How to: Owls Made With Wool

Design your owls using brilliant colors of wool.

Stitch together an owl using wool for a cushy, enduring feathered friend. Then, give the newly fashioned, winged creature to a child as a stuffed animal worthy of becoming a permanent tea party guest. Or, sew a pair of the owls in colors of wool that coordinate with your living room decor. Toss the set of owl-shaped pillows on your sofa for a bit of the unexpected. Consider making holiday-themed owls, such as black and orange birds, for Halloween, to add to your holiday decor.

Things You'll Need

• 80 percent to 100 percent wool sweater, adult women's large
• Mesh garment bag
• Scissors
• Chalk
• Wool felt craft sheets
• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery floss
• 1 pound to 3 pounds stuffing, such as fiberfill or leftover felted wool
• 2 - 2-inch-wide round buttons

Instructions

1. Stuff a recycled wool sweater that is an adult women's large size in a mesh garment bag. Wash the sweater in a washing machine on the hot water setting; use laundry soap as needed to clean the sweater. Dry the sweater on high heat.

2. Remove the sweater to see if it has felted. The sweater will be felted when you cannot stretch the fabric apart when you pull it and you cannot identify individual stitches; the process binds the weave of the fabric tightly. Repeat the washing and drying procedure until the wool has felted, if necessary.

3. Cut off the arms and down the side seams of the sweater so you have two, flat, felted, wool pieces. Save the arms and scraps of felt for a future craft project or for stuffing the owl.

4. Draw an oval shape that is 6 inches by 9 inches on each of the two, flat, felted wool pieces using chalk. Cut out the oval shapes.

5. Stack the ovals on top of one another. Sew the edges of the oval using a whipstitch with an embroidery needle and floss; use a contrasting color of embroidery floss, if desired. Leave a 4-inch opening unsewn.

6. Stuff the ovals with manufactured stuffing material, such as fiberfill, or with the scraps of felted wool remaining from the sweater using the 4-inch opening. Add 1 pound to 3 pounds of stuffing, as the amount depends on how full you want the owl. Sew up the opening of the ovals to complete the body of the owl.

7. Cut two, equal-size circles from a sheet of wool felt crafting material; make the circles each half the width across of the head of the owl, which will be either end of the oval. Sew the circles onto the face of the owl near the top for the base of the eyes; use a running stitch. Stitch a 2-inch-wide, round button to the center of each circle.

8. Cut a 2-inch-wide equilateral triangle from a sheet of the wool felt for the owl's nose; use a different color of felt than you used for the eyes. Sew the triangle below the eyes with one of the corners pointed down; use a running stitch to complete the owl.

Tips & Warnings

• If the wool sweater you are felting lists on its tag that it is machine-washable, you will not be able to felt it; try another sweater or use wool felt craft sheets in place of the sweater material. When you are felting the sweater, the process could take several attempts before it is ready to use. Choose wool felt craft sheets to embellish the owl, rather than using the scraps of the felted wool sweater, because the craft sheets are thinner and more convenient for cutting.

References

• CraftStylish; How to Felt Sweaters; Diane Gilleland; June 2008
• CraftStylish; How to Make a Felt Baby Toy With a Crinkly, Crackly Recycled Surprise!; Susan Beal; April 2009