DIY Felt Fox Ornaments (with Pattern)

Today I’m sharing TWO DIY felt fox ornaments with you – both with patterns available for instant download, alongside my other DIY felt animal ornament patterns.  The sitting fox felt ornament is very simple to sew, so it’s an excellent beginner friendly DIY felt ornament idea.  The leaping fox felt ornament is also straightforward to make, but the slender legs and slightly more dynamic shape would be easier to sew if you have already made a felt ornament or two – not to say that you cannot make it as your first DIY felt ornament project!

All of my DIY felt ornament patterns are very straight forward to make and pretty much follow the same steps, stitches and beading!

Supplies:

• My Sitting Fox Felt Ornament Template OR My Jumping Fox Felt Ornament Template
• Soft White Felt (not the stiff/rigid kind)
• White Thread (I like Coats & Clark Hand Quilting Thread – it’s thin enough for beading, but strong enough to sew the ornament together)
• Green Heavy Duty Thread (optional – for hanging)
• Black Thread (for the nose and stitching on the eye bead)
• Transparent Silver Glass Seed Beads (I typically use sizes 10/0 OR 11/0, but you can use what you have)
• White, Clear, or Silver Bugle Beads in both a 5mm AND 9-12mm size (this pack has multiple lengths)
• 3 mm Black Bead (for the eye)
• Poly-fil or Wool Batting/Stuffing
• Beading Needle
• Hand Sewing Needle
• Short Fabric Sheers
• Printer
• Fine Tipped Sharpie + Printer Paper OR Gypsy Quilter Freezer Paper OR Stick N Stitch Self Adhesive Wash Away Stabilizer
• Stuffing Tool (optional)

Notes on Supplies:

Find more DIY felt ornament supply suggestions here.  You do NOT need to purchase everything on this list.  For example: you can skip beading or add embroidered details instead, if you have those supplies already.  Repurpose stuffing from old pillows or use felt/fabric scraps to stuff the ornaments.  Stick to a sharpie for tracing and use that same sharpie to stuff the ornaments, if you don’t want to purchase the freezer paper or stuffing tool.  You can make these with very minimal supplies, but I’ve linked everything I’ve used, but don’t feel pressured to buy it all – or buy it all at once.  This CAN be a very economical craft.

Notes on Stick N Stitch Self Adhesive Wash Away Stabilizer:

If you ARE able to buy some “luxury” supply items, I really like the Stick N Stitch Self Adhesive Wash Away Stabilizer.  I designed my patterns ready to use with this material, because that way you can follow where to place the beads, if you don’t want to have to think about that while embellishing.  It makes transferring the shape to the felt so easy and adding the beads a snap – and then it just rinses away!  The freezer paper linked in the supply list is also a nice way to transfer shapes, if you don’t want to fuss with tracing, and it peels off very easily – but my preference is for the stabilizer.

It peels off like a sticker, and rinses away – so it could not be any easier to use!

How to Use My Felt Ornament Pattern:

This pattern is a digital download, available to use immediately.  It’s scaled to 8.5 x 11″ and can be printed with any printer onto any paper, cut out, and traced.  Alternatively, you can purchase Gypsy Quilter Freezer Paper OR Stick N Stitch Self Adhesive Wash Away Stabilizer.  You can then print the pattern onto either material and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  Here’s a rundown of each method:

• Printer Paper: Print the pattern onto any printer paper, cut out the shapes, and then trace them onto your felt with a thin sharpie. Cut out the felt shapes.
• Freezer Paper: Print the pattern onto freezer paper, roughly cut out the shapes, iron them onto the felt and then cut out around the template.  Remove the freezer paper.  Benefit: it’s a steadier process than simply tracing and you don’t need to draw on the felt.
• Wash Away Stabilizer: Print the pattern onto stabilizer, roughly cut out the shapes, then stick them onto the felt.  Cut out the shapes and stitch on the beads.  Then dissolve the stabilizer with water.  Benefit: this option allows you to take advantage of the additional details on my pattern, which indicate where to place the beads.  Note: if you cut the pattern out before applying to felt, you might struggle to see where to cut (see below):

Purchase My DIY Felt Animal Pattern PDFs:

 

Pattern Usage Rights:

Please note: this pattern is copyright protected and is for your PERSONAL USE ONLY.  It is not licensed to be shared online, used for commercial purposes, or sold.

