Tuesday, March 30, 2010

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?


This post is linked up at the link parties listed here

18 comments:

Sarah said...

These are so cute! I play in a Bunko group once a month and I'm going to try making these for the Bunko prizes in June! Thanks for the idea. I love Dollar Store crafting!

Morgan//Nuts and Bows said...

TOO cute!!

Check out my awesome GIVEAWAY

~Morgan

Meet Virginia Crafts
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Denise Marie said...

girl, you rocked it!!

Expressions by Heather said...

Thanks everyone! I love the addition of the flip flops- it just made it so much more beachy!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

That is just so cute. You are so talented. Love it!

XOXO
Jen

Sweet European Dreams said...

cute! I love to applique. I typically do it on plain sweatsuits for my kids in the fall/winter. But I have to say that mine are done by hand - it saves me from yet another heated argument between me and my stinky sewing machine!

Expressions by Heather said...

I have had plenty of arguments with my machine. I just got a new one for Christmas, and we don't always see eye to eye. I don't drag it out often, I'll admit, because my old machine was SO hard to work with. Even though the new one has given me a few small issues, it does sew beautifully most of the time, and I tend to forget that until I'm using it!

Jess said...

I am going to have to make myself a couple of those. My kids are big enough now to carry their own stuff so they need bags in which to do it.
Thanks for the inspiration.

Smart Money Mom said...

What a cute idea! I love flip flops as a summer accent!

julie said...

Your tote bag is so cute and summery. Have a great day and come by and visit me...julie @www.glamandglitterythoughts.com

Anonymous said...

I would love to have you link to my party, but I still do not see the Boardwalk Bragfest listed as a link. Please try again next week. Thank you!

Jill said...

Love this! I would love for you to come link up over at my blog! I've got prizes :)
-Jill
http://womenwhodoitall.blogspot.com

J Rodney said...

It looks fabulous! It actually reminds me about a flip flop art work down by our local beach. I'll have to take a photo and post it one day.

Niki Jolene said...

So so so so cute! Did you ever see the Dollar Store Crafts blog? I'll bet they would love to share this idea!

:)

j said...

That turned out SO cute. It makes me ready for summer too!

Sherri @ Dude I Made It said...

What a fun and cute project!!

Julie Bagamary said...

What a fun and clever tote.

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

I love this!! Such a great idea for a festive beach bag!!