Felt Christmas Projects!

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving Week! It's cold outside, and warm inside my cozy studio. I spent all day yesterday making felt projects to share with you! You might remember I went a little cray cray last year over felt! LOL. A couple of weeks ago I organized my studio (again) and finally found a nice big empty drawer to put all my felt in - together in one place. Well, that inspired me to bust out some projects. Also, this month's release from PTI has some felt dies in it, and I hadn't had a chance to use them yet. It was the perfect day to craft some Christmas projects to share with you. I'll post some tips and trick towards the end of my post. I've really honed in on what supplies work the best and want to share those things with you! You guys that have been following me for a while know that I have a soft spot (pun intended) for felt projects. They just make me happy!! 

I think making felt projects is perfect for this time of year! It's easy to pack up a little kit with cut out pieces, needle and thread, and bring it with you as you go around in your day. If you have a few minutes in the car waiting for someone, or over at a friend's house, you can craft a little! Also, this is a wonderful project to do in a group - either adults or kids! And, the bonus is that you are creating a gift! 

I have three new projects to share! All made with PTI Felt Dies. A Coffee Cozy (perfect gift to go with a Coffee Gift Card), a Snowman present tie-on, and a Gingerbread House ornament! Here are my three projects all laid out together!  

 

I love this little snowman guy! He is going to be a topper for a present. I think I'll use plaid gift wrap (I have lots of that) and some red ribbon, and then attach him in the center on the front. I sewed a little loop on the back of his head for this purpose! The way the die cuts are made - his scarf is one piece that wraps around his neck, and the arms are one piece that goes through the center of his body - makes it so easy to work with. I added a pretty red button as an accent on the scarf. I also added a little felt heart to his hat. I use Doodlebug Enamel Dots for eyes on all of my plushies. I love how it looks! 

 

There are multiple ways to stitch the felties together. I like to use a straight stitch and go around the edges. Some people like to use a Blanket Stitch. I think both look nice - really just a matter of preference. The die cuts have all the little stitching holes already in them so it's very easy to get a perfect stitch! 

 

 

 

Next up is a fun Coffee Cozy! This is not a new PTI die - I've had it in my stash for a long time! I thought it would be nice to make some of these for Christmas gifts. I'll make a card, and then give a gift of a Starbucks Card and the little cozy. Perfect friend presents! You can make the cozy out of paper or felt. HERE IS THE LINK to a great video Erin did about how to use the Coffee Cozy Dies! 

 

I kept it really clean and simple! Pretty heathered grey felt with red and green accents. I used red thread to make a contrasting stitch. The dies set comes with these adorable tiny tags to sew into the seam. I love that! EEEK. That tiny heart! 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried the Coffee Cozy out on different sized coffee cups and it fits all of them! This is a Venti Starbucks cup! What's your favorite drink? I love a Soy Caramel Macchiato! 

 

 

Finally today I made a pretty and sweet little Gingerbread House ornament! This is one of the new dies released this month. It has tons of pieces and parts so you can decorate your house as much or as little as you choose. When I sewed it together I used a piece of Kraft Polka Dot Ribbon to use to hang it from the tree. I also changed up the colors and used pretty pink and aqua for my color palette! Something so sweet about these colors together. 

 

My work table, while I was cutting everything out. You can see the holes in the dies! SUPER easy!

 

I added pearl beads to the eaves of my pink gingerbread roof! 

 

 

 

The die set even has tiny snow caps to put on the roof! LOVE this so much! You can customize the colors of this for any occasion.... Doesn't even have to be Christmas! Could be for a bag tie on for a housewarming, or a shower....

  

TIPS & TRICKS: 

I have tried EVERY kind of felt! Super expensive, to super cheap. Ordered online, and bought at the craft store..... So, after all of that trial and error,  now I only use felt from HERE and HERE. High quality wool felt that does not break the bank, in beautiful colors! Perfect for die cutting too. If I use these two brands I get a perfect cut every time. I use a Metal Shim with my die cutting machine whenever I die cut felt. It really makes a different in the edges of the cut. I highly recommend it! For eyes on animals, I like them to be shiny and happy. So I only use THESE enamel dots to make the eyes. There are different sizes and you can see which ones look best! I use a bit of felt glue to attach them! I use embroidery floss to do my projects and I use all six strands at one time. Just my preference on how the final project looks! I have tried Felting/Stitching dies from all the major crafting companies. My two favorites (both for designs and quality) are PAPERTREY INK STITCHING DIES and SIMON SAYS STAMP PLUSH DIES. 

 

 Here are some of my favorite felt projects from last year! Made with Simon Says Stamp Dies!

CLICK on the photo to go to that blog post for more information! 

Thanks for stopping by today! It's going to be a great week! I will have another post on Wednesday as part of a giant blog hop celebrating Ellen Hutson's Anniversary! Hope to see you soon. Happy Thanksgiving Week! XOXO

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

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Comments

[Jen M.]

Taylored Expressions also has a great felt line with a wonderful color range. I sell the PTI baby booties professionally and have made it a great side business.

[Julie]

I love that adorable snowman. No fav coffee drink—your friend isn’t a coffee connoisseur like you are 😉

[Troy Louise]

Darling projects! I love that snowman & he will be adorable on a package. It's so nice to have the wool felt so readily available now as it can't be beat to make a nice ornament. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.

[Sue LD]

I love working with felt too. Thanks for the tips.

[Holly Saveur]

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER cute!!

[Maureen]

I love all of your felt creations. I might have a new craft to start. My aunt used to make felt ornaments for the Christmas tree and I still have a few that are over 50 years old. Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving.

[Anne Sturgeon]

I always look forward to your work with felt. All of these are so wonderful. I especially love the cup cozy. I have recently acquired two adorable step granddaughters thanks to my youngest. Although at 3 and 6 they might be a little too young, these will be perfect for future projects. Thankful for you I am...

[Eileen Mathys]

Thanks for all the tips. I want to buy these dies and use them with the kids at my library for Christmas Crafts. You answered so many questions... and gave me leads on new dies!