Look what you can do with the Big Shot and some fabric…

Did you know that you can use the Big Shot and lots of the Dies to make fabric flowers and even beautiful quilts and patchwork projects?

Whilst at Founders Circle a group of new friends and I decided to see if we could make some of the fabric flowers that we had seen being toted around attached to clothing and bags that had been made using the Big Shot and Flower Folds Bigz Die that is exclusive and only available for purchase from Stampin’ Up!…one of the ladies very kindly trekked off on a mission to find some fabric, tulle, eedles, thread and buttons…working together, we figured out how to make them and this is what we came up with…

Isn’t it gorgeous? And just perfect for the Fall and Thanksgiving…and we realised that simply by changing the colors and textures of the fabrics you can make them for any time of the year and occasion…imagine a beautiful holiday one using blues and silvers…or reds and golds…and you could even make a Halloween one using orange and black…using a pin that you can purchase at any craft store you can attach it to clothing or on to your bag…we had many comments and lots of ladies wanting to make some – and it simply uses one fabulous Bigz Die that cuts through layers of fabric with ease :-)

We used 4 fabrics to make the one above – red and gold corduroys and two prints plus white tulle that has a shimmer to it. Using the Big Shot and Flower Folds Bigz Die (on pg 201 of the Catalog) you cut a large flower out of all four fabrics. You fold each in half – put your first on the table…then add the second on top, covering two of the petals of the first one. Do the same again with the third…and when you put the fourth on, tuck two petals behind the first – it makes sense when you are doing it and when you have finished it will look like you have 4 heart shapes. Then take your needle and thread and stitch a large X to hold them all together.

Next cut three medium flower shapes using the tulle – fold them in half and then just fold one of the edges in a third of the way and stitch to the base – by doing this, it makes the petals stand up a little and look puffy. Do the same for the other two flowers.

Then choose three of your fabrics and cut a smaller flower out of them – again, fold two of them in half and stitch in place. Fold the third flower and cut in half – then position on opposite sides and stitch in place. Lastly, cut two small tulle flowers and stitch in place, followed by a button to make the center and put your fixing on the back so that you can attach it where you would like to wear or carry it.

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN USE THE BIG SHOT AND DIES IN PATCHWORK AND QUILTING? I learned that this is a very cost effective way for quilters and patchworkers to cut shapes out of fabric – there are dedicated machines for doing this but apparently they are way more expensive than purchasing the Big Shot and Dies to do the same job – and the Big Shot makes it sooo easy to do…

Check out these fabulous quilts that a very talented demonstrator named Jill Olsen created – she cut out the fabric shapes for her quilts using the Big Shot along with dies such as the 5-Point 3-d Star, Pennant, Flower Folds and Scallop Circles Bigz Dies…click here to see the full list of what these dies can cut through. These beautiful quilts were available at Founders Circle for us to snuggle under and they are made of a variety of textured fabrics including some fuzzy ones that you can see in the pink one below…they are absolutely beautiful and stunning to look at…

You can find the Big Shot and Dies on pgs 194-202 of the Catalog – you can also find them in the online store that you can find by clicking HERE – once there, simply click ‘Shop Now’ which will take you to the store and you will see ‘Die Cutting’ on the left – you can view our Big Shot line there and on your Big Shot order you will also receive all hostess benefits (meaning free stamps and merchandise) on orders of $150+ – if you have any questions please click here to contact me and I will be very happy to help :-)