Confused about what you even need to do to start making felt crafts?
Well of course you are confused! This is all new to you so how would you even know? Crafts have to be taught the same as scuba diving needs to be taught. Crafting with felt is a skill just like many other types of skills.
I thought I'd start a couple part series on felt crafting, because felt is my life and I love to teach what I know.
Felt doesn't have to be your life too but I can give you some tips, tricks and ideas to help you jump in or wade slowly, whichever you prefer and enjoy felt crafting!
Every week I'll post a new part to this felt series. The whole series will cover:
- Types of felt
- How to properly iron felt - sort of already did this post
- Tools needed
- Tips and tricks
- Gluing vs sewing
- The most commonly used stitches in felt crafts
- Skills to learn to get the most out of your craft experience
- How to find good patterns
To make this series even better there will be some FREE PDF's to download to help you along the way.
I'm currently making a couple of downloadable checklists, supply lists and links to stitching videos to do all I can to help you along your crafty way!
The first download I'm making available to you is this informative 8 page e-book I wrote it to help you know what to look for and how to find good quality patterns. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.
Click the link above or right here and you'll get this FREE guide right in you inbox.
Did you know about my Felt Craft Lovers Group on Facebook?
It's a Facebook felt lovers group for people of all levels sharing tips and cheering each other on. It's a great place to be to talk felt crafts with others. Everyone is welcome! Click here to sign up to join!
Now we are on PART 2 of making the Miss Nettle Doll custom doll project. You can see PART 1 HERE.
My fourth step is making the body.
As I stated in PART 1 the doll's head was going to be a bit top heavy so I had to make adjustments to her body design. I made her neck and shoulders wider and legs longer to help compensate for the bulk of the head.
Luckily felt and stuffing are very lightweight so it wasn't too hard to figure out the right body ratios
This isn't the type of child's doll that can be undressed and that made making the body so much easier. The torso and arms are the dress color
The torso is sewn together and stuffed, then the legs are sewn together and stuffed and sewn onto the bottom of the torso. Somehow I either lost of didn't take photos of this process, darn it!
My fifth step is making the clothes and other details.
I drew out the shape of the skirt once I had the legs attached and knew the length of the doll.
The character has a underskirt that peeks through in the front of the skirt.
This was great cause it allowed me at do a double skirt, darker yellow on the outside and light butter yellow on the inside giving the doll more stability.
After the skirt was made and sewn securely to the torso I made the doll's shoes and sewed them to the feet.
One of the last things I do on a doll is add the arms.I triple sewed them through the body they way you do for a button joint without any buttons since this child is so young.and the arms can be raised a lowered.
To finish her off I made her cape that attaches in the front and is not removable. Because felt can stretch out of shape if pulled and I didn't want to add more bulk by lining the cape the way I did the skirt, I did the extra step of blanket stitching all the way around the cape to help keep it's shape.
There was one very last detail to the doll that I had to do at the very end after I finished the cape. Miss Nettle is a Fairy and has wings.
I designed a set of wings, cut them out of double pieces of felt, blanket stitched them together to give them some weight and allow them to curve giving a more wing like appearance.
The doll's wings were triple sewn onto her torso and then I made slits in her cape and then hand button hole stitched around the holes so the wings came through the cape and the holes wouldn't get distorted over time. Whew!
The final step is photographing the doll.
If I were putting this doll in my shop I'd do a whole photo shoot for it but since it was a custom and the client saw work in progress pics along the way I just shot these in my kitchen, lol.
Introducing my version of Miss Nettle. I sent my client a video of the doll and all of her features and she loved it!
My mom was kind enough to hold the doll, yep in our kitchen, so I could get full shots of her all the way around. She's a good carrying around and snuggling type of doll. Her final size was 18 inches tall and off she went to her new home.
My client told me her son knew who the doll was right away, carried her around and slept with her that first night he received her! That made me so happy. There is nothing greater than making a child happy!
I hope you enjoyed this project in my Maker Series! More of these projects can be found if you use the search bar and type sassy packrat studios maker series.
I was approached by Facebook friend who owns one of my art pieces this month, asking if I could make a specific doll for her son who was turning 4.
***Disclaimer: This is a OOAK doll and I only made one and only will ever make just that one.
Her son loves the Disney show Sofia The First and his favorite character is Miss Nettle. Now since I do not have small children anymore and my grandson lives so far away I wasn't familiar with this show. Miss Nettle seems to be a misunderstood fairy, a lot like Maleficent but in a more happy Disney way.
My first step in designing any piece is research.
I hopped on my computer and did some research on the character, and then I thought sure I can make this doll. Also during my research I saw that no one makes this doll, even Disney isn't making a soft doll version that I could find.
