Felt Fox & Badger Brooches PDF Tutorial

UPDATE: these tutorials are now available in my shop and in my Patreon pattern library.

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Sew a pair of cute woodland animals: a fox and a badger.

The pattern download includes clear step-by-step instructions for sewing the fox and badger (including lots of photos!), plus three easy-to-print sizes of the templates (the size shown in the photos and two larger ones).

The tutorial shows you how to turn your finished felt animals into cute brooches to pin to an autumn sweater or winter coat, but I think these little guys would also make adorable ornaments for your Christmas tree! Just add a loop of ribbon instead of a brooch clasp and, ta-da!, one woodland animal decoration.

 

You could also use the fox and badger to embellish other things, either by using them as a patch or by sewing them directly onto a larger sewing project.

Retro Felt Christmas Baubles Tutorial

Sew a set of felt ornaments for your Christmas tree, or to give as gifts this holiday season!

These decorations were inspired by pretty vintage glass baubles and are so much fun to sew. Make them in classic red and greens, retro pink, turquoise and lilac, or any colour combo that takes your fancy. You can also choose whether to stuff the baubles (as I did with the red and green set) or leave them unstuffed - flat ornaments are perfect for posting in a Christmas card!

Mix and match the colours across the set, and decorate them with co-ordinating embroidery thread, ribbons and trims, plus sequins and beads to add some festive sparkle. You could also use things like mini buttons and mini pompoms, or even strips of festive fabric cut with pinking shears.

 

This tutorial is an updated version of my vintage felt baubles tutorial. This version originally appeared on The Village Haberdashery's blog - visit their shop for lots of crafty goodness!

You will need: 

The template sheet provided (click here to download and print the PDF)
3 co-ordinating shades of felt for the baubles
Light grey felt for the bauble caps
Sewing thread to match all the felt colours
Embroidery thread in co-ordinating colours
Narrow ribbon for hanging the baubles (approx. 7 inches per bauble)
Assorted co-ordinating ribbons, ric-rac, sequins and seed beads for decorating the baubles
Sewing scissors
Embroidery scissors (these are great for cutting out small shapes!)
Sewing needles and pins
Optional: an air erasable fabric marker, a ruler, toy stuffing, and pinking shears

To make each bauble: 

1. Use the templates provided to cut two matching bauble pieces from your chosen shade of felt, and two cap pieces from light grey felt. Pin or hold the paper templates onto the felt as you cut around them.

2. Use pinking shears to cut a contrasting strip of felt to sit in the middle of the bauble. You can cut this by eye, or use a ruler and an air erasable fabric marker to draw guide lines to cut along. You can make this felt strip as wide or narrow as you like, but it must be long enough to overhang each side of the bauble as shown. Don’t have a pair of pinking shears? Just cut a straight edge with your sewing scissors instead.

3. Pin the felt strip to one of the bauble pieces and trim it to size. Using running stitch and matching sewing thread sew along the top and bottom edge, then remove the pin.

Now comes the fun part: decorating the bauble! You can use the photos in this post as inspiration, or get creative and come up with your own bauble designs. The basic design principle to follow is to add the embellishments in rows, keeping things as symmetrical as possible. 

4. Start by adding ribbon and/or ric-rac. To add each piece, cut a length slightly wider than the bauble (so it overhangs the edges by 1-2 cm at each side). Pin or hold the ribbon/ric-rac in place and sew along it with matching sewing thread. You can use running stitch, or sew tiny whip stitches along the edges. Fold the ends of the ribbon / ric-rac over and secure it at the back of the bauble shape with a few whip stitches, sewing into the felt but not through it.

You could add one piece of ribbon or add several pieces (as shown above). Create contrast and detail by sewing a narrow ribbon on top of a wider one, or by sewing a piece of ric-rac onto a second strip of contrasting felt (add this felt strip using the same method as in steps 2 and 3, but without the pinked edges).

5. Next, add some embroidery. Use co-ordinating embroidery thread, separate half the strands (so for six-stranded embroidery thread, just use three strands at a time) and switch to a larger sewing needle if necessary. If you’re an embroidery whizz you can add any stitches you fancy. I decorated my baubles with lines of running stitch and simple patterns of Xs and Vs, each sewn from pairs of stitches. To help keep your designs symmetrical, sew outwards from the centre of each row then fill in the second half with the same number of stitches.

Tip: If you have trouble keeping your stitched lines straight, use an air-erasable marker and a ruler to mark guide lines to sew along.

