Flip Flop Appliques

I debated on whether or not to add this to the prior post about my Beach Bag, or to post a new post about the Flip Flops. Obviously, I chose a new post.

I was standing in my craft room this morning, lecturing the cats on why they do not get to climb around on Mommy's Craft Stuff, when I was hit with inspiration! Why not try my hand at an applique on the beach bag? I have never appliqued before, and wasn't sure if I was up to the task, but I decided to at least try it.

Here's the finished bag BEFORE adding the Flip Flops

You'll Need:
1 Finished Beach Bag- though, honestly, this would have been far easier to add on an unfinished beach bag!
Fabric Scraps- Bright colors are a must for summer fun!
Ribbon Scraps
Sewing Machine
Pre-school Writing Paper (you know, the kind with the huge lines for learning letters? It's lighter weight than regular paper, and worked great for a pattern)

1. I free hand drew a flip flop shape. If I, the drawing challenged, can do it, so can you. I only drew one, since the pattern could be "flip flopped" over to the other side for the matching Flip Flop. I also made a pattern for the "thong" part of the flip flop, but the fabric thong flopped, so I didn't use it.
2. Cut the pattern out of your fabric, making sure to turn the pattern over for the second flip flop. This should give you a pair of flip flops.
3. Fold your ribbon into a V shape, and pick a spot on the toe area where you want it added. Leave extra hanging off- I didn't, and my first one didn't meet up to the edge exactly. Oops! Once it's in place, prepare to sew.
4. I used a cute little star shaped stitch to go straight down the middle of the ribbon, and I used pink thread. The ribbon I chose had a green stitch mark along both sides, and I didn't want to cover that, so I went with a decorative stitch. A straight or zig zag would also work fine.
5. Once the ribbon is added, position the flip flops on your bag where you want them, and pin them into place- you won't use more than 2-3 pins each, or they'll wrinkle a bit. After the first few stitches on mine, I removed the pins all together. For my stitch, I once again chose decorative, and used a wavy line to stitch all the way around the flip flop. It worked great, and allowed me to move the fabric around without it looking like it was messing up the stitch at all. Repeat on flip flop number two, and you are done!

Being a first timer, it took me maybe 15 minutes to do this, start to finish. I used the slowest stitch speed on my machine, then increased it to just below the medium stitch speed. I tend to mess up more at high speeds, so slow and easy did it for me.

Cost- Free! Use scraps!!

Isn't it a cute addition to my beach bag? I love it- seriously, it really makes it look beachy! Not bad for $4!

Summer- please come soon, ok?

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