So I pulled some pics of the character from the internet and watched some video clips of the character singing and moving around to get a sense of who she was.
I wish this show was around when my kids were small, they would have loved it!
Then my client and I went over the details of pricing and size of the doll.
My second step is ordering supplies.
I packrat felt like, well a packrat! So I do have a lot of felt but I'm slowly moving into using all wool blend felt which I only have a few colors of and none of the colors I needed for this project. So I made a list and ordered felt.
My felt order came and I was happy with the dress and hat colors but not the hair color. So back to my computer to order more felt. I also got a swatch chart ( which I know I have somewhere but can't find since I moved my studio into this room ). Tip: Always get a swatch chart! It can be a bit expensive but it's the best way to make sure you are getting the color you think you are.
I have my swatch chart pinned to my bulletin board so I don't lose this one!
Now the hair color (bottom) and the cape color (middle) are right. I originally intended to use one color for the hair and cape but changed my mind since I had to order more felt anyway.
The 2 colors in the first pic that weren't right are perfect for Halloween projects so I will absolutely use them.
My third step is getting down to the business of designing the doll.
While I was waiting on the felt to arrive I started the doll design. Since this is a doll for a child and not an art doll, I approached the design steps very differently. Sturdiness, durability and recognizing the character were the 3 most important things. This being said, the final doll really ended up being a combination of child's doll and art doll.
This character has a very specific hair style which I had to figure out how to do without making her too top heavy. A real person with that much hair wouldn't be able to stand upright with such a tiny neck!
I designed the head first because it was the most detailed part of the doll and would take the most time. Getting this part right would make the rest of the doll so much easier.
I used lower grade felt to do a prototype of the head so I had all the details and shapes worked out before I cut into my lovely more expensive wool blend felt.
Then I realized the body pattern I planned to use (the same as my fairy tale dolls) wouldn't hold up the to weight and size of her head, so I had to give her a thicker neck. Plus I had to re-design the torso 3 times before i got it right.
Once the torso was to my liking I had to increase the length of the arms and legs to keep the doll in proportion, all while keeping the agreed upon size in mind; partially for pricing and partially to fit in my custom sized shipping boxes.
The did the face in my own personal big eyed style. It's meant to give the idea of the character but not look exactly like the character.
I was originally going to do the hair like my fairy tale dolls (below), with the details stitched on very simply. And quite honestly that's how I quoted the price.
But I was feeling nostalgic about my son whose birthday is coming up and he's all grown up with a son on his own now and I just felt like doing more for this sweet little boy and his mom who wanted to give her son the doll he wanted.
I decided to make the hair more dimensional than I originally intended. I stuffed and stitched her curls to get the exact look I was hoping for. I also stuffed and stitched curls on the back of her head too. I'm glad I went the extra mile because the end result made me so happy! It also went a long way in making this doll look like the character.
In the original prototype design I planned on the hat being part of the head like this doll below.
But the character's hat is a very big part of her and an 3D version was the way I had to go. A lot more work but completely worth it!
I hope you enjoyed this post and in Part 2 I'll finish the doll.
My lovely trio of mermaids are still waiting for their forever homes! They will be in my shop until the end of September then they they'll go in the holiday craft fair bin.
My shop link is: sassypackratstudios.com
I've been feeling a bit better, a bit more like myself but not really up to all the work needed to finish the seahorse pattern.
I took on a custom order and I'll be posting about that soon.
I did take a custom order though, hoping it would help me get back into the flow of things. I have a 2 part post about the making of that special doll for those who are interested in all the background design stuff.
Here's a peek at that doll.
This is absolute fact! Yes you can iron felt! I've heard over the years that felt that isn't 100% wool can't be ironed. Well let me smash that myth right now, ALL felt products can be ironed you just have to know which techniques to use for each type of felt.
I'm going to give you my 4 easy tips for ironing felt and how to iron the 3 most popular types of felt.
Here's a little secret: Ironing felt is easier and faster than ironing fabric! Some people find ironing fabric to be soothing and calming, I do not. It's takes so long and I find it annoying, but felt is a dream to iron!
Tips For Ironing All Kinds Of Felt
Step One: Use the right iron temperature for the right type of felt.
Step Two: Keep a dry dishtowel on hand.
Step Three: Always iron on an ironing board and not straight on a table, ( all I'll say is that there was scraping and scrubbing involved ) although a folded bath towel on a table works in a pinch.
Step Four: Don't get crazy if you still see a very light crease after all that ironing, because if you are stuffing that piece for a doll or an plush or an ornament the stretch of the stuffing will completely eliminate that little crease, cause that's how awesome felt is.
