Welcome Spring!

We may be a bit biased around here but spring is our favorite color season. Who doesn’t love a good lilac, an understated pink or a dusty blue? Join us all March long while we celebrate spring with tutorials, inspiration, kits, crafts and color displays all influenced by our love of spring! Here are a few of our favorite floral shades to get you in the spirit.

Orchid

Orchid is a mauvey pink shaded felt

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/orchid/

Fresh Cut Grass

Lush green grassy hues combine for a nearly perfect green felt.

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/fresh-cut-grass/

Iris

A rich deep blue purple felt

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/iris/

Sweet Pea

Somewhere between purple and pink you’ll find sweet pea.

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/sweet-pea/

Forget Me Not

A lovely periwinkle blue toned wool blend felt.

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/forget-me-not/

Monarch Butterfly

A bold and vibrant orange felt.

http://www.feltandcraft.com/monarch-butterfly/

Sprout

Sprout is a vibrant green wool blend felt

Here: http://www.feltandcraft.com/new-sprout/

Happy Spring!

~Andie

Glowing Ghost Finger Puppets

You know that feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the wonderfully endless possibilities of life, before you lies hundreds nay thousands of possible adventures just dying for you to pick which to take on first?

When there don’t seem to be any wrong choices, the euphoria of the sheer maze of wonderful possibilities is nearly audible making the decision of which avenue you’ll explore that much more difficult?   Oh did I say life I meant Glo Felt.

That’s what happens when you stock or order Glo Felt.

What’s Glo Felt? Why it’s felt made from thousands of synthetic polyester fibers that absorb the sun and glow for nearly an hour with a charge of 10 minutes, that’s what. That’s right the felt is literally made of glowing fibers that won’t rub off or lose their glowing mojo. Yeah I know. I’ll let that one sink in for you.

So I sketched out at least 20 different plans for these awesome felt squares but this was one of my first and one of my favorites. Like all of our projects these ghost finger puppets are super easy to make and are made to be loved. Best of all you can whip these little guys up in no time flat.

For 2-3 ghosts you will need:

Glo Felt and matching thread

Big eye sewing needle, I like these

Scissors

Black embroidery thread

Template (at the end of post)

Step 1:

Cut out 2 each of the ghost templates from the felt sheet. Save all the scraps they are great for gluing or sewing onto other projects for things like windows or spooky eyes.

Step 2:

Stitch faces onto one side of the ghost templates with  about three strands of the black embroidery thread. It’s helpful to lightly trace them out in pencil first.

Leave the bottom open for fingers. 

Step 3:

Place two pieces together and overcast stitch over the edges leaving the bottom open.

Step 4: 

Be spooky.

*Pairs well with bed sheet forts and ghost stories.

Happy Crafting

Andie

Ghost finger puppet templates

You might also enjoy: Felt mini Pumpkins

No Sew Felt Sunflower Magnets

DIY no sew felt sunflower magnets.

These no sew felt sunflowers are super easy to make and oh so cute!

Adding a magnet to the back transforms them into versatile decorative elements.

The addition of a second magnet means you can easily add flowers to lampshades, curtains or even clothing with no damage or commitment.

You will need:

1/2 sheet of felt – about 4.5″ x 11″per flower. I used Gold Nugget and Buttercream

Beacon Felt Glue

Sequins– I used Olive Drab

16 clothes pins

Round magnet(s)  with decent strength

Sunflower Template at end of post.

(Optional) Hot Glue

Cut three sunflower shapes per flower. Flip one so it points in the opposite direction as the other two. Set one of the matching two aside.

Cut three sunflower shapes per flower.

Flip one so it points in the opposite direction as the other two. Set one of the matching two aside

Add a small amount of felt glue to the base of each petal of remaining two flower shapes.

Add a small amount of felt glue to the base of each petal of remaining two flower shapes.

Pinch petals together and use a clothes pin to hold petals together.

Pinch petals together and use a clothes pin to hold petals together.

Repeat with remaining petals on the remaining piece. This can get tricky so try pointing your pins in varying directions.

Repeat with remaining petals on the remaining piece. This can get tricky so try pointing your pins in varying directions, over or under the others.

Unpin after an hour and use your fingers to open the petals.

Unpin after an hour and use your fingers to fold open the petals. Don’t panic they will look a little messy.

Glue the sunflower face to the base. These petals should go opposite directions.

Glue the sunflower face to the base (flat remaining piece.)

These petals should go opposite directions.

Place a thin layer of felt glue into the center of the remaining sunflower face.

Place a thin layer of felt glue into the center of the remaining sunflower face spreading it thinly will help it to dry more quickly.

Glue sequins to center. Set aside to dry for at least 10-15 minutes.

