No Sew Molded Felt Ornament Tutorial From Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q.D. Patooties

If you like no sew ornaments you'll be happy to know that Lisa Bunting Thoms of  Q.D. Patooties  has a wonderful wool felt and roving holiday project to share.  I hope you enjoy making her "No Sew Molded Felt Ornaments."

No Sew Molded Felt Ornament Tutorial
Copyright © 2007 - All Rights Reserved - Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q.D. Patooties

Here's the instructions and what Lisa had to say about her No Sew Molded Felt Ornament Tutorial:  This is a very simple and fun to make no sew molded felt ornament that I was experimenting with last year. The process I used to create the ornament was simple and I ended up teaching the project to my friends in the soft cloth doll group I belong to called the Potomac Poppets. So here's the materials and instructions you'll need to create one of your own:

Materials

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Clay Cookie Mold (tons available on E-bay)

Metal Cookie Sheet

Liquid Starch (local grocery store - My Target and Walmart don't carry this product)

Wool Felt (at least 20% wool and I purchased mine at Joann's Fabrics)

Prismacolor Markers or Pencils

Glue (any will do just so it dries clear)

Ribbon (thin enough to be threaded through a large-eyed needle)

Clear Glitter (if you want)

Spray Adhesive

Scissors

Oven Set at 275 degrees

Instructions

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Place your cookie mold on top of a metal cookie sheet . Cut your wool felt to overlap your mold at least by 1 inch(see Figure 1). Then, soak your wool felt in liquid starch (see Figure 2) . I tried a 50/50 mix of liquid starch and water on the first one and it didn't work nearly as well. Then, squeeze out as much of the starch as you can and place your felt on top of the mold (see Figure 3). Work the felt into the mold until you can see the design (see Figure 4). Place in the oven that has already been preheated to 275 degrees. When I taught this at our doll club, we used a toaster oven and it took much longer to dry out but it usually only takes about 15 - 20 minutes. To save time, you could do several at once depending on the size of your mold and of your cookie sheet. Once it is completely dry, the felt will just pop out of the mold (see Figure 5). When you turn it over, you will be able to see the design of the cookie mold pressed into the felt (see Figure 6). Here's the fun part which is decorating your ornament. Previously, I tried both watercolor pencils that you have to wet as well as Prismacolor Markers but found they made quite a mess so I wouldn't recommend them as they made the ornament too wet and ran too much. For the ornaments you see above, I used Prismacolor Pencils which have a more subtle look (see Figure 7). Anyway, fill in the detail of your ornament using whatever media you prefer (pencils or markers). When your finished, lay your ornament on top of another piece of wool felt and trace around it as this will be your backing. Glue the front piece of your ornament to the back coming as close to the ridge of the mold as possible. Once it is dry, cut around it with a pair of sharp scissors or get fancy and use your Pinking Sheers if you have them. Then, if you'd like, spray your ornament very lightly with the Spray Adhesive and sprinkle with some clear glitter (see Figure 8). Thread your needle with the ribbon or gold cording and go through the top of the ornament so you can hang it on your tree (see Figure 9). And now you have a molded felt ornament!

You can also use these to decorate your packages for the holidays or on a wreath or something. Just a little project I thought of in my "spare time." I'd love to see what you come up with though so if you make some, send me a pic! I'll have some pics of the ones I make this year in my Blog for all to see (when I find more of that "spare time").

Please respect Lisa's TERMS OF USE:  My FREE tutorials, patterns, and how-to's are for personal use only and are not not intended for commercial use. They may not be copied, reprinted, emailed, or reproduced and distributed in any manner without my permission.

Lisa's Bio: Lisa is a professional teddy bear artist selling heirloom quality collectible bears to Adults and has been making bears professionally since November 1997. Her creations have been nominated for several Awards including the TITA, Teddy Bear Scene Reader's Choice Awards and the Ace Awards. They've also been included on a regular basis in many of the major doll and crafts magazines.

Copyright © 2007-2012 - All Rights Reserved - Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q.D. Patooties at http://qdpatooties.blogspot.com.

Please visit Lisa's Q.D. Patooties Spoonflower Fabric Shop and her Q.D. Patooties Etsy Shop.