Felt Ornaments: Penguin

There is just something about ornaments and decorations that are made from felt that I just love. Today’s project is to make a felt penguin ornament. I will be hand sewing the parts together, but you can also sew it on a machine, or use glue to attach the parts together. Felt is so versatile and easy to use. It is perfect for beginners to start using, as well as, for experienced crafters to improve and stretch their skills.

Felt feels warm, nostalgic, and homey. My favorite tree ornaments are felt dolls that are hand embroidered and bedazzled with sequins. Plus, one of my closest friends even made felt stockings for my twins. It just doesn’t seem quite like Christmas without those things. So clearly I like the look and feel of felt, so let’s use some.

You download the my patterns for a tree, mitten, lead, turkey, penguin, and pumpkin ornaments and embellishments from the Freebie Library. They are available in PDF format for hand cutting and SVG format for machine cutting.

Let’s Talk About Felt!

Felt comes in many different fiber choices and they all have slightly different properties that might make you pick one over another.

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In general, felt is….

Easy to cut
Doesn’t fray
Versatile
Sew-able
Glue-able
Long Lasting, generally not machine washable. This brand of felt is washable

Felts are commonly made of …

Wool
Polyester
Recycled Polyester
Acrylic
(list not exhaustive, these are common fibers in United States fabric/craft stores)

More About Wool Felt

Wool felt is my favorite. It feels nice when you are hand sewing and is often a bit thicker than the other common fiber felts. The thickness can also make some crafts more difficult, and it may also be too thick for cutting machines, like a Circut. Although it’s very easy to cut with scissors.

Although felt is not generally washable, wool felt can be machine washed. However, it will felt more and your item will get smaller. You can, however, wash it by hand. They even make wool wash, which is not Woolite. They are made different things. Wool is also generally understood to be antimicrobial to a certain extent. You’ll want to research this more if that property is important for your use.

The last part that I really love about wool felt is that you can iron it. Wool takes high heat quite well. So I can use heat and bond with it or press out any wrinkles without needing to be careful. Heck my ironing pad is made out of felt.

The downside is that it’s more expensive. Not enough more expensive to make me like it less, but if I’m testing out a pattern or making a bunch of cut outs for a class party, I will be using the less expensive types.

In addition, wool often has less color variety and availability. Although wool can be dyed into vibrant colors, widely available wool felt tends to be in muted colors, which might not work with your project. Wool Felt also might not be in your local craft store. Currently Joann Fabrics has some colors available.

Synthetic Felt

Less Expensive
Sticky Back Options
Wide Color and Pattern Variety
Can Be Sublimated
Widely available
Melts Quickly
Doesn’t feel as nice on the hands when sewing

Material Mix-Up

As I said, every material has its upsides and downsides, but you also don’t have to pick just one. Mix them together to get the outcome you want. The penguin I’m making has a wool body, and synthetic wings/tummy. Use what gets you the results you want.

For this project I’m going to use “regular” embroidery floss for hand sewing, but you could use pearl cotton, or metallic cord, or sewing machine thread. Whatever makes you happy!

Penguin Ornament Directions

Felt Ornament Supplies (this is what I’m using)

Felt – Wool, Acrylic, Polyester, or Upcycled. – I’m using Black, grey, and white for my penguin.
Embroidery Floss I’m using, black, light grey, and yellow for the Penguin.
Stuffing
Hand Sewing Needle with Big eyes
Needle threader
Needle Puller (optional)
Scissors & Thread Snips – I like these from Tula Pink
Printable Pattern: Use one of these or make your own. PDF & SVG – Several Patterns available in the Freebie Library
Optional: Tacky Glue or Hot Glue
Optional: Googly Eyes
Optional: Heat N Bond
Optional: SVG cutting machine like a Cricut Maker
Optional: Freezer paper

Prep Your Felt

If you are cutting your pieces on a cricut or similar machine, you will want to iron the felt onto the freezer paper. This will save your sticky mat for “death by fuzzy”

You can also use freezer paper when cutting by hand. Trace your designs on it, and then you don’t have to put any marks on the felt. The same goes for heat and bond. If you want to turn your felt pieces into iron-on felt, use Heat N Bond on it before cutting it out.