Glue sequins to center. Set aside to dry for at least 10-15 minutes

Glue front to the rest of the flower.

Glue sequined front to the rest of the flower. Allow to dry.

Glue magnet to back and allow to dry overnight. You can also use hot glue for instant satisfaction.

 

Glue magnet to back and allow to dry overnight.

You can also use hot glue for instant satisfaction.

Sunflower Template

 

Salt and Pepper’s here! Interactive felt salt and pepper shaker tutorial.

You will need:

1 sheet White felt & matching thread

1/2 sheet Grey felt- Grey Flannel

2 Rattle Inserts

Ric Rac – 1 yard Really Red

Red and Grey embroidery thread

Sewing and embroidery needles

Stuffing

Template – at the end of post

Cut

Cut shaker bodies and shaker bases from white felt.

Cut shaker rims and tops from grey felt

Lightly trace the letters onto the center of the shaker bodies with a pencil.

I am not skilled at embroidery so I fake it with short back stitches. The good news here is yours is bound to look WAY better than mine.

 Stitch out the letters I used 5 strands for the thick parts and 3 for the lighter lines.

Add dots onto the shaker tops with French knots and grey thread.

 

Stitch shaker rims to the top of each shaker with grey thread and a running stitch.

Stitch red ric rac to the front of the shakers about 1/4 inch from the base.

Turn shakers inside out and overcast stitch up the long edges with a sturdy white thread.

Insert a large rattle into base of each shaker.

Sew base to shaker and turn right side up to settle rattle into the base.

Push stuffing into open top.

Sew shaker top to rim with an overcast stitch and grey thread.

Spice up your felt food!

Happy Crafting

Andie

Thank’s Lisa!

Pop over to the shop:

Free tutorials you might also enjoy:

Felt Food Cake Pops – Tutorial and Pattern

DIY Felt Cake Pops

Get into the spring party mood with these fun felt food cake pops. They are a little tricky to master but once you get the hang of them the theme and decorating possibilities are endless.

These sweet felt cake pops make the prefect addition to your felt food bakery or teddy bear’s picnic.

Add some more fun to your felt project by poking a few holes onto crafter’s foam with a chopstick and slip the pops in for a fun and colorful felt food display.

You will need:

Per pop:

4.5″ square of felt in cake pop color, I used: Buttercream, Pink tutu, Mint, White, Chocolate, Aqua and Amethyst Purple*

3.5″ x 1.5″ white felt scrap for stick*

*Matching thread

Felt Glue

 (optional) 

Ribbon for base

Nut Beads

Classic Sprinkle Beads

Sugar Beads

Jimmies (sprinkle beads)

Felter’s Friend Freezer paper – Cutting accuracy is important here.

Felt Scrap for misc decor.

Template – at the bottom of post.

Cross stitching thread for sprinkles

Step 1:

 Cut out your cake pop and stick pieces, you may want to print or copy the pattern onto freezer paper for the most accurate cutting.

For tips on this see our post on Cutting Felt

Step 2:

 Roll the white felt rectangle long between your hands to help it better curl. Roll up and stitch down the side with a running stitch and matching thread. Set aside.

Step 3:

If you are embellishing with french knot sprinkles now is the best time to create them .

Shown right side out.

Sew the cake pop from the center hub down until you get to the flat bottom edge. Leave your knots exposed because you will be flipping the piece inside out.

Repeat on 3 sides. Sewing it this way makes your piece a bit more uniform and is the best way to compensate for any small differences in cut.

Step 4:

Sew all but one remaining side, flip piece so it is right side out and gently stuff. Sew up open side.

Step 5:

Place stick piece into the center of the felt cake pop.

Run a small gathering stitch around the base of the pop and pull tightly, then pass the needle through the “stick” a few times to insure it is secure.

Step 6:

You may need to roll the “pop” between your hands to round it out.

Tie bow around the base and add sprinkles or other embellishments with felt glue or stitching.

Click here for the Template : cakepopPDF

Hungry for more free felt food tutorials?

Stop by the store for all your crafting supplies:

Happy Crafting!

~Andie

How to store felt crafts

How to properly store all your felt stuff. AKA Like a Boss

So you’ve made all these wonderful felt things but you just don’t know how to store felt crafts, ornaments, or heirloom pieces in the best, safest way possible you say?

Have no fear, AFC is here.

All in all felt is a great material to work with because a good quality wool or wool blend is pretty durable as fabrics go. But there is a right and a wrong way to store felt long-term. This is the best way to store wool and wool blend felt but the principles will work for any fabric materials.

First it helps to know felt has three main enemies:

Light

Light can fade felt’s colors and deteriorate it over time. It’s best to store your felt pieces in plastic airtight containers. Clear containers work well too and will allow you to better see the contents. However if you plan to store your pieces anyplace that may be exposed to sunlight regularly store in a solid color plastic container or place the items into other light barriers such as a shoe box or acid free tissue paper before packing.

