Are you looking to add a pop of color and personality to your craft projects? Whether you’re making gifts for friends, sprucing up your home décor, or putting together an adorable play kitchen set for the kids, felt food is a great way to go.
It’s fun to create and can be used in so many different ways – from creating the ingredients for pretend recipes, developing fun sewing patterns, or decorating other items with these colorful felt delicacies.
Not only will learning how to make felt food add character and brightness to any crafting adventure, but it’s also pretty easy; all that’s needed are some basic materials like fleece fabric and thread! Follow along as we break down the steps for making your own DIY felt food creations.
Things to Remember While Felting Food
1. Keep the Food Small
Keep the food items small and flat, as this will make them easier to sew. It is also important to keep the food looking realistic, as this will help add to the charm of your felt food items. Also, be sure to use colors that are easily recognizable; for example, if you’re making a strawberry, the felt should be red so it’s easy to identify.
2. Use the Right Fabric
When selecting fabric for your felt food items, look for something thin and light, like fleece or flannel. This type of fabric is best for making felt food as it’s easy to sew through and thin enough that the details of the food can be seen.
3. Take Your Time When Sewing
Sewing your felt food by hand is time-consuming but worth it for the perfect results. Take your time when sewing – don’t rush! This will help ensure that your stitches are even and will help make sure that your finished product looks great.
Once you have the basic materials, including thin fabric and matching thread, it’s time to get started!
Required Items for Making Felt Food
- Fabric Scissors
- Sharp Needle
- Embroidery Threads
- Templates/Patterns (optional)
5 Ways How to Make Felt Food
1. Cut Out the Fabric Pieces
Start by cutting out the shapes of your felt food with fabric scissors. You can use a template or pattern, but it’s not necessary. Measure and mark where you need to cut before starting and be sure to leave extra fabric around each piece so that you have enough to sew together later.
2. Place Fabric Pieces Together
Lay the two pieces of fabric on top of each other, right side facing in, and pin them together. This will help ensure that your food item looks neat and stays in place while you’re sewing it. Fabric pieces can also be lightly ironed for a nice, crisp finish.
3. Sew the Pieces Together
Using a sharp needle and matching thread, start sewing the two pieces of fabric together by hand. A blanket stitch is typically used to sew felt food together since it gives an extra layer of strength when finished. Be sure to keep your stitches neat and even so that your felt food looks professional.
4. Add Embellishments
Once the two pieces of fabric have been sewn together, you can add extra details to make your felt food look more realistic or unique. This could include adding decorative buttons or embroidery thread for a fancier finish or simply cutting out small details from felt fabric and sewing them onto your food item.
5. Finishing Touches
Once all of the pieces have been sewn into place, you can add any final touches, such as eyes, mouths, or other facial features, to make your felt food look more realistic. This is a great way to personalize each piece and give it an individual personality.
And there you have it – your own handmade felt food creations! With a bit of practice and patience, anyone can learn how to make felt food. It’s a fun and creative way to add a little pizzazz to any craft project or toy kitchen set.
6 Additional Tips to Make Felted Food Special
1. Use wire to add dimension and structure. You can use thin gauge wire within the felt pieces to give them a 3D effect and extra support. This is especially helpful for adding shape to fruits like strawberries or apples.
2. Add embellishments like buttons, ribbons, or sequins. Embellish your felt food with decorative items like buttons, ribbons, and sequins. This is not only a great way to make your pieces look more realistic, but it also adds extra texture and color.
3. Use embroidery thread or yarn for details. To add even more detail to your felt food creations, use embroidery thread or yarn to create small details like stems on fruits or the mouth of a fish.
4. Use thicker felt for sturdier pieces. If you plan to make larger pieces, it’s better to use thicker felt material rather than thinner and more delicate fabrics. Thicker felt will help keep your projects from bending and warping over time.
5. Sew on a backing layer. Adding a backing layer to your felt food items is a great way to give them more weight and stability. You can use craft interfacing, batting, or other lightweight fabrics for this purpose.
6. Use stuffing to make the pieces more lifelike. To give your finished felted foods an extra lifelike look and feel, stuff them with Polyfil or other types of stuffing. This will make them even more realistic-looking and enjoyable to play with!
With these 6 additional tips, you can make your felt food creations even more realistic and special. Follow these steps for the best results in creating your own felt food! It will be a fun and rewarding experience.
7 Maintenance Tips
Making felt food is a great way to bring your craft projects to life! Whether you’re creating an interactive play kitchen for kids or adding colorful accents to a homemade dollhouse, handmade felt foods will add the perfect touch. But in order for your creations to look their best and last longer, here are 7 maintenance tips for crafting with felt food:
1. Pre-wash all of your felt pieces before you begin crafting. This will help keep them looking new and prevent shrinking. It will also help you catch any loose threads that need to be trimmed. Also, use mild detergent and cold water to avoid damaging any of your pieces.
2. Use an iron to press felt pieces before and after cutting. This will help keep them flat while you’re working and ensure clean lines when you’ve finished cutting out the shapes you need. Using an iron can also help to seal edges, preventing fraying temporarily.
3. When assembling felt food items, use a low-temperature adhesive like fabric glue or even a hot glue gun with caution. These adhesives will hold felt pieces together without damaging the material.
4. Choose thread colors that match as closely as possible to the felt pieces. This will ensure a discreet seam and give your felt food items a more polished look. Choosing the right thread and needle size is also important – a thin thread on thick felt pieces will cause your seams to pucker.
5. If you’re adding details like multiple colors or beads, use a hand-sewing needle with a larger eye. This will make it easier to thread thicker materials and ensure that your items stay securely attached.
6. For added durability, you can line your felt food pieces with a stiff stabilizer before sewing or adhering them together. This will help keep the material from fraying and maintain its shape over time.
7. Finally, to make sure your felt food creations are stored properly and look great for years to come, store them in airtight containers or zippered plastic bags. This will help keep the pieces clean and dust-free and also prevent them from becoming misshapen when not in use.
Following these tips will ensure that your felt food items look their best and last for years to come! With these simple maintenance tips, you’ll be able to enjoy your felt food creations for a long time.
Conclusion
Crafting felt food is an enjoyable and satisfying experience. You can craft traditional dishes, treat yourself to some creative desserts, or even create certain items and plant-based meals that you wouldn’t be able to eat in real life. The possibilities are endless!
Your felt food creations make great gifts, too – perfect for birthdays, Mother’s Day, or Christmas. Or why not reward yourself with a handmade craft item as a reminder of your success?
Whether you’re making felt food for fun or as a special gift, it’s sure to bring joy to the receiver. Put your sewing skills to good use by creating some beautiful felt food designs today. Who knows, it may become your new favorite hobby! Follow these simple steps on how to make felt food to get started, and you’ll be creating delicious felt food in no time. Have fun!
