Easy Felting Craft for Christmas or Anytime

Felting can be a project done to salvage a favorite woolen good or something that is done deliberately in order to felt! If you've ever had a wool sweater accidentally get tossed in the laundry, once exposed to hot water, agitation and commercial washers it's never quite the same.

The nature of wool makes it bind together under these conditions. For felt Christmas ideas we'll stick with some easy Christmas crafts.

When that wool sweater shrinks it can be much smaller than it was to begin with. A sweater that has felted to about 13X9 is needed for the first Christmas craft idea. Cut the sleeves off and sew the holes for the sleeves and head closed. On the bottom end attach on the 'inside' of the sweater a strip (or a couple short strips) of Velcro - which leaves you with an opening to slide a 13x9 pan into, Velcro shut and conserve the heat of a hot dish on the way to a Christmas potluck. This need not be used just at Christmas!

Now that you have cut the sleeves off that sweater you don't want to toss it out so that leads to the second craft. Using a bottle or can carefully measure then cut in sections and sew one end closed so that it sits flat. Properly done it's a felted cozie for drinks during the summer - at no cost. These can be used around the home or given as unique, homemade, recycled gifts.

Several years ago I made a 'creative toy' for a young man who played with it more than anything he'd gotten for Christmas! Use a box - cardboard will do but a tin or even a lightweight wall hanging will do. On the bottom half to ¾ use a piece of green felt (or however many is needed to line the box or item) and with a hot glue gun carefully glue the felt down. On the top part now take blue and likewise glue it down. Now take some other creative colors and cut out trees, snowbanks, deer, clouds and other "things" that they can arrange and create scenes with. This is left to your imagination to create! You need not be an artist and can even on the deer or other animals glue some of the little "bubble eyes" from the craft store. Birds, flowers and other things can be made. With using a box, all of the pieces can be stored in the box, insuring there are not pieces of felt all over.

There are many directions online for handbags and a host of other items done with felt. This is a craft that once you get started you may be looking for old sweaters to felt! It's an inexpensive Christmas craft idea that is useful.