a fellow blogger, Maureen Cracknell, I saw the GO! Rose of Sharon die as an essential felt-cutting die. High-quality felt in bright colors was the key to creating loveable gifts with the turn of a handle. Maureen crafted beautiful felt flower pillows and used the die to craft children’s crowns to sell in her online shop, and I started cutting felt flowers without a clear purpose in mind. The die works beautifully and is perfect for using up scraps, which can be positioned at any point on the cutting surface.

My first project with the Rose of Sharon die was a felt flower button snake. I am good friends with a mother of 3-year-old quadruplets, and she thought a felt button toy would keep her little ones entertained when they needed a quiet activity. The button toy is a simple concept, and you can create one with some felt squares that have slits in the center. Children slide the felt pieces on and off of a large button attached to a piece of grosgrain ribbon to practice their buttoning skills.

I told Suzy I liked the idea, but I would play around with the “look.” I simply got out my AccuQuilt GO! Baby® Fabric Cutter and chose the largest Rose of Sharon flower. I proceeded to cut a flower out of every color of felt in my stash, arranged them in rainbow order, and the Felt Flower Button Snake was born. I’ve posted a simple tutorial for the Felt Flowers Button Snake on my blog Craft Buds.

My next projects with the Rose of Sharon die included felt flower hair clips and a felt bunting adorned with simple flowers. Layered flower petals and leaves can be embellished with hand stitching, buttons or other notions for a classic look. I’ve posted a tutorial for another project, the Felt Flower Gift Card Holder. What I love about this project is that the colors can be customized for any holiday, from Christmas to birthdays to graduation. And the one-size-fits-all gift card holder can double as a cute business card wallet or gift tag.

I also love the idea of a challenge, and how it encourages a creative mind to think outside the box and put forth its best creative work. The modern quilting community is hosting the QuiltCon Block Challenge, in which participants are asked to use an array of colors in the QuiltCon logo to create a modern block. The winning blocks will be displayed in a sampler quilt to be raffled during the inaugural QuiltCon event in February 2013. So although the designs will vary in size, style and technique, the winning blocks will be unified by color.

Because quilting is often a solo sport, quilters can especially benefit from the connectedness that comes from collaborative work. Whether that takes place in the form of a block challenge, sewing contest, quilting guild or bee, the ability to connect creatively with others can ignite a spark. And with that spark, I find that I am often able to move beyond what is comfortable, common or familiar into something that is braver, wilder and more complete. Happy quilting!

About Blogger:

Lindsay Conner is an editor, writer and crafter based in Indianapolis who blogs at Lindsay Sews. She is also the co-founder of Craft Buds, an online space for tutorials, creative inspiration and handmade business advice. A long-time crafter, Lindsay really got into sewing and quilting after college. She recently started writing sewing patterns and her creative work has been published in print and online. In her free time, she travels with her husband, dabbles in photography and experiments with fabric and thread.

Lindsay Sews: www.lindsaysews.com

Craft Buds: www.craftbuds.com

Maureen Cracknell Handmade: maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.com