Felt is one of my favorite crafting mediums. It’s relatively inexpensive and comes in a veritable rainbow of colors. It can be glued or sewn. And, since it’s woven, the edges don’t fray.

I enjoy sewing with felt to create stuffed and appliquéd pieces. It works well as a base form to work embroidery or appliqué additional pieces too. It’s a toss-up whether I enjoy working with felt or yarn more. Both provide virtually limitless ways to express our creativity.

The section of The Crafty Tipster features my own original felt patterns as well as my adaptation of those created by others.

While felt does take glue, my preferred technique is to hand-sew everything. Glue can stiffen the felt and even discolor it when too much is used. Sewing felt allows for more movement and allows for the adding of embellishments and top stitching.

Read more about the article St. Patrick’s Day Bear & Pattern

St. Patrick’s Day Bear & Pattern

I had originally thought that I would create a Leprechaun feltie to share with you for St. Patrick's Day. I'm not sure when it happened, but, I found myself creating a little bear with a vest and hat with a glittery shamrock instead. I think he came out super cute and I thought I would share him with everyone, including a pattern and some tips and hints. Supplies Needed for St. Patrick's Day Bear Green feltDark colored felt for bear body and headLighter colored felt for bear belly and snoutTiny scrap of pink feltScrap of black feltSmall amount of fiber fill or teeny felt scraps for stuffingBeads for eyesButtonsGreen glitterPin back Vest Buttons I only had 6mm buttons and thought they were too big - and why oh why do they make them so darn thick too? I dug out my sequins and glitter and thought one of those clever multi-use items was…

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