6. To finish the decoration, add a selection of sequins and small beads. Use matching sewing thread to sew each embellishment in place – I used thread to match the felt / ribbon I was sewing onto, but you could match your thread to the embellishments themselves if you prefer. Sew each seed bead with a double thickness of thread, using one stitch per bead. Secure each sequin with two or three stitches, depending on the size and shape of your chosen sequins. I used two stitches for the round sequins, and three for the stars.

7. Turn over the undecorated bauble piece. Position the two cap pieces on the top of the bauble pieces (which will become the front and back of the bauble) and sew them in place with two stitches each: one between each scallop. You’ll see that the cap pieces are larger than the cap shape on the top of the bauble – this is so that when you sew the grey felt caps together the bright felt of the bauble tops will be completely hidden inside the grey caps.

8. Turn the back bauble piece over again, and add a ribbon loop to the top. Cut a length of narrow ribbon about 7 inches long, fold it in half to form a loop and sew the ends in place with whip stitch and matching sewing thread. Take care to sew into the felt, not through it.

9. Place the two layers of the bauble together and begin joining the edges. Start with the cap, sewing around it with whip stitch and matching grey sewing thread.

If you want to stuff the baubles, add a very small piece of toy stuffing to the cap. Then start sewing around the edge of the bauble, using whip stitch and matching sewing thread. If you’re leaving the bauble unstuffed, sew all the way round the bauble and finish your stitching neatly at the back.

If you’re adding stuffing, sew most of the way round then stuff the bauble evenly with small pieces of toy stuffing and sew up the gap.

Tip: When sewing the long bauble, I’d recommend stuffing it gradually as you sew up the second side.

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This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to make as many baubles as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

P.S. Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

Buy My Printable PDF Sewing Patterns on Folksy.com!

This weekend I re-opened my Folksy shop!

If you've never heard of Folksy, it's basically a smaller, British version of Etsy. Only British makers can join to sell their wares, but you can shop from anywhere in the world (as long as people ship to your country!).

I had a busy shop on Folksy for years, selling my handmade designs and colourful craft supplies. I was actually one of the very first sellers to sign up, joining on the first day they opened! I shut up shop there when I changed the focus of my business... but now I'm back, and have filled up my shop with my current range of PDF patterns.

 
If you buy a digital sewing pattern on Etsy, the PDF file is available for you to download automatically after your purchase. Very convenient for you, and for me! Unfortunately with the EU's current regulations on the sale of digital items this means that if you're in the EU you have to pay VAT on your pattern purchase.

Over on Folksy, they don't offer instant downloads so if you buy a pattern from my new shop you'll have to wait for me to email it to you. But there is a silver lining to this cloud: because the file delivery isn't automated, VAT doesn't apply, so your pattern will be cheaper! Woohoo!

It's been so long since I've had an active shop on Folksy, I'm excited to see how it goes.

Click here to visit my shiny new shop.

P.S. Do you sell or shop on Folksy? What do you think of it?

Snowflake Embroidery Patterns

UPDATE: these snowflake embroidery patterns are now available on my Patreon.

Subscribe for a small monthly fee and you'll get access to a growing library of PDF patterns and tutorials, with an email whenever I add a new project. You can cancel any time.    

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The snowflakes are perfect for embellishing your winter sewing projects, or for making felt Christmas ornaments!

You can also use them to create December's A Year of Wreaths project: a sparkly snowflake wreath.

 

Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly(ish) free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

5 Fun Felt Animal Mask Tutorials

UPDATE: this set of five felt animal mask patterns are now available via my Patreon.

Subscribe for a small monthly fee and you'll get access to a growing library of PDF patterns and tutorials, with an email whenever I add a new project. You can cancel any time.      

Click here to check out my Patreon page and sign up!

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Make lots of fun felt masks for costume parties, Halloween, or just everyday dressing up!

There's a cat mask pattern, which you can use to make cats, foxes, tigers, and leopards...

... and a pattern for making brown or white bunnies.

 

You'll also be able to dress up as a mouse, a bear, or a wolf. So many fun costume possibilities!

(Posing for silly selfies is, of course, optional but highly recommended).

Click here to visit my tutorial archive for lots of free patterns and project ideas.

DIY Felt Autumn Wreath Tutorial

Use wool blend felt to make this colourful woodland wreath decorated with toadstools, a mushroom and lots of embroidered leaves.

Earlier this week I shared templates and tutorials for making the mushroom and toadstools (which would also make fab brooches or Christmas ornaments!) and today I'm sharing the tutorial for putting together the whole autumnal wreath.

This project originally appeared on The Village Haberdashery's blog - visit their shop for lots of crafty goodness!