DIY Felt Fox Ornament Instructions:

1. Print out my fox felt ornament pattern (this tutorial uses the jumping fox pattern).
2. If using plain paper: cut out both shapes and trace onto felt with a fine tipped permanent marker.
3. Cut out two shapes, inside the marker lines, with short fabric shears.
4. If using Freezer Paper or Wash Away Stabilizer: roughly cut out both shapes first, then either iron/stick onto felt.
5. Cut out the two shapes, following the pattern (inside the lines), with short fabric shears.
6. Remove the freezer paper, but if using wash away stabilizer you can leave it on for the beading steps below – remove before sewing together the ornament.
7. Thread a beading needle with white thread, for the following 3 steps:
8. Stitch on “tail” bugle beads.
9. Stich on “chest” bugle beads (sitting fox only)
10. Stitch on a sprinkle of glass seed beads for “snow”.
11. Still using a beading needle, switch to black thread for the next step:
12. Stitch on the 3mm black round “eye” bead.
13. Remove rinse away stabilizer, if using, before proceeding with sewing the ornament together.
14. Switch to a hand sewing needle and white thread for the following 7 steps:
15. Using a blanket stitch, partly sew together the front and back of the fox, starting and stopping point for ease of stuffing is marked on both patterns.
16. Stop sewing and stuff the top of the ornament with poly-fil batting.
17. Use a pencil/capped pen or stuffing tool to work small sections of stuffing at a time into the tail, legs (for leaping fox), head and nose.
18. Keep sewing, but stop every inch or so to add more batting.
19. Repeat until the ornament is fully stuffed, and you’ve sewn the ornament fully closed.
20. Once you have sewn the fox closed, knot the thread to secure it, bury the end and trim the thread.
21. Still using a hand sewing needle, switch to black thread for the next step:
22. Add a few stitches, starting from the back, to create the “nose” shape.
23. Knot the black thread at the back of the ornament (on the “nose”), bury the end and trim the thread.
24. Still using a hand sewing needle, switch to green thread for the next step:
25. To hang, use a needle to string (preferably green) thread across the back (leaping fox) or head (sitting fox).
26. Form a loop with the thread and secure with a knot.

How to Make a DIY Felt Fox Ornament – Detailed Instructions:

Below you will find detailed instructions and photos for how to sew a DIY felt fox ornament – but note that you can use this same method to sew any DIY felt animals, whether you’re using a pattern you’ve purchased or your own design.

Transferring a Pattern onto Felt:

You can print, cut out and trace my patterns onto felt with a sharpie or tailor’s pen/pencil.  Or you can print my patterns onto freezer paper or rinse away stabilizer – the latter is the method I’ll demonstrate here.  (But check out my DIY felt seal ornament to learn how to simple print and trace, using regular printer paper and a sharpie).  Print the pattern on the rinse away stabilizer and just rough cut it out.  Stick it onto the felt and roughly cut out the felt as well – it’s easiest this way because you retain the black lines as a guide on the white felt.

If you cut out the stabilizer perfectly the first time, you’ll have to really pay attention as it sort of disappears on the white felt:

Beading the Front of the Ornament:

Now it’s time to bead the front of the ornament – you can bead both sides, if you prefer, but I’m lazy and only do the one side.  If you’d like to follow my pattern, it shows you where to place the beads – but you are welcome to add more, do something completely different or even experiment with embroidery stitches and other embellishments.

To stitch on the bugle beads, thread a beading needle and knot.  Bring the needle up through the back of the felt, slide on a bugle bead and position it tightly against the felt with one hand.  Then poke the needle back through towards the back of the felt, at the very end of the bead so it’s held securely.  Repeat – stitching through each bugle twice will ensure it’s nice and secure.

