Monogrammed Bear Christmas Ornaments

I love the sweet simplicity of this felt ornament. A cheeky polar bear glances back and the sparkle of red sequins bounces off the boxwood leaf border. The back of this diy felt Christmas ornament is left open for space to personalize with an initial and there is even a small space above to stitch a year if you wish. I’ve included the most common initials but if yours isn’t among the four just print out your desired letter at about 200 point.

You will need:

Felt

 6″ x 9″ Grey felt *

4″ x 4″ felt scrap in red I used Poinsettia *

4′ x 5″ green felt scrap – I used Sea Glass

4″ x 5″  Antique White felt scrap *

*Matching thread

Brown thread

Red Sequins I used Classic Red

Black Cross Stitch or Embroidery Thread.

4″ ribbon to hang.

Cut:

2 oval shapes from grey felt, 1 polar bear from white felt, letter from red felt and 40 boxwood leaves from muted green felt. Don’t let the amount of leaves or their small size intimidate you. They are super small and you don’t need a template so these cut out much easier and faster than you might suspect.

Mark out areas where the boxwood leaves will be. Sew polar bear down with white thread. Add accent areas like the tail, ears and shoulder in white thread. Sew a french knot for the bears eye using black cross stitch thread and stitch over the nose area. For tips on these stitches see our  post on stitches. HERE

Layout boxwood leaves 10 on each end 5 going one direction 5 the other as shown.

Stitch down with brown thread.

Attach sequins to center of boxwood border, 1 on the top, 3 along the bottom with matching thread.

For more on attaching sequins see THIS POST

Repeat the process on the other felt oval shape using the letter instead of the bear shape. Add felt boxwood leaf border. Sew the ribbon to the top of your Christmas ornament in a loop.

Place pieces together and overcast stitch around the outside and your polar bear Christmas ornament is complete.

Happy Christmas Ornament Crafting!

~Andie

Stop by the shop:

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Stitch up some Christmas imagination with these fun gingerbread hand puppets.

Make some magical swan, phoenix and unicorn Christmas ornaments.

Build a snowman- Christmas Ornament

Gingerbread Hand Puppets

 If these classic gingerbread faces don’t put you in the holiday spirit you may want to check your pulse. Making a set of soft sweet gingerbread puppets is as easy as can be. Your felt gingerbread friends are a great way to engage little ones in the holiday festivities and spark imaginative holiday play.  Best of all they go together quickly and easily with this step by step tutorial and pattern. So without further ado here’s how to make a set of your own gingerbread hand puppets.

You will need:

Felt

1/4  yard brown felt or 4 – 9″ x 12″ sheets – I used Mud Puddle*

4″ x 5″ felt scrap in red I used Poinsettia *

4′ x 5″ green felt scrap – I used Fresh Cut Grass *

4″ x 5″ black felt scrap *

4″ x 4″ Muted Pink – I used Paris Pink *

*Matching thread

White Cross Stitch or Embroidery Thread.

12″ white ric rac

Cut:

4 peppermint shapes from white felt, 4 eyes from black felt, 4 cheeks from pink felt, 4 gingerbread puppet shapes from brown felt, 1 bow shape, 1 bow center and 2 swirl shapes from green felt and 1 bow shape, 1 bow center and 2 swirl shapes from red felt.

Sew swirl shapes to peppermint shapes using matching thread and a running stitch. Set aside.

Layout bow shape lengthwise and run a stitch through the center a few times. Wrap bow center around center and trim to fit, stitch bow center together. Repeat with remaining bow and set aside.

Set aside two of the gingerbread puppet pieces you will use these fro the back. Stitch eyes and cheeks to gingerbread with matching thread. Stitch smile in black thread and add hair with white embroidery thread it may help to mark some of the stitched areas out with chalk.

Sew buttons down the center of each gingerbread front by stitching through the white areas with white thread. Sew bow to front of gingerbread man puppet and ric rac to the bottom of the gingerbread girl hand puppet

Place the backs on the puppets and stitch together using a running stitch and white embroidery thread. Add bow to gingerbread girl.

Happy Crafting!

~Andie

 

Gingerbread Pattern Templates – print without margins at full size to insure it is large enough for an adult hand. Stop by the shop:

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DIY Spaghetti and meatballs Italian dinner

My first rule in designing felt food is to try to make it as interactive as possible. After all every little chef wants to do some serious cooking.