You will need:

The template sheet provided (click here to download and print the PDF)
A 30cm polystyrene ring wreath base
Chunky yarn in an autumnal shade
Red, white and dark brown felt
Matching red, white and dark brown sewing thread
Assorted autumnal shades of felt for the leaves (I used 6 colours)
Red, orange and light brown embroidery thread
Toy stuffing
Sewing scissors
Embroidery scissors (these are great for cutting out felt shapes!)
Sewing needles and pins
Glue gun and glue
Heat-proof mat for the glue gun
Newspaper to protect your workspace from any glue drips
Optional: air-erasable fabric marker pen, a pencil


To make the mushroom and toadstools:

Follow the instructions in my earlier blog post.


To make the leaves:

1. Use the leaf templates provided to cut out 24 felt leaves in assorted autumnal colours (12 large and 12 small). Pin each paper template onto your chosen felt colour, cut around it with sewing scissors then remove the pin. I used six felt colours, cutting two large and two small leaves of each colour.

2. Add detail to your leaves with half strands of contrasting embroidery thread (i.e. for six-stranded embroidery thread just use three strands). Sew a line of running stitches down the centre of each leaf then finish your stitching at the back and trim any excess threads.

Variation: keep the leaves unstitched for a simpler look, or mix and match stitched and unstitched leaves. 

To wrap the wreath base:

Chunky yarn is perfect for wrapping the wreath! I chose brown yarn, which goes well with the autumnal colours of the wreath but allows the leaves and toadstools to stand out. Grey or black would also look great, as would an autumnal shade like burnt orange or mustard yellow to match your leaf colours.

Tip: if you’re using thinner yarn, use two balls of matching yarn and wrap with two strands at once (one from each ball) to save time. 

1. Secure the yarn with a knot at what will become the back of your wreath. Begin wrapping the yarn around the wreath base, passing the skein/ball of yarn through the hole in the centre of the wreath as you wrap the yarn around the outside.

2. Hide the loose yarn end under the yarn as you wrap, and make sure that you’re not leaving any gaps where the white wreath base shows through. Continue wrapping, gradually covering the whole of the wreath base with your chosen yarn. This can take a while, so I highly recommend wrapping your wreath while watching a film or an episode of your favourite TV show.

3. Once the whole wreath base has been covered with yarn, tie a knot securely at the back and carefully trim the loose end so it won’t be visible when the wreath is hung up.


To assemble the wreath: 

1. Arrange the leaves on the yarn-wrapped wreath base, using the photo below as a guide. When you’re happy with the arrangement pin each leaf in place, inserting the pin at the bottom of each leaf.

2. Heat up your glue gun then use it to attach the leaves to the wreath. Work inwards, holding the leaf back and applying a small dab of glue to the wreath then lightly pressing the outer/top half of the leaf down so it sticks in place. Then remove the pin from the bottom of the leaf and glue the lower half. When you reach the central cluster of leaves, glue all the outer/top halves of the leaves then remove the central pins and glue the inner/bottom halves of the leaves one by one.

IMPORTANT: take care when working with the glue gun as the glue gets very hot! Always place it on a heat-proof mat when not in use, and use newspaper to protect your workspace. Work slowly, squeezing the gun with care to control the amount of glue you’re using and keeping your fingers out of the way of the hot glue.

Tip: you may find it helpful to test glue a couple of scrap pieces of felt before you start, so you can see how much glue you need to use to hold each piece in place. 

3. Arrange the mushroom and two toadstools on the leaves. When you’re happy with their position, glue them in place one by one. Apply several dabs of glue to the back of each mushroom/toadstool where it will lie against the leaves, then place it in position and press firmly.

4. Finally, cut a length of yarn or co-ordinating ribbon and knot it securely around the top of the wreath. Use this to hang the wreath in your chosen spot.


This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to make as many wreaths as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


P.S. Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

How To: Sew Felt Mushrooms & Toadstools!

This week I'm sharing some fun autumnal crafting projects: tutorials for sewing felt mushrooms and toadstools then using them to create an awesome autumn wreath.

Today you'll learn how to make the felt fungi, then I'll post the wreath tutorial on Thursday. (UPDATE: click here to see how to assemble the whole wreath!).

These felt mushrooms and toadstools are so easy to make! You can use them to decorate larger autumn craft projects, or add brooch clasps or ribbon loops to turn them into brooches or Christmas ornaments.

 

If you're making Christmas decorations why not give them some extra sparkle by adding beads or sequins to the toadstools, or using metallic embroidery thread for the mushrooms. You could also decorate the backs of your toadstools as well as the fronts, or use the space on the back to embroider the year you stitched them.

