New Tutorial for pom-pom pens!

 
I first wrote about my pom-pom pens two years ago and I have been meaning to make a new step-by-step tutorial for them. I  recently used them for teacher gifts as well. 

Here we go ... it's really so simple!

Can you see the needle/thread in the photo? Above the scissors - it's there!

These are the sizes of strips that I used:

The ones on the left are for the pom-poms (already ironed in half), and the ones on the right, you use to wrap the pens. The measurements are not that important, though.You can easily experiment with different sizes! The strips on the right are cut much longer than 13" in the photo because I find it's easy to trim them later, after I've wrapped. But they should be at least that long.

**One note about fabric selection:
I've used all polka dot fabrics for these pens, but of course ANY fabric will do. Small-scale prints work best. Especially for wrapping the pens. I suggest dots, stripes, and gingham if you're asking for my opinion. *wink*

Now that you're ready, 
here are the steps to make a pen:

1. Wrap the pen with fabric. Start at the tip like this, using hot glue to secure it as you wrap.  

I like to make the pens assembly-line style. 
Wrap a bunch of pens while you're at it:

**optional step:
I applied fray check along the raw fabric edges at this point (only the bottom pen part). I found that when I made my first batch of pens, they frayed quite a bit. The fray check makes the fabric a bit "stiff" and I wondered at first if I liked it. As I've been using the pens, they soften up a bit, but they are not fraying as much. So, just squeeze a little along the raw edges of the wrapped fabric on the pen, if you'd like to.

2. Now to make the pom-pom. Fold the 3.5"x13" strip in half (length-wise)and iron. 

2. Make cuts along the raw edges, about 1/4" to 1/2" apart, just eye-ball it.  This doesn't need to be exact at all. Don't cut all the way to the fold or it will fall apart!

 

3. Make a running stitch along the folded edge of the fabric:

 gather it up like this:

 Once it's all gathered, connect the ends with a stitch and tie a knot to secure it.

Once it's together in a circle (above), you can hold all the strips to the side and make a few extra stitches in the bottom like this to tighten it up:

I basically just make a few stitches through the bottom of the whole pom-pom until it seems secure enough. 

wrapped pens and pom-poms - ready to put them together.

 
4. Now use the hot glue to secure it to the pen. I put a generous amount of glue on the base of the pom-pom like this:

 **note about hot glue: 
I prefer to use HIGH HEAT glue gun. It holds much better than the low heat ones.

I like to tie an extra strip of fabric at the base of the pom-pom, just for cuteness. And to cover the hot glue mess a little. :-)

Fluff up the pom-pom and there you have it.
Ta Da! Your finished pom-pom pen:

 Wait, did I say "fluff?" What does that mean? Just separate the strips and pull them apart to make the pom-pom look full. See:

The pen on the left also doesn't have the extra fabric tied around it. Oops!

Let me know if you have any questions. Just leave a comment or email me. Have fun!
Please link back to this tutorial if you make some of your own. Thanks!

linking to FABRIC TUESDAY!

"just write" teacher gifts

I put together these gifts for Teacher Appreciation week. Of course I appreciate them every day of the year, but this was the week where we tried to show it even more. I have been meaning to make more pom-pom pens for awhile now. I wanted to do them for Christmas gifts (and didn't) or Valentine's Day (and didn't) and finally I pulled through and made them. Just in time for the school year to almost be over - ha!

This is the little tag I made to put with the gift. If you're interested in using it, just right click this image below. (personal use only please)

Put it into a word document if you want to resize it (or do it in a smarter way if you know of one, which you probably do *wink*). It's nothing fancy, but I thought I would include it here in case anyone asked.

I put a notebook with the gifts for the teachers, and for the aides and a few other faculty, we put a couple pens through the tag (punched a hole in the corner).

I went to a school assembly at my kids' school today and I just loved it. It's so energizing to be there and see the kids' excitement and also the love the teachers and staff have for the children. I am happy knowing my kids are in good hands at school. Today their principal ate fried worms because the students raised their test scores nearly 50% as a whole (awesome). So thankful for awesome teachers and staff!


NOTE: My pom-pom pens are probably the "most-pinned" item from my blog on Pinterest. I made them a couple years ago and since then I have had a lot of questions about them and I decided to make a new/better tutorial for them and you can find it by clicking HERE.