How to Make a Ladybug Hair Pin With Felt
Felt is made from a process of heating wool with hot water and steam and pressing it into a solid piece. This process of pressing wool increases the original waterproof properties of wool. Felting was originally used to create watertight wool clothing, coats and hats. Today, commercially made felt is a widely used craft item readily available in many colors. Felt is often sold by the yard or in 12-inch square pieces. Use felt to create a whimsical ladybug hairpin for a young lady in your life.
Things You'll Need
- 12-inch square of red felt
- 12-inch square of black felt
- 2-inch circle for tracing (tall skinny vases or a shot glass)
- White chalk
- Scissors
- Googly eyes
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Bobby pin
Instructions
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1
Trace a 2-inch circle on the red felt with the white chalk. Cut out the circle with scissors and brush off any excess chalk from around the edge.
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2
Cut out a 1-inch oval from the black felt with scissors. This doesn't have to be perfect. Little imperfections in the symmetry add to the whimsy of the ladybug.
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3
Glue the black oval to the red circle by slightly overlapping the two at one edge and using a dot of hot glue. The black oval is the ladybug's head and the red circle is the body.
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4
Cut three, 1/4-inch black dots from the black felt with scissors to use as the ladybug's spots. Glue them to the red felt circle in the pattern of your choice with small dots of hot glue.
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5
Glue two googly eyes onto the black oval using small dots of hot glue on each.
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6
Separate the bobby pin with your fingers and hold the sides apart while you glue on the ladybug. This will keep the hot glue from gluing the bobby pin together. Put a line of hot glue down the center of the underside of the ladybug and gently press it to the top of the bobby pin. You can glue the ladybug on vertically or horizontally, depending on your preference.
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Tips & Warnings
Use small buttons or beads instead of googly eyes to make a more sophisticated ladybug.
Very little felt is used in the project, a 12-inch piece can create many ladybug hairpins. Alternately, you can use felt scraps you have on hand.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ladybug image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