How to Iron Craft Store/Eco Felt Sheets
I started out as most beginning crafters do buying the 9" x 12" sheets of low grade craft felt from the craft store. It's cheap, comes in lots of bright colors and is easy to learn to work with. It's also 100% polyester and made from recycled water bottles, which means it's plastic and you can melt it with an iron, if you don't know what you are doing.
Most of the time you buy this felt flat and then store it flat so no ironing is necessary but sometime pieces get rolled under and creased when you are shoving too much felt into a drawer...trust me I know of what I speak on the stuffing and shoving of supplies.
See wrinkled felt and that's no fun!
Then you'll need to break out the iron.
While eco felt is the trickiest to iron because of the plastic nature of the product, a little care and the right iron temperature is all you need.
Turn your iron to the Poly setting with steam and move quickly across the felt ironing on both sides of the crease or wrinkle.
For wrinkles in craft felt. My iron doesn't show that you can use steam on this Poly setting but you can and I do it all the time.
If the crease is very deep you'll have to get that dishtowel I told you about, place it over the felt and re-iron holding the iron in place longer. That dish towel will keep bad things from happening to the felt. Just don't leave it there for long periods of time or walk away or that felt and dish towel are goners.
Unless an elephant has been sitting on this felt, the crease or wrinkle will come out super easy and fast. I only ironed the worst side of this piece since it's just going back into an over stuffed drawer.
Look at that nice flat side. Ironed and ready to craft with!
A warning: the plastic fibers in this type of felt will melt a tiny bit when you iron it, which is perfectly fine and nothing to worry about. I actually prefer that little bit of melt because it makes cutting that type of felt less messy and makes the piece a tiny bit more durable.
How To Iron Premium Poly/Eco Felt
Premium poly felt is slightly thicker than craft felt, is available in more colors, is stronger and more durable, is softer and you can buy it by the yard or sheets. It's also made out of recycled water bottles but is a higher quality product than craft felt. It's a personal favorite of mine because of the softness.
Because you can buy this felt by the yard and storing it flat is next to impossible, at least in my studio, you will have deep creases and wrinkles no matter what. They are still softer creases than you get with wool blend felt though.
I once heard a crafter say to arrange your patterns around the creases and then throw that creased part away?! Girl Scout swear I read this on someone's blog once! Apparently an iron was an unknown appliance to them. I'm a penny pincher, frugal or just plain cheap but I will use every speck of felt I possibly can so I iron my felt.
For wrinkles and lighter creases on Poly felt. Use steam, it really helps and I use it on Poly setting all the time.
Again turn your iron to the Poly setting with steam and iron both sides with some pressure as if you were ironing cotton fabric, but keep that iron moving.
If the crease is deep and still visible and drives you nuts like it does me, you can bump up your iron to Blend setting still with steam and iron the crease again on both side with pressure being careful not to hold the iron on too long. A couple of passes with the iron on the felt should get rid of the crease.
After ironing the Poly felt. So smooth and ready to go!
How To Iron Wool Blend Felt
Wool blend felt is pretty awesome and is so durable but not nearly as soft as the premium eco felt. It usually has a blend of rayon in it and is thicker than the premium felt, which means it cuts beautifully with nice sharp edges. It also comes in sheets and yards and at some point you will need to iron it.
I'm not sure if wool blend felt doesn't wrinkle as easy as other felt or if I just store it flatter and with more care since it's so much more expensive than the other felt, but the creases are usually deeper than Craft and Poly felt and I don't see any wrinkles. I find it the easiest of all the felt to iron and the results are amazing!
Turn that iron on to Blend setting with steam if the crease is really light or Wool setting with steam for a deeper crease and give those creases a good couple of passes on both sides with a little pressure. I personally always use the Wool setting for my Wool Blend felt. It only takes a couple of seconds ( like 3 seconds ) and then you're done.
I have an off brand digital iron I got at Aldi's in a pinch. If you have a super fancy ultra hot quilting iron then using that dishtowel on each type of felt might be a wise idea.
In case you were wonder what that blue thing I'm ironing on is, it's a small table top ironing board. It's for dorm rooms and I got it 50% off at Joann's last year. Love this thing!
Disclaimer: My tips are to be used as a general guide for ironing felt. I don't know your iron like you do, so practice on a scrap piece of felt if you don't feel confident at first and you'll soon be ironing felt like a pro!
So now that you know the 4 easy tips about ironing felt, get out there and iron and create something awesome!
Want to join other felt minded folks? Click her to sign up to my awesome Felt Facebook Group
