Gather
cookie cutters in fun shapes: flowers, animals, hearts
felting foam or thick, dry sponge
wool roving (not yarn) in bright colors
felting pen or felting needle
small googly eyes (optional)
WARNING: Felting needles are barbed and extremely sharp! Work slowly, with a parent watching nearby.
Go
1. Place cookie cutter on felting foam or sponge.
2. Gently pull apart wool, breaking up the fibers.
3. Fill cookie cutter with wool fibers. (Use one color at a time.)
4. Poke through the wool with your pen until you reach the sponge.
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5. Keep poking for several minutes, covering the entire shape.
6. If your felt looks patchy in spots, add more wool and repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. Once you’ve finished the top, carefully peel the wool off the sponge. Turn over and felt the other side.
8. With practice, you can add details, such as layers of additional color or 3-D shapes.
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To add a design to felt clothing, such as the mittens in our December 2017 issue, lay the cloth over your felting foam. (This is much easier if you felt before sewing the mitten pieces together.) Set your cookie cutter on top of the cloth, then proceed with steps 2 through 6 above. Every so often, pull the cloth away from the felting foam so the fibers don’t get too attached.
