Tag: felt owl

Easy DIY Kids Crafts: Felt Owls

On By naomimgruerIn Easy DIY Kids Crafts & Recipes, Kids, Kids Crafts, Kids' ActivitesLeave a comment

 

What’s your project’s name? That’s the question SCBWI, the professional Kidlit organization I belong to, asked writers and illustrators who are offering tools, resources, and ideas for kids during the quarantine. I’m calling the collection of posts in the next few weeks (months?) EASY DIY KIDS CRAFTS (including kid-centric recipes, of course). Here’s one I haven’t posted before.

The story behind these adorable felt owls? My youngest daughter and I were visiting friends in Nashville (shout out to Laura) and, while window shopping, saw a basket of oh-so-cute owls. I couldn’t wait to share the idea with my grades 3-5 After School Enrichment class, so I stored an image of the owls and figured out how to make them.

Happy crafting, hon!

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Supplies:

  • paper
  • pencil
  • small glass, cup or circle cookie cutter
  • scissors (fabric scissors that can cut felt or scissors sharp enough)
  • felt, various colors
  • tapestry needle and thick thread
  • straight pins
  • 2 buttons
  • stuffing

Directions:

  1. On paper, draw outline of an owl along with a pocket-shape for front, beak, feet, eyes (trace around glass, cup or circle cookie cutter for eyes).
  2. Cut out paper patterns.
  3. Using paper patterns on top of felt, outline 2 owl bodies (front and back), 1 pocket-shape, 1 beak, 2 large circles, 2 smaller circles for eyes, 2 feet.
  4. Stitch a button onto each small circle (for eyes).
  5. Pin pocket-shaped piece of felt onto front of owl’s body and then whipstitch it on.
  6. Sew eyes to front of owl.
  7. Sew beak to front of owl.
  8. Sew feet to bottom of front of owl.
  9. Pin front and back pieces together and then sew them together, leaving about a 1 1/2″ – 2″ opening unsewn. (I taught my students how to sew the pieces together using a sewing machine, but the front and back can just as easily be hand sewn together, using a whipstitch.  Tip: When you get to the feet, sew front and back pieces together with a regular stitch and resume whipstitch around the rest of the body.
  10. Push stuffing through unsewn opening. Tip: A long, skinny tool such as a chopstick or long pen will help move stuffing into ears and fill body.
  11. Sew opening closed.

 

Extra Info:

–The top of the pocket-shaped piece of felt can be left open to make an actual pocket.

–Fabric, other than felt, can be used for the eyes and pocket-shaped piece.

–Love a different animal? The same directions apply for any animal. Outline it and other animals parts such as ears and a tail.