Projects involving Leaves or leave shapes

These projects do vary in medium type ending with a sewing project.  However, they all involve leaves or leave shapes.

Autumn Mason Jar

Materials:  Mod Podge, fall leaves, brush, newspaper, acrylic spray, tea light, and Mason jar

Directions:

Dry beautiful, colorful fall leaves using this method. Drying should take only about two weeks.

Use ONLY dried, pressed leaves that have NOT been coated with Mod Podge when you make this candle jar.   

Smear Mod Podge all over the sides of the jar.  Do not apply Mod Podge to the bottom or the grooved lid area. (For large areas like this, I prefer using a regular brush, but a foam brush will work also).

Place your dry leaf right onto the Mod Podge and press into place.  Brush over the leaf with more Mod Podge.  

Continue adding leaves and Mod Podge until your jar is covered with leaves.  Overlap a few, but keep in mind that overlap areas do reduce the light that can pass through.  Lighter colored leaves work best.  Use the darker leaves as accents.

Once you have finished placing your leaves around the jar surface, use the flat end of your brush to create a stippled pattern in the Mod Podge areas NOT covered by leaves. This step will create a more pleasing pattern than will brush strokes when light shines through these "open" areas on the jar.

Let the candle dry thoroughly and then apply a second coat of Mod Podge, again "stippling" the open areas.

Let the jar dry several hours or overnight.  Overspray with acrylic spray. When dry, pop a tea light in the bottom and you are done!

Luminous Leaf Lanterns

Materials:  leaves pressed (at least 36 hours), mod podge, paint brush, glass jar or bowl

Directions:

To begin, paint a thick layer of mod podge onto your glass surface. Place your leaves on top.

Paint thickly over the leaves. Don't worry if they don't lie flat in all places, the leaves seem to hold strong once the mod podge dries.

Fall Foliage Frames

Materials:  a frame, mod podge, paint brush, and pressed leaves

Directions:

Lay out for your leaves on the frame.

Slather the mod podge on each leaf ~ front and back ~ starting with the bottom leaves and working your way up until all leaves are on.

Let it fully dries.  You will get lovely leaves that will be shiny and durability.

Zip Tie Leaf Earrings

Materials:  zip-ties, scissors, earring findings, white glue, jump ring,  and pliers

Directions:

Step one: make some zip-tie leaves.

Insert the skinny end into the locking hole and pull until you have a teardrop shape.  Trim the tail and you have your basic leaf.  As you make a second leaf to match, pull the end slowly and keep measuring against the first leaf until they are the same.

Two notes: be sure you insert the end into the hole so the teeth grip and lock.  If you insert it backwards, it will just slip out.  Also, once you have completed your leaf, you could add a drop of glue into the lock; just to be sure it won't click past any more teeth and shrink smaller.  This is optional for these earrings, though; there's not much stress on the design, they are probably fine without glue.

To turn a leaf into an earring, use a jump ring and any earring finding.  Like this:

Second version:

Directions:

Link two teardrops with a teeny tiny leaf, as in this yellow pair.

Everlasting Fall Leaves

Materials:  scraps of cotton fabric measuring about 10" x 8" in autumn prints and colors, quilt batting, and basic sewing supplies

Directions:

First draw a leaf on a piece of paper.  Here a 9" X 7" leaves was done. Pin and cut one layer of quilt batting and two layers of fabric for each leaf.

Place the leaf batting down on a flat surface. Then put one of the fabric leaves down with pretty sides up.  Then put the other fabric leaf pretty sides down, as shown in the photo to the left.

Stitch around the leaf using the pressure foot as your guide.  Leave an opening towards the bottom of your leaf large enough to turn it pretty side out. When you are done sewing it, clip into the curved areas as shown in the photo, being careful not to cut into your stitching line.

Turn your leaf pretty side out.  Poke out curves and press the leaf flat.  Hand stitch the opening closed.

Straight stitch the "veins" on your leaf as shown in the photo. Cut all hanging or loose threads.

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net.  I look forward to hearing from you!