Recommended
Tools And Supplies:
Pre-cut felt owl pieces
6mm doll eyes
embroidery thread
hanging twine
toy filling
needle and thread
small sharp scissors
stuffing tool (chop stick and/or tooth pick)
Make Your Own Felt Owl Ornaments!
Owl #1 – Begin by cutting out all of the felt pieces as per the pattern.
You will need two different colored felts for the owl’s body, one for the
wings, and one for the legs.
There are several ways to cut out your felt pattern pieces. For best
precision use a pair of small sharp scissors. For those of you with personal
cutting machines, your file download includes files to upload and cut
with your machine.
Best practices for cutting felt:
- Trim the paper pattern pieces out and trace them onto your felt pieces using sewing chalk or marker.
- Trace the pieces onto freezer paper then iron onto felt and trim.
- Tape the paper pattern pieces onto the felt with some wide, clear packing tape. Then trim through the layers
of tape and paper.
Start by adding the embroidered decorative details to the front of the owl. I’ve created a diagram to help you sew the stitches in place evenly. Don’t worry about it being perfect! A little uneven texture adds interest and character to your handmade ornaments!
To transfer the diagram to your felt piece, poke holes through the dots on the paper diagram piece and apply dots to your felt by poking a marker through each of the holes. I recommend either using disappearing ink or apply the diagram to the inside of the felt.
The stitch we are creating is called a Fly Stitch. To create the stitch, begin by knotting the thread and send it
through the felt from the back at the top left or right side of the owl. Send the needle back in through the dot to the left. Pull the thread through until you have just a small loop of thread left. Send the needle back through from the back to front, sending the needle through the loop. Send the needle back through the felt, this time just below your last stitch. Gently pull the thread to pull the loop tighter and hold it into place in a “u” or “V” kind of shape.
To install safety eyes, poke a small hole )with scissors or a tooth pick) where you will place each eye. Insert the post from the back of the eye into the hole. Fit the washer onto the back of the post, then clip the end of the post off. If the eyes are fitting loosely you may have the washer on backwards, or you may need an extra layer of felt between the washer and eye. Another option for creating eyes would be to sew in very small buttons, beads, or stitch in eyes with embroidery thread.
Let’s begin sewing! If using embroidery thread you will want to split the thread down to one or two strands. Stitch the legs in place onto the felt at the inside of the owl. The best practice to sit the legs in place is to place a few stitches just along the surface of the thread, holding on through the width of the thread but not actually
coming through the opposite side. This is so you will not see the stitches at the back of the owl ornament.
Place the front and back pieces together and begin stitching at the edges in your preferred stitch. I like to use a blanket or whip stitch. Stitch all the way around the body of the owl leaving the top open to fill with toy stuffing.
Fill the owl with stuffing just to the top of the head/opening. Sew the opening shut and knot your thread without cutting it. Send the needle back into the head of the owl, exiting at the front middle of the face as shown above. Next knot your hanging thread at the front top of the head of the owl, sending it through the back.
Once the front of the face has been folded down, this will create a hanging loop at the top of the head.
Fold the top flap downward to create the front of the owl’s face. Use the thread hanging to stitch the flap
into place.
Once the flap is in place reinforce it with a few stitches then send the needle out of one of the side seams.
knot the thread and trim the end off.
Now to move on to adding wings!
Match the wing pieces together and stitch the edges 3/4 of the way around, leaving a small opening to add
toy stuffing. I like to ball up very small amounts of stuffing and push it into the wings with a toothpick or the end of a wooden craft dowel.
Sew the opening shut once full and repeat for the second wing. Pin the wings to the owl to determine where
you want them placed.
Knot the thread to one side of the owl just about where you want the wing to sit. Send the needle through the
body of the owl, out the opposite side through the top of the wing.
Send the needle back through the wing, just next to where your thread exited, creating about 1/8” stitch at the top of the wing. The needle will go back through the body of the owl and out the opposite side, and iopposite wing. Repeat this going back and forth through each wing, placing each stitch directly on top of the last, moving back and froth through the owl about 3 to 4 times.
This will hold the wings on securely but in a way that the wings and still be moved and posed.
Sewing Owl #2
To start sewing Owl #2, begin by sewing the circular eye pieces to the Face piece. Sew in the beak just in the middle bottom of the two eye pieces. Poke holes into the middle of the eye pieces to install doll eyes.
To add some details with embroidery thread, begin by threading your needle and knotting the end of a long piece of thread. Send the thread through from the back starting just outside of the top of one of the round eye pieces. Send the needle back through just before the hole created for the doll eyes. This will create a straight decorative stitch.
Send the needle back out again just below the hole, keeping a straight line, sending the needle back through once again just outside of the round felt piece. Repeat all the way around both eyes.
Install the doll eyes by inserting the post from the back of the eye into the hole. Fit the washer onto the back of the post, then clip the end of the post off.
Sew the finished face piece onto the front of the Main Owl Body piece.
Sew the felt flower piece onto the belly piece. Optionally you can choose to add a little bit of decorative detail by adding three French knots, or even just a few straight stitches or tiny X’s. Just above the flower.
Sew the belly piece onto the front of the Main Owl Body piece. Stitch the legs and hanging string into place by sewing a few stitches over the surface of the felt as we did with the first owl ornament.
Match the front and back owl pieces together and begin stitching the edges leaving a small space open for
stuffing. Fill with toy stuffing then sewing the owl shut.
Match the wing pieces together and stitch the edges 3/4 of the way around, leaving a small opening to add
toy stuffing. I like to ball up very small amounts of stuffing and push it into the wings with a toothpick or the end of a wooden craft dowel.
Sew the opening shut once full and repeat for the second wing. Pin the wings to the owl to determine where
you want them placed.
Knot the thread to one side of the owl just about where you want the wing to sit. Send the needle through the body of the owl, out the opposite side through the top of the wing.
Send the needle back through the wing, just next to where your thread exited, creating about 1/8” stitch at the top of the wing. The needle will go back through the body of the owl and out the opposite side, and opposite wing. Repeat this going back and forth through each wing, placing each stitch directly on top of the last, moving back and froth through the owl about 3 to 4 times.
This will hold the wings on securely but in a way that the wings and still be moved and posed.
Finish sewing the wings by knotting your thread off under one of the wings. Viola! You’re done! Great Job!
