Needlewomen all over the world love felt! What it is? This is a fertile material for the manufacture of brooches, trinkets, magnets, flowers, cards, boxes, topiary, tailoring of soft toys, developing rugs, vegetables, fruits, Tild dolls, handbags, Christmas decorations, appliques for clothes. Let us consider in more detail the properties of felt and master classes on the manufacture of various toys from it.
Felt: what is it?
This is a material made from synthetic and natural fibers. Artificial felt is also called felt, or fleece (but these are equivalent terms). Natural material consists of dried residues of rabbit fluff, hair, and fleece. All fibers are made by drying and lapping into a non-woven fabric. Thanks to this structure, felt can be cut, bent, glued without fear of crumbling and damage to the material.
He does not have a wrong side and face, so the seams can be laid on the front side without turning the parts out, as they do when sewing toys from ordinary fabric. The thickness of the material can be from one to nine millimeters, so patterns made of felt are suitable for cup holders and for artificial flowers.
The most popular among the craftswomen is the material from wool, acrylic, polyester, viscose, mixed, modeled. Each of these types has its own positive qualities and shortcomings, so their properties are important to consider when creating this or that craft, decoration, applique.
Woolen, Wool Blend, Modeled
- Woolen. The thickness is from one to five millimeters. It consists of more than 90% natural wool, and therefore products made of it have the same properties (“sits down” after washing, shaggy and rolls with friction). The material is very soft and wrinkled. Suitable for making jewelry and decorative accessories. Sets of eight multi-colored sheets (19.5x28.8 cm) cost from 132 rubles.
- Simulated felt. What it is? This is a material that is treated with special impregnation, which, when wetted with water, takes any shape, bends, and after drying continues to preserve them. There is one sheet of German production (30x45 cm 2-2.5 mm thick.) From 288 rubles.
- Wool Blend It has 50% wool and the same amount of acrylic or viscose. This look is smoother, softer and more flexible than wool felt. It has a rich color palette. Not suitable for sewing large items, bracelets, one-piece necklaces, non-sticky toys, as it does not hold its shape and shag. Ready-made applications, stickers, sets of creativity cost from 200 rubles.
Acrylic, Polyester, Rayon
- Acrylic felt. What it is? This material is obtained from recycled plastic, and therefore it has a huge variety of colors, holds its shape, is easy to clean, and does not fade. But at the same time, it shines, creaks and glides, which many craftswomen do not like. Felt is not suitable for sewing stuffed toys, as the material does not stretch, and therefore the seam will simply burst. Also has the ability to roll, does not tolerate high temperatures.
- Felt Polyester. The material is dense, but at the same time soft, does not crease, keeps its shape, does not fade. It makes beautiful New Year's toys. From felt patterns of each part are made in two or three additions, since the material is thin and transparent. But after washing the product made of polyester fiber will look like new.
- Felt viscose. Smooth to the touch, durable, but at the same time ductile. It does not collect static electricity, therefore it is suitable for the manufacture of hairpins, rims, elastic bands, soft toys, appliqués on clothes. The material keeps its shape perfectly, does not sit down after washing, but can wrinkle.
DIY Christmas toys made of felt
You can decorate the Christmas tree with any toys. They can be stuffed and unstable from thick felt. Any kind of material is suitable, since the size of the toys is small, so do not be afraid of deformation of the form.
Thinner felt is used as ordinary fabric. Transfer the template to the material, cut it out, grind it from the inside and turn it on the front side. To make the bends clear, small cuts are made to the seam from the inside out along all the edges. Such toys are stuffed with padding polyester. Decorated with decorative buttons, beads, ribbons.
New Year's toys made of felt with a thickness of more than five millimeters can not be stuffed or twisted. That is, attach the paper template to the material, cut exactly according to the pattern. Sew parts on the front side (the edges of the product are visible). Sometimes a solid synthetic winterizer is placed between the layers of material to add volume to the product.
