Felt Decorations: 15 eye-popping projects to create

By Rachel Beyer

Ever wanted to make your own handmade felt masterpieces? Here you'll find a collection of 15 gorgeous creations that will have you just itching to get stitching and are bound to inspire you to make your own fabulous designs. Felt has never looked so good!

With easy-to-follow, hand-drawn illustrations, Rachel Beyer guides you through all the basics from choosing your felts and learning the simple sewing techniques to mastering decorative embroidery stitches.

Choose from gemstone-inspired refrigerator magnets and "Day of the Dead" themed sugar skull sachets to journal covers and Moroccan tile coasters. Whatever your skill level, you'll find something wonderfully inspiring to create.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Oct 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781398802223

Book preview

Felt Decorations: 15 eye-popping projects to create, by Rachel Beyer

Contents

Introduction

Materials & equipment

Basic techniques

Embroidery stitches

Decorative stitches

Embellishments

FOR THE HOME

Hamsa door hanger

Mandala appliqué pillow

Gemstone refrigerator magnets (no-sew)

Moroccan tile coasters

ACCESSORIES

Peacock-feather book band

Journal cover

Folk floral phone case48

Zodiac keyring

TO WEAR

Rosette hair clips (no-sew)

Paisley cuff62

Butterfly brooch

HANGING DECORATIONS & ORNAMENTS

Rainbow peace-bird ornament

Marigold garland74

Sugar skull sachets.

Moon rabbit mobile

Templates

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to my mom and grandma for teaching me to sew as a young girl and for inspiring my love for art and crafts; and to all my friends and family for their constant support and encouragement.

Thank you also to my editor, Daniel Conway, and Arcturus Publishing for giving me the opportunity to work on this wonderful project; to Lindsay McCoy, who helped photograph the Succulent Hair Clips on page 61; to Alison Lang and Katie Waldeck for their honest and constructive feedback; and to Stephanie Rose and Paula Breen for their wonderful advice and encouragement.

Introduction

The projects in this book are not only designed for the absolute beginner, but also for those who have been stitching their own handmade designs for years and want to try something new.

If you are completely new to working with felt and embroidery, you will find everything you need to know on materials, tools and basic techniques. Alternatively, if you just need a quick refresher on embroidery stitches, turn to page 16 for easy instructions to get you started.

For the more experienced embroiderer, simply consult the Basic sewing kit on page 11, choose a project and get stitching! You can also use these designs as inspiration for your own unique creations.

Whatever your skill level, I invite you to sit down and relax with a cup of tea while you enjoy the wonderful world of felt.

MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

Felt is an amazing fabric to work with because the edges don’t fray like other fabrics, making it great for beginners. Every time I browse my local craft or fabric store, or look online for new supplies, I am blown away by the wide variety of colours and types of felt that I find. Most stores or online retailers offer 100% pure wool felt, wool/rayon blend felt, acrylic felt, eco felt made from recycled plastic bottles, felt with adhesive backing, glitter felt, and even metallic felt. It is typically sold in sheets or as yardage, in solid colours or printed patterns.

WOOL FELT

100% wool felt is the thickest and most durable type of felt. It’s also the most expensive and can be harder to find at big craft stores, but can be found easily online. I choose 100% wool felt for projects where sturdiness and durability are important.

WOOL-BLEND FELT

Wool-blend felt is similar to 100% wool felt and comes in over 100 colours. Usually made of a blend of wool and rayon, this type of felt is more flexible and easier to work with than 100% wool felt, and is also less expensive. Wool-blend felt is my favourite, and is what I have used in most of the projects in this book.

METALLIC WOOL FELT

I first discovered tinsel metallic wool felt at my local craft store and couldn’t resist treating myself to a sheet. This type of felt is 40% wool and 60% viscose with a metallic tinsel laminated overlay. It’s soft, sturdy and sparkly! I used this felt to make the zodiac keyring on page 52 and the Blue hare moon rabbit mobile on page 82. It’s made in Europe, and can be found online and on Etsy.

ACRYLIC OR CRAFT FELT

Acrylic felt is a 100% synthetic felt. It comes in