It’s the season for shopping again. In the Ferguson house, we have chosen to make all of our gifts for everyone this year, including our children. In that spirit I thought I’d share some great gifts to make as gifts for kids.
One thing that my kids have had a lot of fun with are felties. “What are fealties?” you ask? Felties are little pieces of felt cut into shapes or a theme (i.e. under the sea, garden, family). There is also a board on which to put the felties and to play with them.
Supplies
Felties are super easy to make. What do you need?
- A theme
- Different colors of felt
- A piece of wood, cardboard, or painting canvas on which to glue the felt backing. The size of your board depends on what size you want your finished product to be. Mine is about 12” x 18”.
- A large piece of felt for covering the back board that measures about 2”larger in length and width than the back board. I chose black because it’s fairly universal for the theme. And, if there is another color you want to use later you can have other large pieces to lay over top when the theme changes.
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun or a staple gun
- Measuring tape
- An easel
The How-To
Step One:
Cover the board with the large felt piece. Wrap it so that the front of the board is covered and the felt is hanging over in excess of about one inch on all sides.
Step Two:
Using a hot glue gun or stapler, attach the excess felt to the back of the back board. Trim off any remaining excess felt.
Step Three:
Next, cut out your felt pieces. When I made our felt board, we were working on colors and shapes for Willow, so I did a lot of that kind of thing. I also made grass, a blue sky, flowers, and a big tree. I have plans for other little additions. One thing I am excited to add is an under the sea theme—big fish, a coral reef, jelly fish, sea horses, and a star fish.
Step Four:
Now, put it all together! Lean the back board on the easel and put the felties in place. I guarantee your little one will think this is awesome. And if they start to get a little bored with it after a while, ask them what the next theme is gonna be and start cutting!
