The Felt Factory Blog

I love a good Christmas project, and I know you all do too. I haven't done one of these for a while, so well overdue. With so many gorgeous projects around at the moment, its always a little hard to choose an new one for the season. In this blog you will find links to patterns from around the globe and closer to home. Let the festive season begin!

The most adorable Nutcracker by Cherry Parker Designs, a very clever New Zealand pattern maker. Cherry has a beautiful catalogue of patterns in felt and cross stitch. Check her Etsy page out for more.

Ugly Sweaters are still a big trend this Christmas. These cuties are from Hello Felt. Claudia also has a great selection of felt ornaments.

For something a little more challenging, how beautiful is this heirloom building project from Prim Heirloom Designs. Just beautiful!

If you love a bit more embroidery on your ornament, these are gorgeous from Nelly Makes Embroidery.

I can't have a Christmas pattern list with out MMMCrafts beautiful and very popular Lodestar pattern. This is such a fun make, and along with the tree topper version the perfect Christmas project.

Whatever you are making this season, get creative with colour and have fun.
Bex
​xx

I've had so much fun making this cute little egg pattern.
Make one or a few, swap out for another of your favourite stitches. 
I hope you enjoy making this one. 

You will need-

+ A sheet of 100% Merino Wool Felt 12cm x 20cm
+ DMC Stranded Thread, I have six colours, one for each flower, a stem and to stitch up the egg.
+ Embroidery Needle
+ Hobby Fill
+ Sticky Solvy - optional
​+ Egg Pattern
​

​How to - 

+ Transfer the stich pattern onto your felt.
+ Stitch the flowers using six strands and three for the stems. 

+ Carefully cut out your egg panels
​

+ Using a blanket stitch with three strands of DMC. Stitch three sides together and halfway down the fourth.
+ Fill with hobby fill or felt scraps
+ Finish stitching up the last side and secure

So cute.
Have fun and craft on.
​Rebecca xx

This fab ornament has been on my mind for while. Bright and fun I have made it in our gorgeous merino wool felt as I've intended it to be an heirloom. Choose your own colours and make a few to look beautiful en masse on your tree this Christmas.

Supplies 
+ 100% Merino Wool Felt Sheets
+ Contrasting DMC stranded thread
+ DMC Light Effects thread
+ Hobby Fill
+ Erasable Marker
+ Needle
+ Scissors
+ Tacky Glue
+ Dress My Craft Die- four petal pointed flower (optional)
+ Sizzix Framelits Die - Circles (optional)
+ Sizzix Framelits Die - Scalloped Circles (optional)
+ Christmas Ornament Pattern

Directions

1. Print our Christmas Ornament Pattern, cut out pieces. Use erasable marker to trace around the pattern pieces onto the felt and cut out.

2. Cut die pieces or use pinking shears to cut a fancy edge. Use any shape you like for the center, a star or flower shape. I have used the middle sized die from Dress My Crafts four pointed petal flower die set. Super handy if you have a die cutting machine, otherwise freehand cut a shape to suit.

3. Use a little Tacky Glue to fix the pieces together so you're not chasing the small pieces around your craft bench.

4. Using three strands of DMC thread, start stitching you favourite stitches in contrasting colours. I have used lazy daisies, french knots and a straight stitch. Mix up your threads and try the Light Effects for a bit of bling, its a bit tricky to use but well worth the effort ;)

5. Stitch up three sides of the ornament using a whipstitch or a blanket stitch. On the fourth side stitch halfway closed so the top remains open for stuffing. Stuff your ornament with hobby fill or similar.

6. Finish stitching to the top of the ornament and tie off your thread. Take a length of 20cm of the Light Effects thread, stitch through the top of the ornament and knot for hanging.

Have fun with this pattern by incorporating sequins and beads and different shapes and colours to suit your decor for the season.
I'd love to see what you make, tag me in your projects #thefeltfactorynz or pop me a photo.

​Bex :)

A beautiful collection of skin tones perfect for doll making in 100% Merino Wool Felt.

From left to right with corresponding DMC Stranded thread colour.

