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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Valentine Muppets Applique

January 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

This past Christmas was my husband’s and my first together. This is a tutorial for how to make the gift I made for him, inspired by the theme song to the new Muppet movie…

The song and the movie are so darn cute and lovable that my husband and I were cuddling and singing that song for weeks after seeing the movie. What could have made a better first-married-Christmas-together gift than something just as sweet? This project would also make an amazing Valentine’s gift for any significant other in your life! It took me about 15 or 20 hours to make, but that was mostly because I kept ripping out the lettering to get it just right. I wanted to make sure to share this with at least a couple weeks left before V-day in case anyone out there wants to make one of their own. <3


Supplies

12″ embroidery hoop

cross stitch canvas (any sturdy fabric will do, though)

yarn

thread that color-coordinates with the yarn you chose

scraps of felt in lime green and red

crappy plastic pearl necklace

scissors

pencil

Directions

Mount your cross stitch canvas in your embroidery hoop. Lightly write the phrase “Life’s a happy song” along the  top of your hoop in pencil directly on the canvas. Then lightly write “when there’s someone by your side to sing along.” along the bottom.


The technique I used to attach the yarn to the canvas for the lettering is called couching. This is one of the first couching projects I’ve ever done and I’m totally hooked. But since this is my first project, I’m going to defer to the awesome embroidery blog feeling stitchy for a gorgeous (seriously, I need to learn to take photos like this!) tutorial on couching:

Basically, couching is sewing yarn to fabric. I prefer it to certain types of embroidery because I can use my own handwriting and easily make my projects more personal. :)

—

Once all the lettering is done, you need to erase any visible pencil lines that might remain. Next, you’ll need to grab some felt. Cut two teeny tiny hearts out and hand applique them to the canvas between the “Life’s a happy song” and “when there’s someone by your side to sing along.” lyrics.

Cut out a piece of the lime green felt in the shape of Kermit’s collar. Six points does the trick, in my opinion.  Then, applique the collar to the canvas using the same applique style as with the tiny hearts.

Next, grab the pearl necklace and cut it to a length short enough to lay on your fabric in a complete loop. Sew it onto the fabric in enough places to keep its shape when hanging. Secure the ends next to each other so it looks like Miss Piggy’s signature pearl strand, all in one piece.


After that, trim excess canvas from behind the embroidery hoop, and you’re done! My husband and I have this cute thing proudly displayed in our living room, and it always makes me smile when I look at it. If you make one of these for yourself or your bf/gf, let me know! I’d loooove to see it.

Filed Under: Embroidery, How-to, Valentine's Day Tagged With: couching, How-to, jim henson, kermit, miss piggy, the muppets

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

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Head to the link in bio for an update on my 2021 p Head to the link in bio for an update on my 2021 plans for Hands Occupied. The two words that best describe this post are self-care and boundaries. 😜 
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Much love to everyone who sent supportive messages about taking time off and creative burnout. I often deflect with humor, but it was genuinely touching to connect with folks who understand. I’ll have something new for y’all later this week, so stay tuned! ❤️💛💙 
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Pictured: An unblocked pile of four striped sweater panels in primary colors sitting on a blanket in my lap.
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
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