Using different felt thicknesses, you can make different snowflakes. Do not stuff small jewelry with a padding polyester, just sew and decorate with beads or a button in the middle. Grind large snowflakes (more than ten centimeters) and fill them loosely with a synthetic winterizer. Sew on a ribbon loop, decorate with a button.
Christmas lamb
Interesting New Year's souvenirs - felt lambs. Patterns will be as follows:
- two large circles with zigzag edges for the body;
- two ovals for the head;
- two cloud details for a bang;
- two petals for the ears;
- Four long strips with oval ends for the legs.
Stitch New Year's toys (from felt) on the front side. Sew bangs patterns, a little stuffed with padding polyester. Connect the details of the head, sew on the ears and bangs from above. Fold each ear at the base so that a fold forms in the middle of the part. Sew the beads, embroider a slingshot nose, paint the cheeks with acrylic paints.
Stitch legs (you can not stuff them), put in the body. Before stuffing, sew the lamb's head and eyelet (if it is a Christmas tree decoration), a key ring blank or magnetic tape. Decorate the toy with a bow. It turned out a beautiful souvenir sheep from felt with your own hands. The toy can be monophonic and multi-colored.
And you can combine two techniques. For example, sew a sketchy sheep from felt in a side section, stuffing it slightly with padding polyester. Sew wool at the expense of yarn (sold special, with lumps, from 270 rubles per skein). Each lump is folded to each other and sewn in a circle around the product. Further, the eyes and nose are embroidered with threads.
Felt birds
Birds from felt can be printed, multi-layered, embroidered, one-color, multi-colored. Such toys can be used as Christmas-tree decorations, didactic material and as pendants on educational rugs. The easiest way to do this is to transfer the details of the bird to felt, cut, stitch the details. Lightly fill the torso with a padding polyester, sew an eyelet to the back, and bead eyes and wings to the head. Most often, such little birds are done by younger schoolchildren at labor lessons.
If you use a floss, you can get extraordinary birds from felt with your own hands. Patterns consist of a trunk and a wing. For this purpose, light monophonic material is suitable. Cut out details, all lines, bends, feathers, embroider with multi-colored floss. Then sew the parts, fill them with a padding polyester, sew a loop and get a decorative bird.
It is more difficult to complete multilayer birds, as it will require several felt colors, dozens of small parts. Since each feather in the wings is cut separately. Then, in the right places, all the details of the bird are sewn (beak, each feather, “cheeks”, crest, etc.). These are realistic non-stuffed felt toys with felt hands, they are used as didactic material.
Hare-tilda
Many of Tilda's toys are seamless and are sewn of thin felt, although there are with small details. Sheep, dolls, angels, bunnies, deers are sewn with clothes, but ducks and some rabbits come without clothes. For the manufacture of the latter, you need to make only two parts, sew them together and fill them with sintepon. The ears and legs are separated by a seam, and the eyes and nose are embroidered with thread, the cheeks are drawn with acrylic paints.
Other felt toys are more popular with children. Patterns do the following:
- two torso with a head in a lateral section;
- two integral parts for the outer and inner surfaces of the ears (similar to a propeller);
- four arms;
- four legs.
Fold the linen fabric and felt together, translate the detail of the ears, cut, grind. They do not need to be filled with syntepon. If you want upright ears, then sew each ear individually, filling it with a padding polyester. Next, separately sew the arms and legs, turn them on the front side, fill them with padding polyester. Insert the wire base into your feet so that the hare can stand. Then sew the torso with the head, while filling and stitching all the legs. It remains to embroider eyes, a mouth, paint cheeks, sew clothes.
Original trees
Trees made of felt, made by hand, are unusual. Needleworkers make them flat for postcards, panels, pillows and voluminous for room decoration. With flat trees, the principle of operation is clear (the same as with paper applications). Consider how volumetric trees do.