Barely Blush DMC3770
Blush DMC951
Light Camel DMC738
Sand DMC612
Camel DMC167
Bronze DMC434
Rust DMC3826
Mushroom DMC3790
Acorn DMC3862
Brown DMC801
Chocolate DMC838

Happy Crafting!

I LOVE Christmas, everything about it. I love setting up my tree, decorating the house, all the Christmas parties with Michael Bubble on repeat! I also love making a few decorations or ornaments to add to my collection.
I'm always looking for beautiful things to make and these are some of my favourites for Christmas this year.

I absolutely LOVE Esty for patterns, super easy to download straight into your inbox, there are SO many clever makers selling their beautiful patterns on this fab platform from all over the world!

Nuvolinahandmade is a pattern maker from Slovenia, with gorgeous pattern for softies ornaments and mobiles. Seriously cute!

Noia Land is always on my favourites list, I absolutely love her whimsical style. I have a couple of her fairy patterns which are just SO lovely!

And of course MMMcrafts is a firm favourite with her 12 Days Ornaments series. She has two more sets in the same beautiful style with Twas the Night and the Ebenezer Ornament Series.

I still love a good paper pattern which I always have in the shop. May Blossom by Simone Gooding is one of my favourites with cute felt toys and ornaments in fresh colours.

I can't wait to get into a few more of these. 
Happy making and craft on!
Rebecca xx

You all know by now how much I love felt flowers. I've had this beautiful Sizzix Thinlits die for a while and have used a few bits of the nine dies included in the set, but not all of them together. Today was just the day to try them out.

These dies are super easy to use and will cut felt through most die cut machines using a thin die plate.

For this project I have used:
1x 100% Merino Wool Felt Sheet in Merlot
1x 100% Merino Wool Felt Sheet in Olive
1x 7" Embroidery Hoop
1x Sizzix Thinlit Dies by David Tutera

And of course my handy hot glue gun!

Cut out the felt as pictured above.
The die also comes with instructions on how many to cut and how to assemble.

Glue the bottom of the petals together and start assembling.
Start with the larger and work inwards in threes until finished.

Roll stamen up and glue into the centre.
Glue leaves to the back and then glue the whole lot onto the hoop.

A gorgeous flower for a fun wee project with lots of opportunity for variation.

Have fun.
Rebecca. xx

I always like to know where things come from and how we came to use them on a regular basis. Of course, my felt is the same. Before I started The Felt Factory I did a ton of research about where my felt would come from and its origins. I was thrilled to find suppliers who are very well established manufacturers with businesses that have been kept in the family for years. They sure know their stuff and the quality of their product is a reflection of their longevity in the felt business.

Wool Felt making is an ancient tradition and is considered to be the oldest known textile in the world. In Turkey, the remains of felt have been found dating back at least to 6,500 B.C.E.

The origins of felt have become entwined with our myth and legend throughout our history.

The story of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher tells while fleeing from persecution, the men packed their sandals with wool to prevent blisters. At the end of their journey, the movement and sweat had turned the wool into felt socks.

In Noah’s Ark the sheep, goats, camels and other animals that herded together in the Ark shed their fleece and during the voyage trampled it underfoot. After the animals left the Ark, Noah was amazed to find the floor carpeted in felt.

Throughout history and still today, Nomadic tribes of Central Asia use felt as a covering for the main wood frame of their Yurts. As a readily available fibre, felt provides warmth and insulation for cold climates.

Our gorgeous Merino Wool Felt is made by wet felting. In the wet felting process, hot water is applied to layers of wool, while repeated agitation and compression causes the fibres to hook together or weave together into a single piece of fabric. The fabric is then dyed to the perfect colour and stretched into the correct width and length.

Our Wool Blend is made by needle punching. Plant based fibres, like our Rayon fibres, have a smooth structure, needing a different process than traditional felting methods required for pure wool. The wool and rayon fibres are layered into a loose matt, then entangled by needles punching through the matt. The needles are made with barbs that hook or latch onto the fibres interlocking them as the needles move continuously in an up and down.

Around the world our manufacturers are using new applications of these old technologies, producing beautiful felt in saturated colours of constantly high quality. We love everything felt and absolutely love bringing these beautiful fabrics to New Zealand.

xo, Rebecca.