10 Easy Steps to Make Felt Animals: A Beginner's Guide

Published on 10 July 2023 8 min read

Imagine a cozy afternoon spent creating something adorable and unique. You're not just crafting, you're creating a felt animal — a tiny, cute companion born from your creativity. It might seem complex at first, but don't worry. With just 10 easy steps, you'll have your own handmade felt animal to show off. Let's get started!

1. Gather Your Materials

Before you can bring your felt animal to life, you'll need to gather your materials. You don't need a lot, and these supplies are easy to find at any arts and crafts store. Here's what you'll need:

Felt: This is the main component of your felt animal. You can choose any color, but it's a good idea to have a few options to add variety to your creation.
Scissors: A sharp pair of scissors will make it easy for you to cut your felt into the shapes you need for your animal.
Needle and thread: You'll be sewing your felt pieces together to create your animal. Choose a thread color that matches your felt, or go for a contrasting color for a fun effect.
Stuffing: The stuffing will give your felt animal a 3D shape. You can use cotton wool or synthetic stuffing, both of which are soft and easy to work with.
Marker or chalk: You’ll use this to draw the pattern onto your felt before cutting it.
Template: A template of the animal you want to make can be a big help, especially if you're new to making felt animals. You can find many free templates online, or you can create your own.

Once you have all these materials ready, you're set to start creating your first felt animal. So, go ahead and clear a space on your craft table, put on your favorite crafting playlist, and let's move on to choosing the animal you want to create.

2. Choose Your Animal

Now comes the fun part — choosing which felt animal you'd like to create. From a perky penguin to a cuddly cat, the options are endless. But remember, you're just starting out. So, it's a good idea to select something simple. A felt animal with a basic shape, like a teddy bear or a rabbit, can be a great starting point.

Once you've selected your animal, spend some time observing it. If you're making a bunny, for example, notice how its ears are long and pointy, and how its body is round and fluffy. These details will help you when you start to create your template and cut out your felt.

Wondering where to find inspiration? Look around you! Your pet, a favorite cartoon character, or even a stuffed animal can be a great reference. Remember, the goal is to create a felt animal that brings you joy. So, choose an animal that you love!

Now that you've chosen your animal, it's time to move on to the next step — creating your template. Ready? Let's go!

3. Create Your Template

Congratulations on choosing your felt animal. Now, let's transform that idea into a tangible template. If you're new to this, you might be wondering — what is a template? Simply put, it's a pattern or guide that helps you cut your felt into the right shapes.

First, you'll need a piece of paper and a pencil. Begin by sketching the shape of your chosen animal. Remember that bunny we mentioned earlier? Start with a big circle for its body and two long ovals for its ears. Don't worry about getting it perfect on the first try. You can always tweak it as you go along.

Once you're happy with your sketch, cut it out. This will serve as your template. If there are any smaller parts to your animal, like eyes, a nose, or a tail, draw and cut out those shapes too. These pieces will all come together to form your complete felt animal.

Now, with your template ready, it's time to bring your felt animal to life. So, grab your felt and your scissors — we're moving on to the next step!

4. Cut Out Your Felt

Let's get right into it. With your template in one hand and your scissors in the other, it's time to get crafty and cut out your felt. Here's a tip: you may want to choose a color that matches your felt animal. For instance, if you're making a bunny, white or pink felt would work great.

Start by placing your template on the felt. To keep it steady while you cut, you might want to use a few pins. Carefully trace around the edges of your template with a fabric pen or a piece of chalk. Once you've traced all the parts of your animal, it's time for the fun part — cutting!

Take your time and carefully cut along the lines you've traced. Remember, it's always better to cut a little outside the line than too close to it. You can always trim it down later if needed.

And there you have it! You've successfully cut out the pieces for your felt animal. Next, we'll move onto the sewing stage where your animal will really start to take shape.

5. Start Sewing

Now that all your pieces are cut out, it's time to start sewing! This is when your felt animal begins to take shape. But don't worry if you've never sewn before–you'll be a pro in no time.

First, thread your needle with a piece of thread that matches the color of your felt. It's a simple detail, but it makes your felt animal look much more polished. Once your needle is threaded, you're ready to start sewing.

Let's start with the body. Hold two pieces of the body together, with the right sides (the sides you want to show) facing each other. Using a simple running stitch, start sewing around the edges. But remember to leave a small gap — you'll need it for the stuffing!

Once you've sewn around the body, you can repeat this process with the other parts of your felt animal. Whether it's the ears, arms, or legs, the process is the same: sew around the edges, but leave a gap for stuffing.

