Sewing a Felt Butterfly

Turn wool roving into a whimsical butterfly.

When you have a child who is interested in butterflies and moths, you can encourage this wholesome interest by showing him how to make his own butterfly using basic craft materials. For example, felt together soft wool roving to create a whimsical felt butterfly that your child can hang up on a wall, place on a nightstand or play with during pretend play. You can even create a few felt butterflies to construct a colorful and decorative butterfly mobile.

Things You'll Need

• Jelly roll tray
• Oil soap
• Spoon
• Butterfly-shaped cookie cutter
• Wool roving, colored
• Nylon thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Fill a jelly roll tray with hot water, and pour in 1 tbsp. of oil soap. Stir the mixture with a spoon for one minute to properly combine the two ingredients.

2. Place a 4-inch wide butterfly-shaped cookie cutter into the soapy water, and fill the cookie cutter with 8 oz. of wool roving. The wool will puff out at first.

3. Hold the cookie cutter firmly onto the jelly roll tray, and then tap your fingers into the cookie cutter for 10 minutes. This will felt together the wool on the facing side.

4. Lift up the wool butterfly, and turn it over. Lay it back inside of the butterfly-shaped cookie cutter. Tap the newly facing side of the wool for 10 more minutes to felt it, as before.

5. Rinse out the felt butterfly under hot water, and then squeeze out the excess water with your fingers. Lay the butterfly onto a towel to air-dry for 30 minutes.

6. Cut a piece of nylon thread with scissors to measure 4 inches long. Tie the thread into a knot widthwise on the felt butterfly. This will cinch together the middle of the butterfly to make it look even more realistic.

Tips & Warnings

• Use different colors of wool roving to create a multicolored felt butterfly.

• Keep sharp scissors out of the reach of children.

References

• Outback Fibers: Beginner Felt-Making Instructions
• Owning Alpaca: Fun Wet Felting Wool