With Halloween just around the corner and a love for imaginative play. . .
. . . we thought it would be a great time . . .
. . . to decorate our wool felt crowns! Pair them with a simple cape. . .
. . . or one of the seasonal variety (these are from the pattern in our book). . .
. . . and your little one will instantly transform into a beautiful king or queen of the natural world.
DIY Felt Nature Crowns
Materials:
- Felt crown (these are a great base, but you could also make your own and attache a ribbon to tie it closed)
- Felt scraps in different colors
- Needle and thread
Have fun cutting out the shapes found in nature. Look at the leaves falling to the ground this time of year. Take a peek at the autumn grasses and berries. Our chickens just finished molting and I have feathers flying around each time I enter the chicken coop, so feathers are on my mind. Think about flower blossom shapes as well. Once you have your shapes cut out, follow the instructions below to make them come alive.
If you're interested in a flower crown, the hydrangea blossom is an easy one bloom to start with. Take a small square and cut it into four quarters leaving the center uncut to join them (like a plus sign without cutting all the way through). Round the edges as seen above then do a loose gathering stitch in a circle where the pieces connect. Gather the felt making a small pucker and you have a hydrangea blossom.
Leaf shapes can be given volume by running the gathering stitch from the base of the leaf up the center, spinning back down to the base to finish. Softly gather the stitch giving life to a piece of felt.
The feathers get a blanket stitch up their spine pulling at the completion of each stitch giving strength to the feather, if your felt is thin place a pipe cleaner inside of the fold of the spine using the blanket stitch to keep it in place. Then you can fan your feathers out in whichever way you'd like.
Once your nature shapes are complete, attached them to the crown. They can be attached on the inside or on the outside.
Enjoy!!
~ Deb
*Last time in Crafts and Activities: 12 Amazing Autumn Activities (lots more DIY costumes here)
