Build A Felt Snowman

I’m a New Englander. Tonight, marks the first snowfall of the season for us. There is a love /hate relationship between snow with most New Englanders. Every year, I get excited when that first snowflake drops. It just does not feel like the holidays with out it. That first snowfall is so beautiful. It is perfect and untouched. It makes the ground & the trees glisten and it just invites you to come out & play in it. Then the problem is you do, then realize that it is also cold & wet and that you would rather be inside by the fireplace sipping your cocoa.

Last year was my daughter’s first winter. We couldn’t wait to take her outside & pull her around the yard in her sled, but once we got out there, I immediately began to worry about the cold. We pulled Mai around the yard a couple of times, took this happy family picture & then went back in the house where it was warm.

 I said to myself, “Next year will be better.” ” She will be older. We can build a snowman.”

Well the year flew by & here we are already into another winter. As the snow is touching down on the ground, I am already daydreaming about taking our daughter out in the snow again.

I know myself though & the paranoid mommy in me will probably do the same again this year. It made me think, I wish I could bring some of the fun of the snow into the warmth of our home.

I have seen a number of felt projects in my travels though Pinterest & other bloggers. I have seen the felt Christmas trees, advent calendars & a clever felt gingerbread house. Why couldn’t I make a felt snowman?

Let me just warn you ahead of time. I am not a seamstress. Sometimes I see some of the other posts on here, of recipes, family anecdotes, photos & crafts and it makes me feel a little inadequate. I am not a chef, I am not a writer, a photographer or a very good sewer.

I am a mommy, with big ideas, a tight wallet & all the best intentions, so occasionally my projects come out less than perfect. This would be one of those times.

FELT SNOWMAN

White Felt – I used about 2 yards

Black & orange felt (or colors of your own choosing)

Needle & thread

Sewing machine (optional, you may sew by hand if you do not own one)

Glue gun

Fiber fill (I used 2 30 oz bags)

Cardboard

Bean bags (I filled Ziplocks with rice)

FELT SNOWMAN

Decide how big of a snowman that you want. Draw out your circle on the felt.

Cut 2 of the same sized circles.

Sew the two circles together by sewing around the edges. Do not sew all the way around. Leave a large opening unsewn.

Stuff fiber fill in the open end.

Here was mess up #1. I originally made the snowman just with the fiber fill stuffing thinking that this was going to be stable enough to stay upright. I was wrong. I reopened the bottom of the snowman & filled the bottom with homemade bean bags of Ziplock bags & rice.

a piece of cardboard to fit the shape of the bottom of your snowman.

Place inside the bottom of the snowman with the bean bags on top.

Sew the bottom shut & then go and get a manicure because your nails look horrible.

Repeat all steps except for filling with bean bags & cardboard to form a second ball.

 Cut out circles using the black felt.

Cut on thin white strips to glue into the black felt to make it look like a button.

Cut out a carrot from the orange felt & make any other pieces that you would like for your snowman. Gather a hat & scarf.

If you are actually a seamstress, I am sure that you could bring a more polished look to this idea. The snowman is lumpy & I made a lot of sewing mistakes but my little girl loved her snowman. She was placing the button & coal pieces all over the place & thought that the scarf was his dress. She hugged him & tried to feed him some of her milk. Sometimes, imperfection can be beautiful…

                                                       Up next…Inside My Child’s Wild Imagination

Related topics:

http://perfectlyimperfectlovee.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/day-6-25-crafts-to-christmas/

http://kleckmusic.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/cotton-candycanes/

http://www.bloglovin.com/framehttp://handmadebysoo.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/traditional-christmas-tree-fairy-lights-hand-knitted/

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http://alaskaknitnat.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/quick-craft-felt-christmas-tree/

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