Free Pattern: Thanksgiving Turkey Felt Applique Craft

This little appliqué turkey craft can be used on the front of a Thanksgiving greeting card or party invitation. It could also be a quick and easy way to craft a decorated set of Thanksgiving table linens. The turkey could be stitched to the corner on each of a set of placemats and in each corner of a tablecloth. The felt turkey decoration can be glued to place cards to decorate them for the Thanksgiving table and would look sweet fastened to a ribbon tied around a nice box for leftover pie as a party favor for guests. Another great way to use this felt appliqué turkey is to sew a pin back to him and wear him as a felt turkey lapel pin.

To make the felt appliqué turkey craft, you'll need basic crafting supplies, like nice sharp scissors, sewing needles, and a thimble. An optional supply is regular white glue, which will really help children to complete this project, since gluing the pieces together will make it much easier to sew them in place without them slipping around.

You'll also need:
Dark Brown Craft Felt
Light Tan Craft Felt
White Craft Felt
Red Craft Felt
Light Tan Embroidery Floss
Black Embroidery Floss
Gold/Orange Embroidery Floss

Begin the project by cutting all the pieces from the felt. Cut a fan shape from the dark brown felt, and the same shape slightly smaller from the light tan felt. Using sharp scissors and even strokes will help to keep the edges of the felt neat and free from ragged edges. Cut a circle from the white felt and use the red felt for a wattle. To cut a wattle shape, make a long narrow triangle and remove the top corners by cutting smooth curves in their place.

Construct the felt appliqué turkey by laying the light tan piece in the center of the dark brown piece. Use three strands of light tan embroidery floss to sew around the inside edge of the tan piece using a running stitch. Outline the outer edge of the dark brown piece with blanket stitching to make the feathers of the felt turkey. After the body has been constructed, lay the white circle near the top of the light tan area. Use six strands of black embroidery floss to make two French knots for eyes. Then lay the red felt wattle on the face, and stitch a gold/orange beak on the wattle. Theses features will hold the white and red felt in place and form the felt turkey's face.

This felt appliqué turkey craft is a fun activity for kids and adults to do together and makes a great addition to many Thanksgiving crafts.