This DIY felt food meal will allow them to use every bit of the play kitchen. A budding chef can “bake” the meatballs and bread sticks, “cut” and “boil” the pasta noodles, “cook” the sauce and garnish the plate. I’ve kept the noodles connected to save sanity and to make them easy to “roll” out and “cut” I hope these small details make this a treasured menu item in your little ones’ restaurant.

This is a easy felt food set to make with really great results. If you are a newbie or just need a refresher I would encourage you to check out our Felt Food 101 series

Need a brush up on stitches? We got you. Check out our post on stitches. 

Here’s everything you need to make felt Italian meal for two featuring; 2 plates of mess free pasta and sauce, 4 bread sticks and 6 meatballs. 

1- 9″ x 12″ felt sheet for Pasta Sauce (makes 2) I used Poinsettia *

2- 9″ x 12 felt sheets in a creamy pale yellow for bread stick bases and pasta. I used Buttercream*

1- 9″ x 12″ sheet felt light beige for bread stick tops I used Pastry*

1- 9″ x 12″ sheet brown felt for meatballs (makes 6 meatballs) I used Teddy Bear*

4 x3″ Scrap of green felt for basil leaf (Optional) I used Cilantro

Embroidery thread in a herby green and pale tan

Stuffing

*Matching thread

DIY felt food- Pasta Sauce

To make the pasta sauce simply sew two of the sauce shapes together with an overcast stitch and matching thread.

DIY felt food- Pasta Noodles

Fold 9″ x 12″ felt sheet in half lengthwise and cut down the center to create two long rectangles. Cut noodles at 1/2 inch intervals leaving the top 1/2″ attached. Fold top over and sew down with a running stitch and matching thread. This will keep the noodles together and make play “cutting” of the pasta dough way more fun, the fold and stitching along the top adds strength.

DIY felt food- Basil Leaves

Cut one smaller and one larger basil leaf from green felt, you can easily free hand this since the edges don’t need to be even. Pinch the small end together and stitch once or twice to get it to fold. Place one leaf behind the other and stitch together to make garnish.

DIY felt food- Meatballs

For each meatball you will need one larger and one smaller felt circle. Sew a gathering stitch along the outside of the larger circle. Stuff and pull leaving a small amount of the bottom open for the bottom. Knot.

Run the needle through the meatball creating tiny stitches to create texture. Sew smaller circle to cover exposed stuffing using an overcast stitch. This flat base will allow it to sit without rolling.

Round out the meatball by rolling in your hands to distribute the stuffing.

DIY felt food- Bread sticks

Cut 2 bread stick bases and 2 bread stick tops per bread stick. (8 of each for all 4 sticks)

Set aside half of the beige tops. Embellish the other half of the tops with french knots from pale tan embroidery thread and create herbs with small stitches in pale green.

Stitch all tops to bases with a running stitch and matching thread.

Stack one embellished side with one plain side, over cast stitch sides together with matching thread.

Mangia and Happy Crafting!

~Andie

Felt Food Template- Print at full size.

Need a little more spice?

Shake up some fun with our free retro styled salt and pepper shaker tutorial.

Room for dessert?

Finish off any play meal with everyone’s favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Pop By the Shop

From Amethyst Purple to Zebra print, more felt colors and prints than you knew existed.

Leaf Peeping – Autumn Leaves, Lemongrass, Sushi, Monarch Butterfly, Auburn, Beet, and Saddle Brown Felt Sheets

 

Butterfly Felt Rings- no sew

It doesn’t get too much easier than this craft. These felt butterfly rings take around 5 minutes each to make and require no sewing because they simply fold together. Consider adding sequins, cut designs, stitching or tiny pom poms to your ring for an even more impressive accessory.  Decorating felt butterfly rings also makes a great birthday party craft for even the least crafty kid in the group.

Surprisingly this size worked on people from 8- adult so it’s really a one size fits all situation. There’s a rounded cut along the back to make the ring more comfortable to wear. Be sure to use a quality felt for these since the flaps will need to hold some stress. You can also glue together for a more permanent hold.  For tips on accurate cuts see this POST

You will need:

5″ x3″  Felt scrap per butterfly I used White, Amethyst Purple, Banana Cream, Hot Pink, Aqua and Pink Tutu.

Template at the end of this post

Felt glue and bits to decorate (optional)

Cute ring from template including slits in the top of one end and the bottom of the other as shown on template. Curl ring together and hook the slits to form a ring.

That’s it! Happy Crafting

~Andie