This tutorial originally appeared on The Village Haberdashery's blog - visit their shop for lots of crafty goodness!


You will need:

The template sheet provided (click here to download and print the PDF)
Red, white and dark brown felt
Matching red, white and dark brown sewing thread
Light brown embroidery thread
Toy stuffing
Sewing scissors
Embroidery scissors (these are great for cutting out felt shapes!)
Sewing needles and pins
Optional: air-erasable fabric marker pen, a pencil


To make the toadstools: 

1. Use the templates provided to cut out the toadstool pieces (as marked on the template sheet). Pin each paper template onto the correct felt colour, cut around it carefully with embroidery scissors then remove the pin. Don’t throw away any scraps of white felt as you’ll need them to decorate the toadstools. Both sizes of toadstool (large and small) are constructed in the same way.

2. Place the two white toadstool pieces together. Starting near the top of the cap, begin sewing the edges together with whip stitch and white sewing thread. Sew down the stalk then up the other side, stuffing it gradually with small pieces of toy stuffing. Continue sewing up around the cap, leaving a small gap at the top. Stuff the cap with more toy stuffing then sew up the gap with more whip stitches.

Tip: use the closed blades of your embroidery scissors or the point of a pencil to gently poke the stuffing into all the corners of the toadstool so it’s evenly stuffed. 

3. Use embroidery scissors to cut out an assortment of small circles from the white felt scraps. You could cut these freehand (they don’t need to be perfect circles!) or use an air-erasable marker pen to draw circles on the felt and cut them out.

Arrange the circles on one of the red cap pieces. For a natural-looking toadstool, make sure your arrangement isn’t symmetrical. One by one, sew each circle in place with white sewing thread and an X of two stitches.

Tip: don’t position the circles too close to the edge of the cap - remember you’ll need to sew around the edge of the cap in the next step. 

4. Sandwich the stuffed toadstool shape between the two matching red cap pieces. Start stitching where the cap and stalk meet, sewing up and around the cap until you reach the top of the stalk again. Use whip stitch and matching red sewing thread, joining the edges of the red felt so the white felt cap is completely hidden inside.

5. Continue whip stitching across the bottom of the red cap, sewing through all the layers of felt and stuffing and pulling each stitch tight. Turn the toadstool back and forth as you sew, so you can make sure your red stitches aren’t overlapping onto the white of the stalk. Finish your stitching neatly at the back.

Variations: for a slightly different look, you could use whip stitch to attach each felt circle instead of an X of two stitches. You could also use white seed beads, white sequins or even small white buttons to decorate the toadstool caps instead of using felt circles. 


To make the mushroom: 

1. Use the templates provided to cut out the mushroom pieces (as marked on the template sheet). Pin each paper template onto the correct felt colour, cut around it carefully with embroidery scissors then remove the pin.

2. Sew and stuff the two white mushroom pieces, using the method described in step 2 of the toadstool instructions (above).

3. Position the brown mushroom cap piece (A) on the white mushroom cap piece (B) and pin it in place. Use dark brown sewing thread and whip stitch to sew along the bottom edge of the brown felt shape. Remove the pin. Turn the cap pieces over and carefully trim the excess white felt above the line of stitching, as shown below right.

4. Place the white stalk piece on the cap pieces as pictured below, so the top of the stalk slightly overlaps the bottom of the mushroom cap. Hold or pin the layers of felt together and whip stitch along the top of the stalk with white sewing thread.

5. Cut a piece of light brown embroidery thread and separate half the strands (so, for six-stranded thread use three strands). Switch to a larger needle if necessary and backstitch around the top of the stalk, sewing flush with the edge of the felt.

Then use an air-erasable fabric marker pen to draw several lines radiating from the top of the stalk. Sew along each line with backstitch and more half strands of light brown embroidery thread. Don’t sew all the way to the edge of the white felt – leave a small gap at each end of the lines, as shown below. If you don’t have an air-erasable pen just sew the lines freehand using the photo as a guide.

6. Place the embroidered mushroom on the stuffed mushroom shape, lining up the stalks. Starting at the top of the stalk, sew down the stalk and around it using white sewing thread and whip stitch to join the pieces together.

Then add the brown mushroom cap piece (B) at the back and begin stitching up around the cap. Start with white thread, switch to brown as you sew around the brown felt, and then switch back to white again on the other side of the cap.

Finally, sew along the bottom edge of the cap at the back of the mushroom (don’t stitch through all the layers as in step 5 of the toadstool instructions) then finish your stitching neatly.

This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to make as many mushrooms and/or toadstools as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!



P.S. Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns: