Handmade Spring Fairies :: DIY Felt Tutorial

Spring has arrived to Southern California and we have been busy making felt spring fairies. They bring such sweet enchantment to The Sunny House.

I have made them from wool felt in pretty pastel colors and I’m happy to share the DIY tutorial with you, below. Aren’t they the sweetest!

Here is an easy step-by-step graphic for you to pin to Pinterest to save this tutorial for later…

Materials ::

You will need –

– pipe cleaners

– thread and a needle

– beads or crystals

– plant dyed wool felt from A Child’s Dream

– small wood balls

– 3/4 inch white felt balls from The Magic Onions Shop

– brown wool roving from A Child’s Dream

– feather butterfly from The Magic Onions Shop

– scissors

– glue

Let me tell you about the felt I use. I think it’s vital to use the highest quality felt with all felting projects. You can buy the most beautiful wool felt at an online shop called A Child’s Dream. The owner, Debbie, has been a ‘fiber friend’ of mine for many years and I can vouch that her felt is always superb. She offers beautiful, high-quality felt in such lovely colors. My favorite of all are the organic, plant dyed felts…  there’s nothing quite as lovely as the natural hues you get from nature. I use nothing but 100% wool felt for my crafts. There really is a BIG difference between cheap felt and high quality wool felt. If you are going to spend valuable time and effort making something, you owe it to yourself , and your creations, to use the best possible materials, always. The outcome will be SO MUCH more beautiful.

Method ::

1.  Draw a stencil on a piece of paper to help cut the felt. My fairies are 2 inches wide by 2 inches long. You will double the stencil for the front and back of the fairies dress.

2.  Cut out the stencil and pin it to the felt. Cut around the stencil to cut the perfect shape from the felt.

3. Unpin the paper, leaving the felt dress.

4. Fold the dress in half and snip a tiny hole in the middle for the neck.

5. Fold a pipe cleaner so that it is the right length for the arms (about 1 inch each) and joining at the neck. Twist the neck pieces together.

6. Position the pipe cleaner arms inside the dress and the neck through the neck slit.

7. Sew the sleeves of the dress together with a needle and thread. Sew the seam to about half way down the length of the dress.

8. Use the sharp ends of the scissors to carefully make a hole in the felt ball. Put a little glue onto the top of the neck pipe cleaner wire and insert it into the hole in the felt ball. Her head is now in place. Use glue to stick on the small wood beads for her hands.

9. Use glue to stick on the wool roving for her hair. Cut a long, thin piece of felt for a headband. Use glue to stick it in place. Use needle and thread to sew a hanging thread through her felt ball head.

10. Use glue to stick the feather butterfly onto her back for her wings.

11. Use glue to stick a bead or crystal onto the front of her dress.

12. Hang your pretty spring fairies somewhere special.

I’ve picked a few bare branches from my peach tree to put in handmade pretty yarn mason-jar vase from a DIY tutorial a few years ago. My felt fairies are dancing on them with joy. I’ve also put a few felt blossoms on the branches and some additional feather butterflies. They all look so beautiful on my windowsill.

Happy Spring!

Please also have peek at my other sweet spring DIY tutorials.

Blessings and magic,

Donni