Flannel & Corduroy Leaves

Here's a warm & cozy fall project from a WCK Creative Journal last autumn - but since it's time to start thinking warm and cozy again this year, I thought I'd share for anyone who didn't see it the first time.  The first thing that always pops into my mind when I hear the words warm and cozy is flannel!  I love curling up in flannel pj’s in front of the fireplace (or woodstove when we lived in Maine!) and reading or watching a movie with my family.  I love hugging my sons and husband when they are wearing a flannel shirt.   Since raiding my husband’s flannel shirt stash was highly discouraged (I did try…trust me), I decided to check out one of my favorite sources for items to repurpose – the local Goodwill Industries Store!  As always, I wasn’t disappointed and came home with two cozy baby shirts in great flannel plaids, a  girls flannel plaid skirt, and a pair of tiny brown corduroy pants I couldn’t resist adding to the mix for a bit more texture.  For less than $3 I had enough fabric to make a lot of leaves and I helped out those in need!

Once home, I sketched maple and oak leaves onto scrap paper and cut them out (you could  print off a pattern from the internet, or even trace a real leaf!).   The paper patterns were pinned to the fabric, and then the leaves were cut.  I purposely cut some of the leaves on seams, included buttons, etc. for added homespun texture.   Once the leaves were cut, I used extra embroidery thread I have stashed in my studio (see, keeping scraps of everything does pay off!) and roughly stitched approximately ¼” from the edge of each leaf, and to create the veins in the leaves.

The result is a set of almost whimsical, homespun decorations with a warm and cozy feel.  They look great mixed in a basket of pinecones collected from our yard and set outside our front door, or displayed around a pumpkin in our entry way.

While this project would work with any fabric – I think the flannel and the corduroy just add to the warm and cozy fun!