We’re now at the penultimate super crafty Christmas tutorial by DHG. We’re going to learn how to make magical felt stars to put on the Christmas tree. It’s a tutorial for those who love trying their hand at needle and wet felting, and as it’s quite simple anyone who’s good at a little craftsmanship can have a go. Get the kids to give you a hand, making it fun for everyone!
The artist who designed the stars for us is Micaela Losada from Lub Dup Felt. She’s a textile artist who is known, above all for working with felt and paper. We think she’s great as her style is simple yet refined at the same time and she usually chooses pastel and warm colours. Her pieces are always enhanced with some really original details and the quality of the final results are outstanding. Therefore, a huge thanks to Micaela for this exclusive tutorial!
Let’s get making felt stars!
MATERIALS
Carded maori wool col. Dune 40 g / 1.4 oz
Carded extra fine merino wool col. Sage 20 g / 0.7 oz
Chiffon 6 silk ribbon, 2.5 cm wide color Sage 3 mt
Quipa yarn col. Saffron 20 mt
Warm water
Soap
Bubble wrap
Scissors
Towel
Cardboard
Soft pencil
Needle embroidery
METHOD
We'll start by placing alternating layers of carded wool on the nylon bubble wrap. We start with Maori, then Merino, then Maori, Merino again and Maori to finish. The amount is indicative. The thickness of the star depends on the number of layers and how many stars you can cut off depends on the surface.
Over the last layer of wool we will place strips of silk ribbons. You can place them in different directions and even overlap them in some places. This will give an interesting texture and brightness to the surface of the stars.
Now wet with soapy water.
Cover with a piece of bubble wrap and press softly using both hands until the wool is completely wet, on top and under it.
Roll the material as a “sushi” piece and start rubbing backwards and forwards. Repeat the rolling process until your felt has shrunk 30 %.
Drain the cloth as much as possible and then stretch it again so that it’s flat.
Now you can mark and cut out stars. You can make them in different sizes and shapes. If you want you can use the help of cardboard molds.
Once the general shape has been cut out, you can cut the sides at an angle to achieve the effect of working in layers of different colors.
If you want your stars in felt to be curved you can let them dry over a bowl.
When the stars are completely dry you can start embroidering them. I'm not an expert in embroidery but I really enjoy practicing in the felt since I can "hide" the back of the stitches in the thickness of the piece. What i do is draw an outline over the star and then embroider over them with Quipa. If you like the idea, you can combine Quipa with some fine golden thread.
Finally you need to sew a loop of Quipa to your stars to be able to hang them from the tree.
They are ready!
You like our felt stars to hang on the Christmas tree? Have a go at making them yourselves and tell us how you got on! What’s more if you want to carry on experimenting, what about reading: how to make felt hearts for the Christmas tree. Have fun!
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