Saturday, April 9, 2011

Big Little Felt Universe

Last week, a reader directed me to a felt-food giveaway. I could not believe the absolutely fabulous felt sets in the book they were giving away, "Big Little Felt Universe". The post also linked to one of the patterns that was available for free online - an ice-cream sundae.



I printed the free pattern (enlarged to about 200% from the PDF), and enjoyed making it so much that I went ahead and ordered the book. Yes, it was a really difficult decision to make, which I spent much time agonizing over... :)

Here is my finished product: 


My favorite part of all is the cherry!

There are a total of 12 felt sets in this book. They are:
  • cake
  • camping 
  • sundae
  • plants
  • holidays
  • veggies
  • doctor 
  • grill
  • purse
  • fruits
  • tools
You can see images of all these sets over at Prudent Baby

What I really love about this book is that there are so many projects with "boy appeal". The step-by-step instructions are very easy to follow, and there is a photo to go with each step to make it even easier. 

This has been a fun little hobby to work on while sitting and nursing the baby for hours each day. For the seriously crafty among my readers, please know that the author also sells some other pdf patterns through her Etsy shop. One of these days, when the kids stop sweet-talking me into giving them every creative thing I ever make, I might actually have time to put some of my creations on Etsy as well.

Great book. I highly recommend it. 


11 comments:

  1. Question about the felt toys: I imagine, being fabric, they eventually get dirty. Is it possible to wash them? It seems to me like they could probably just be tossed in wish any laundry being washed on a gentle machine cycle, and then dried in the drier. Do you know if this is the case? Have you tried washing any of yours, and if so did they suffer any ill effect as a result?

    Thanks.

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  2. Anonymous From the First PostApril 9, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    *With, not wish! *Blush*

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  3. Adorable! Looks good enough to eat!

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  4. The banana split is adorable! How challenging would you say these are to make? I saw a blog post about making felt planet models. My son would adore those. Where is a good place to get a good deal on felt?

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  5. Anonymous,

    yes, it is possible to wash felt toys. The "how" depends a bit on what type of felt you use.

    The most commonly available type at craft stores is 100% acrylic. There are other types of felt available that are part acrylic, part wool, or even 100% wool for "real" felting (i.e. felting/joining the wool fibers by soaking them in water and then drying them). All can be washed, but (due to cost and availability) I only use the 100% acrylic. I think the best way to wash it would be to handwash, gently squeeze out all water, and then allowing the project to air-dry. With wool-blend felts, there will be some shrinkage, and they tend to lose their shape more easily.

    As of yet, none of our projects have any visible stains, in spite of being played with almost daily. One tip that the book gives that I thought was great that instead of washing the whole toy, you could spot-clean with a damp rag, or use some sticky tape to remove just the dirty fibers by sticking it to the project and then peeling it off again repeatedly.

    Rose, thank you!

    Christine,

    thank you! The projects in the book are very simple, because the step-by-step directions and to-scale patterns make it easy.
    there are many places to buy felt online, but I just go to Jo-Ann's. They sell felt on bolts, 72" wide, for $4.99 a yard. You could get a 1/4 yard of 8 different colors ($1.25 each) for $10, and that would be enough felt to make all the projects you would ever have time for. It also often goes on sale for $2.99/yard, so you could wait for that and get the felt even cheaper. I have also seen felt for very, very cheap in bulk bags at the thrift store, or on craigslist.

    Do you have a link to the felt planets? Our oldest son would totally love those, too.

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  6. Oooh the banana sundae looks almost good enough to eat! I love making felt food...though I must admit I am not so good with the sewing machine, so I shy away from the big 3D items and just hand sew the 'flatter' type projects! I may just muster up the courage one day though!

    Also I just had to comment on the new sidebar featuring a lovely photograph and description of each of your children, it really is so sweet! I had been encouraged to do it by Jessica at 'Working On A Full House' but still haven't managed to get around to it! ;)

    Hope you are enjoying your week!

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  7. Thoes are adorable! You did a great job. I am so getting that book! I love your craft posts! And your side bar with the kids is cute.

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  8. Here is a link to the felt solar system: http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Outer%20Space
    She has some other amazing craft ideas that you may want to check out, too! Thank you so much for the information about felting. Blessings!

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  9. That is awesome! You did a fantastic job making those. :D

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  10. i love ur family -macha Allah- god bless u all

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  11. Che piacere conoscerti!Ho desiderio di fare questi dolcetti .Mi consigli di acquistare il libro?A te è servito? le spiegazioni sono chiare?Se vuoi scrivermi la mia e-mail è: cosiatuttocuore@gmail.com .Nel frattempo mi unisco ai tuoi sostenitori e mi complimento per la tua creatività e la tua bella famiglia.Patry

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