Moisture

Luckily wool  has antimicrobial properties which resist mold and mildew naturally so you needn’t worry too much about those as a threat however moisture can weaken felt over time not to mention create a mess. To avoid problems make sure each piece is completely dry before packing it up. Avoid storing in cardboard alone, near garage doors or low to the ground.  Throw in a few of those silica packets that come with shoes if you happen to have any handy. If not please feel free to see this as an excuse to go buy those new boots! I’m extremely pro shoes.

Pests

It’s true moths love wool and other natural fibers. They also love peace and quiet like your basement. Keeping your felt pieces safe from months is actually pretty easy. Avoid any nasty run ins by storing in an airtight plastic container and making sure your felt pieces are cleaned of any food or debris that might be left on them. Not only do crumbs attract pests, the oils can discolor your pieces over time. If you are bringing in vintage pieces consider placing them in a zip lock baggie and freezing them for a few days, this will kill any stowaways and keep the rest of your collection safe.

Here’s a quick run down for cleaning your felt pieces before storage.

Oh no someone has smashed peanut butter and cheese crackers into my ornament (It was totally me but I did it for you)

DON’T PANIC! Dust away and loose crumbs gently. You’ll want to avoid grinding anything into the fibers. Flick the piece from the back if possible to help knock out any loose crumbs in the fibers. I ground this cracker in a bit for emphasis.Keep in mind that even if the piece appears clean you want to make sure no food particles remain or you may have a nasty surprise next year with set in stains and possible pest damage.

Mix 1 part white vinegar or lemon juice to 2 parts water and gently dab at the remaining greasy spots. This will help break up the oils and get rid of any odor that might attract pests. Still have issues? That’s alright dear all the best people do.

Take your piece to the sink and run room temperature water through the side opposite your stain. The flowing water will help dislodge any crumbs or oils. Hot water may hurt your wool and cold water will make it hard for the oil to dislodge. Try not to saturate any more of your piece than you have to. Some dyes may run and wet felt is weaker which isn’t great for vintage pieces. Don’t soak the piece just let the water run through for a minute.

 

Pop that newly clean felt item in a clean towel and gently press out as much of the moisture as possible. DO NOT RUB!! Your felt is in a delicate place right now and rubbing it may cause it to pill.

Examine your piece for any remaining stain. If it looks good place in a sunny place until just dry the UV rays will also help kill any lingering smell. If your piece is still in need of love repeat the vinegar – water – blot process until it is ready for storage.

Double down on your pest prevention by doing a thorough cleaning of your storage area this will be sure to clear out any hidden enemies and make the space less attractive to traveling moths.

A word on mothballs

Mothballs are a neurotoxin and smell horrible!!!

Stick to cedar wood pieces or lavender for a natural repellent that won’t gag you come next Christmas AND your brain won’t be full of poisons! Win win!
Make sure you replace the repellent every year since the natural oils in these items are what repel pests and they dissipate over time.

Here’s how to make a quick lavender sachet keeping the moths at bay (totally nailed that rhyme!)

The fancy stuff:

Flat ornaments can easily be wrapped in acid free tissue paper this allows enough of a buffer so that beads and sequins remain undisturbed and the paper should keep everything nice and dry.

Dimensional felt ornaments can be kept in coffee filters or clean egg crates with some tissue paper to reduce any motion damage and keep sets together.

Try to store pieces flat avoid folding to save the need for a low iron later. If you must fold because you are storing a large felt piece such as a tree skirt be sure to place acid free tissue paper between the felt to give the piece space to breathe and avoid any chance of colors running if exposed to moisture.

And there you have it  – follow those simple steps and your felt pieces will be around for generations to come.

Happy Crafting

~Andie

Gingerbread house Felt Advent Calendar – A sweet family tradition

Photos copyright Imagine Our Life

I am not sure what Stephanie the genius behind Imagine our Life has listed on her business cards but I am pretty sure felt magician would be fitting. Once you see this amazing DIY felt advent calendar I am sure you’ll agree. Every bit of this adorable felt gingerbread house is simply scrumptious!

Every sugary detail is pure magic!

It seems like this stunning calendar would assemble surprisingly quickly thanks to adhesive advent numbers.

Sewn from a high quality wool blend felt and featuring sequined details doubt this piece will become a treasured family heriloom the kids will look forward to revisiting season after season.

She generously shares this amazing advent calendar tutorial free on her blog. Wait until you see the genuis way she hangs this beautiful advent calendar.

The pockets are detailed with enchanting candy pieces that sparkle and shine.

Head over to the Imagine Our Life blog and prepare to be amazed!

Happy Crafting~ Andie