- Conical. Any cone is taken (polystyrene foam, plastic, cross-linked), felt leaves are sewn on or glued onto it. Most Christmas trees are made in this image. Then they are decorated with beads, buttons and other decorative material.
- Branched. Such trees are made as simple as felt lambs. Trunk patterns with branches cut out of brown felt, leaves - from green shades. Fruits can also be stitched from this material or use ready-made material at hand (cones, plastic fruits, knitwear). The trunk is stitched outwards, stuffed with padding polyester, a wide bottom of the tree is sewn. From above, fasten with thread or glue ordinary leaves of thick felt and fruit.
- Branched with a finished trunk. The trunk is made of branches, wire as for artificial Christmas trees. Then leaves grow on the branches. So do some Christmas trees made of felt. Whole branches resembling oak leaves are drawn in zigzag lines. The parts are sewn together, lightly stuffed with synthetic winterizer, put on a branch and fixed.
If you need to make a hanging crown, then make a voluminous trunk (the process describes the second master class). Cut the leaves from felt, sew them on a long thread. Next, sew these branches to the tree trunk.
Educational toys
Due to the fact that the felt keeps its shape, it makes excellent developmental mats and toys. For example, vegetables, fruits, food. They are made in a flat and three-dimensional form. For kids it’s enough to make figurative “benefits”. Then two halves are enough for a vegetable, a leaf with a twig. Let's consider how to make peppers, eggplant, carrots, peas and banana from felt with your own hands.
- Pepper. Cut two halves of the vegetable and two branches. Sew the pepper patterns, fill them with a synthetic winterizer, insert a twig, the details of which are grinded without filler.
- Carrot. It will take two parts of carrots and as many halves of greenery. The manufacturing process is the same as that of pepper. Next, horizontal strips are embroidered with thread on a carrot. If you sew a loop, then vegetables can be used as Christmas toys. From felt, you can sew bulk carrots, but then you make the pattern cone-shaped, as for a strawberry.
- Eggplant. Two halves of vegetable, twig, sepals are cut. Eggplant is stitched and filled with padding polyester. Insert a twig, apply sepals on the sides, stitch seams.
- Peas. It will take two parts of a long wide sheet for peel and six circles for peas. Stuff peas with padding polyester, sew. Grind the peel parts together, fold them in half horizontally. Sew the edges from each end, insert the peas inside and attach. By the way, peas, like many felt toys with their own hands, needlewomen use as didactic teaching material. To do this, a lock is sewn to the peel, the peas are made in different colors and stick on Velcro. Then the baby develops fine motor skills, studies color and masters the score.
- Banana. The middle is made of two parts in the form of pointed leaves. Sew them, fill them with a synthetic winterizer. Next, from felt of a different color, cut out the same details, but of a larger size. Sew it to half and insert the core, fasten with threads. To keep the banana peel in shape, use a modular felt.
Didactic benefits
Entire felt mats and aids are made from felt. To do this, take a blanket (cover) and sew on it all the details of one topic. For example, to learn the rules of the road with a child, you need a road with markings and road signs, cars, traffic lights, buildings, trees. These details can be sewn and used as a background for the game.
There are visual didactic toys made of felt. You make patterns based on the topic. For example, to study the season, sew a tree trunk with branches onto the canvas. Next, you sew separately the sun, clouds, clouds, rain, snowflakes, green, yellow, red, brown, grass, berries, mushrooms, flowers.
On the canvas and on the wrong side of the details, sew Velcro or buttons. A bag with these parts is attached to the bottom of the canvas. Then the child on the instructions of an adult fastens this or that time of the year. Volumetric elements (vegetables, fruits, animals, for example, the same sheep) are especially important in such didactic manuals.
From felt, they create whole tales with all their fairy-tale heroes with their own hands. Such toys will help not only to restore the events of your favorite fairy tale, but also to develop the baby’s speech. They are made stuffed, "finger", flat on a stick. The last two types of toys are used for theatrical performances. Felt allows you to make every craft original, and applications from it will decorate any design.