And just like that, you're halfway through sewing your felt animal. You're doing great, and the best part is still to come — stuffing and finishing your little creature!

6. Add the Stuffing

Okay, now comes the fun part — stuffing your felt animal! The stuffing is what gives your felt creature its shape and makes it huggable. Remember that little gap you left in each piece? It's time to put it to work.

First, take a small amount of stuffing. It's tempting to use a lot, but it's better to start with a little and add more if needed. Push the stuffing through the gap into your felt animal. Use a pencil or the end of a paintbrush to help push the stuffing into those hard-to-reach corners.

Once your felt animal feels nice and plump, it's time to sew up the gap. This is called a ladder stitch, and it's a neat little trick that makes the seam almost invisible. And voila! You've got a stuffed felt animal.

But, we're not done yet. It's time to add some personality to your creation. Ready to move on to the next step? Let's go!

7. Finish Off Your Animal

So you've stuffed your felt animal, and it's starting to take shape. It's now time to put the final touches and finish off your felt animal. Remember, it's all about making your creation look neat and tidy.

Start by threading your needle again. Remember that ladder stitch we talked about earlier? You're going to use it again to sew up the gap. Take your time with this. The better your stitches, the longer your felt animal will last.

Once you've sewn up the gap, give your felt animal a little squeeze. How does it feel? If it's nice and firm, you've done a great job with the stuffing. If it's a little floppy, don't worry — practice makes perfect. You can always add a bit more stuffing next time.

A quick tip: to hide the knot of your thread, push the needle through the top layer of the felt close to the last stitch, then out somewhere else on the body. Pull it tight and snip the thread close to the body. The end will disappear inside!

Well done! You can now proudly say you've made a felt animal. But wait, aren't we forgetting something? Ah, yes — the details! Let's move on to the next step.

8. Add The Details

Alright, let's really bring this felt animal to life! The details are what really make your felt critter unique, so let's dive right in.

First off, think about what your animal needs. Does it have spots or stripes? Maybe it has a little tail, or some cute ears? This is where you can let your creativity shine and make your felt animal truly yours.

For spots or stripes, cut out small pieces of contrasting colored felt and sew them onto the body. A simple running stitch will do the trick here. Just remember to keep your stitches small and neat. And be sure to secure the thread at the back so your details don't fall off!

If your animal has a tail or ears, these can be made the same way as the main body. Just remember to sew them on securely. You wouldn't want your felt animal losing its ears!

These little details might seem small, but they can really make a big difference. So don't rush this part. Take your time, and really enjoy the process. After all, creating a felt animal is not just about the end result, it's about the journey too.

With the details added, your felt animal is really starting to look the part. But there's one thing left to do — the face. Let's move on to the next step.

9. Create Your Animal's Face

It's time to give your felt animal a face! The face can really bring your felt creature to life, so let's get started.

First, you'll need to decide on the type of eyes. Remember, you have a few options here: you can either stitch the eyes with thread, or cut out tiny circles of black felt and sew them on. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even use small buttons!

Next comes the nose. Just like with the eyes, you can either stitch a cute little triangle for the nose, or use a small piece of felt. It all depends on the look you're going for.

Finally, let's not forget the mouth. A simple line stitch will work just fine for this. Or, if you're making a happy felt animal, why not give it a cute, curved smile?

Creating the face of your felt animal is a delicate task, but don't be afraid to test out different ideas and see what works best. Remember, this is your creation — make it as unique and special as you want!

With the face done, we're almost at the end of our journey. Just one more step to go. Are you ready to show off your felt animal?

10. Show Off Your Felt Animal

Congratulations! If you've made it this far, you've successfully created your very own felt animal. But the fun doesn't stop here. It's time to show off your creation!

There's nothing quite as satisfying as seeing the fruit of your labor. Whether it's a tiny felt mouse, a majestic felt elephant, or a colorful felt bird, every felt animal you create is a piece of art.

You could place your felt animal on your desk for a touch of cheerfulness during work hours. Or how about using it as a decoration for your child's room? They're sure to love it!

And remember, sharing is caring. Why not introduce your friends and family to the joy of making felt animals? You could host a felt animal making party, or even gift your creations. After all, a handmade felt animal is a thoughtful and unique gift that anyone would appreciate.

So go ahead, show off your felt animal and spread the joy of creating. You've earned it!

If you've enjoyed learning about making felt animals and want to further develop your skills as an artist, check out the workshop 'Basic Animal Anatomy for Artists' by Viktoria. This workshop will provide you with a strong foundation in animal anatomy, helping you create more realistic and expressive felt animals.