To stitch on seed beads, it’s the same process except you only need to stitch through once:

As a last step, switch to black thread and stitch on the eye.  I used both a seed bead and a 3mm black bead when sewing my DIY felt fox ornaments – both look good!  So use what you have.  Stitch through the bead a few times if using the larger bead, to ensure it’s secure and not googly.

Rinsing Away the Stabilizer:

Here’s the neat part!  Once you’ve completed the beading for the fox ornament, rinse the ornament under lukewarm water and gently rub.  After a few seconds of water hitting it, the stabilizer will begin to dissolve and come away in small pieces.  You might need to use your nail to gently nudge any remaining piece out from under the bugle beads.  But this stabilizer generally removes very easily with gentle coaxing and water.  At this point, your felt will be soaked.  You can let it air dry, or sandwich it between layers on a tea towel and gentle iron on medium heat to speed up the drying process.

Sewing Together the Ornament:

Using a blanket stitch, sew together the front and back of the ornament – starting with the bottom of the ornament if doing the leaping fox, and the right side of the ornament if doing the sitting fox.  Basically, you just want to stitch the most complicated half closed first, so it’s easy to stuff.  To do a blanket stitch, bring your needle up through both layers of felt, over a few mm, and then push the needle back through the loop you created.

Stuffing the Ornament:

After years of using found objects for this step, I finally invested in a little stuffing tool.  It works pretty well to push in batting, especially around some tricky corners.  At this stage, stuff the batting into the tail, head and as far into the legs as you can.  Then continue sewing the ornament closed, stopping every inch or so to keep adding stuffing.  Repeat until fully stuffed and fully sewn closed.

Stitching on the Nose:

Placement for the “nose” is marked on the pattern, but please note you’ll be rinsing off the stabilizer before this step.  Thread a hand sewing needle with black thread, knot it, and bring it up from the back of the ornament, through both layers of felt, a few mm from the edge.  Then loop the thread around the front of the nose and repeat.  To make the triangle shape, try to bring the needle up in roughly the same spot but loop it back down in a fan shape.  Keep repeating until you’re content with the nose shape.

Hanging the Felt Fox Ornament:

To hang the felt fox ornament, thread green thread onto your hand sewing needle and loop it through the back of the leaping fox and through the top of the head of the sitting fox.  Tie off the loop and trim excess thread.  The green thread is my choice because it stays pretty much hidden among the branches of a green tree, but you can do gold or white or any color you like.

Finished DIY Felt Fox Ornament:

Here is the finished DIY felt for ornament!  The photo below is a different fox I made with this method and pattern, and I just wanted to show you what it looks like with a smaller “eye” bead.

DIY Sitting Felt Fox Ornament:

Here is the finished DIY sitting felt fox ornament using my pattern and pretty much the same steps as outlined above.  Each pattern comes with a set of printable instructions, so you’ll be able to follow the exact steps for this variation.

DIY Felt Fox Ornament Variation Example:

I used my sitting fox ornament to make a different variation, inspired by a dark grey fox that is responsible for taking my newly  hatched chicks this spring.  He’s beautiful, but if I catch him on my property again, I’ll be wearing him as a stole (harsh words for a vegetarian like me, but I’m angry!).  He sure is a beauty though:

Although I don’t like him, I took inspiration from his beautiful coat and changed up the beading on my arctic fox ornament to make this silver fox stunner:

I made this variation so you can get inspired to adapt my patterns to your own aesthetic!  Change up the beading, choose your own colors, and make this felt ornament pattern your own.  You can also re-use them seasonally – make a springy bunny and cute red fox for a pretty spring felt animal garland idea.

More DIY Felt Animal Ornaments!

Find all of my DIY felt animal ornaments patterns here, and check out these other blog posts for more DIY felt ornament tutorials:

• DIY Felt Seal Ornament Tutorial
• DIY Felt Gingerbread House Ornament Tutorial
• DIY Beaded Felt Moon Ornament Tutorial
• DIY Beaded Felt Heart Ornament Tutorial
• DIY Felt Cookies Ornaments Tutorial