DIY Alphabet Fridge Magnets & Updated Tutorial

I visit Pinterest every day - I'm not sure if that should be a declaration or confession. 

Quite often I'll come across projects that look fun and doable, but I just don't have the time, so I'll pin them and hope to one day get around to them. Today's Pinterest creation was inspired by a set of magnetic alphabet letters available on Etsy. But for $60, I decided I could figure it out on my own. (Scroll down for a full step by step tutorial.)

And so....

I printed and cut out a large bold font,

Ariel Black Bold 300 Font

stacked leftover scraps from Ryder's quilt with 2 layers of batting, traced the letter template, and inserted a magnet under one layer of the cotton, and started sewing. 

VOILA!

Maybe one day I'll open up shop on Etsy, but for now I'll just enjoy the spontaneity of such little DIY projects.  

If any of you are interested in a more detailed tutorial, leave me a comment of send me an e-mail. It really was very simple. And now I look forward to practicing letters with my little scholar in the morning. <3

DIY TUTORIAL

*As mentioned above, this project really is very simple. A little time consuming cutting letters out for the first time, but once you get started, they basically make themselves. So just listen to an audiobook (like I did) or throw on a movie and you'll be done in no time!

Materials:

• scrap fabric
• cotton batting
• Sharpie or washable fabric marker
• small magnets
• alphabet tracers (can be printed from Word)

1. Print an alphabet template for your letters. I recommend 'Arial Black' in BOLD, font size 300 on Word.  To save on ink, I just printed the letters as an outline and not solid black. Print on regular paper (if you're like me) or card stock, if you want to make it easier for yourself and cut out each letter. 

2. Cut your fabric into 54 4-inch squares. Do the same with your cotton batting - 54 4-inch pieces. 

3. Sandwich 2 pieces of cotton batting in between 2 pieces of fabric. Make sure the good sides of the fabric are facing out. You should have 27 little piles when you've finished. 

4. Trace each letter backwards onto the centre of one of your fabric sandwiches. 

(I used a sharpie because it was nice and bold to see while sewing. This will be the back of your letter, and since that side will be out of sight, against the fridge, I wasn't worried about the permanence. If you aren't planning to add magnets, or you prefer a more polished look, a washable fabric marker is great too - mine was just too faded and I didn't want to make a trip out to the store.)

5. Once the letter is traced, stick a pin through all four layers to keep them together. Then take one little magnet and position it under the first layer of fabric but on top of the battering, so that when you start sewing, it falls within the outline of the letter. 

(I picked up this little package of magnets at Walmart, in the craft aisle for $5.97. If you want to make the sewing easier on yourself, you can just skip this step and glue a magnet on the back of your letter once they're finished, or leave the magnet off entirely if  your fridge real estate is at a premium and you just want the letters as toys. :)

 6. Sew around the edge of each letter, right on top of the letter you have traced. Make sure that the magnet stays within the seams of the letter. If the letter has holes in the center (like B or D) sew around the inner tracing as well before cutting anything.

7. Once you've finished sewing around the whole letter (or you can wait and do all the cutting at once at the end) using scissors, cut about 1/8" inch around the outside seams of the letters. Do the same inside the letters with holes, being careful not to cut through the seam. 

8. Now go hang your letters on the fridge, stand back, and admire your handiwork!

If you have any questions before getting started yourself, feel free to leave a comment under this blog post or send me an e-mail at jayne.apperson@gmail.com  If I can, I'm always happy to help. If you're interested in a set of letters, but don't have a sewing machine or the time to make them yourself, shoot me an e-mail too, and we can try to work something out - I have TONS of scrap fabric just hanging around or I could complete a custom order if you're looking for particular letters or fabric. :)

Here's another set that I made for a friend...

 

Happy Crafting!