DIY Seal Felt Ornament (with Pattern)

I am so excited to share with you a new DIY felt ornament tutorial – and also announce that I have finally designed and made available my own felt ornament patterns for you to use.

Since making my first DIY felt animal ornaments – and the many DIY felt ornaments that followed (felt gingerbread houses! felt moons! beaded hearts! felt cookies!) – I have been asked to make patterns for you to use at home.  There are 5 new Tundra themed felt animal patterns available now, and I’ll be continuing to add more designs.  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know.

Please note: the pattern listings are for a PATTERN ONLY – they include a very simple set of (printable) instructions (no photo tutorial), but I will be creating a free, photo-filled, blog post tutorial for each of my new designs, starting with this DIY seal felt ornament.  But you’ll notice that the basic steps for creating my felt ornaments are pretty much the same for all of my past felt ornament tutorials and newly launched designs so you can get started right away.  Hopefully having printable patterns will make this felt craft idea even easier – and more enjoyable – for you!

Supplies:

• My Seal 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:

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 – along with some items that will make the task easier for you, but don’t feel pressured to buy it all – or buy it all at once.  This CAN be a very economical craft.

Find more DIY felt ornament supply suggestions here, but I recommend supporting your small, locally owned bead/craft shops, because it’s more fun to shop for beads in person!  You can find felt at craft stores and fabric stores, if you’d prefer to purchase by the yard.

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.

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.

How to Make a DIY Seal Felt Ornament:

1. Print out my felt seal ornament pattern.
2. If using plain paper: cut out each of the three shapes and trace onto felt with a fine tipped permanent marker.
3. Cut out the three shapes, inside the marker lines, with short fabric shears.
4. If using Freezer Paper or Wash Away Stabilizer: roughly cut out each shape first, then either iron/stick onto felt.
5. Cut out the three shapes, following the pattern, 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 5 steps:
8. Stitch on “tail” bugle beads.
9. Stitch on a sprinkle of glass seed beads for “snow”.
10. Stitch on 2 bugle bead “whiskers”.
11. Stitch on 5 bugle bead “claws” to the flipper shape.
12. Sew the flipper shape onto the front of the seal (dissolve the stabilizer first, if using).
13. Still using a beading needle, switch to black thread for the next step:
14. Stitch on the 3mm black round “eye” bead.
15. Switch to a hand sewing needle and white thread for the following 7 steps:
16. Using a blanket stitch, sew together the front and back of the seal, starting at the bum (marked on pattern).
17. Stitch along the top of the ornament, until the chest area (marked on pattern).
18. Stop sewing and stuff the top of the ornament with poly-fil batting.
19. Use a pencil/capped pen or stuffing tool to work small sections of stuffing at a time into the tail and nose.
20. Once the top has been stuffed, keep sewing but stop every inch or so to add more batting.
21. Repeat until the ornament is fully stuffed, and you’ve sewn the ornament fully closed.
22. Once you have sewn the seal closed, knot the thread to secure it, bury the end and trim the thread.
23. Still using a hand sewing needle, switch to black thread for the next step:
24. Add a few stitches, starting from the back, to create the “nose” shape.
25. Knot the black thread at the back of the ornament (on the “nose”), bury the end and trim the thread.
26. Still using a hand sewing needle, switch to green thread for the next step:
27. To hang, use a needle to string (preferably green) thread across the back.
28. Form a loop with the thread and secure with a knot.

Detailed Instructions for How to Sew a Felt Seal Ornament:

Printing and Tracing the Pattern onto Felt:

Print out my felt seal ornament pattern.  If using plain paper: cut out each of the three shapes and trace onto felt with a permanent marker.  If using Freezer Paper or Wash Away Stabilizer, roughly cut out each shape first (because this will waste less felt), then follow the manufacturer’s instructions and either iron/stick onto felt.  Now cut out the shapes precisely and move onto beading.

Adding Decorative Beading:

Tips for Beading: I recommend sewing on all beads with a thin beading needle and white thread – regular hand sewing needles will go through some beads, but not all.  I also like to stitch through each bugle bead twice, as they can have sharp ends (depending on the quality/brand).  I stitch seed beads through only once.  For my ornaments, I’m using 12mm bugles for the tail/whiskers, but I designed the pattern for 9-10mm because shorter beads will be easier to work with.

If you’re using the wash away stabilizer method:

1. Stitch on the 5 bugle bead “claws” to the flipper shape.
2. Stitch the beading onto the body of the seal.
3. Then rinse away the stabilizer.
4. Sew the flipper onto the seal body.
5. Switch to black thread to sew on the 3mm black bead for the “eye”.

I prefer to stitch the flipper onto the front of the seal first, and then do my beading.  If you’re using the printer paper or freezer paper method, you can do so as well.  So this is the recommended order of steps:

1. Stitch the seal “flipper” onto the body of the seal.
2. Stitch five 5mm beads onto the flipper.
3. Start at the “tail” end, stitching bugle beads onto the tail.
4. Working along the body, toward, the head, adding a sprinkling of seed beads as “snow”.
5. When you reach the head, sew 2 more bugles as whiskers.
6. Switch to black thread to sew on the 3mm black bead for the “eye”.

Stitching on the Flipper: Knot your thread and bring your need up through the back of the felt, a few mm from the inside edge of the flipper.  Bring the thread over to the outer edge of the flipper and push it back through to the bottom of the felt.  Work your way around and repeat this stitch.  Hold the flipper with your finger or pin in place temporarily while you stitch.  Once you’ve stitched around the entire flipper, knot the thread on the back, bury the thread end and trim.

Stitching on Bugle Beads: Knot your thread and bring the needle up through the back of the felt at edge of the flipper.  Slide on a bugle bead and hold it in position with your finger.  Bring the needle back down through the felt, close to the opposite end of the bead.  Bring it up again in the first spot, slide through the bead again and bring the needle to the back again.  Repeat for each bugle, then tie off the thread, bury the end, and trim thread ends.  Duplicate this process for the tail and whisker beads, following the placement on the pattern or choosing your own.

Stitching on the Seed Beads: Knit your thread and bring your needle up from the back of the felt.  Slide on a seed bead, and then bring the need back down through the thread a mm from where you came up with it.  No need to double stitch seed beads.  Move your needle to a new spot, and repeat.  When finished, tied of thread at the back, bury the ends and trim excess thread.

Stitching on the Eye: Switch to black thread.  Knot your thread and bring it up from the back, slide on a 3mm bead, then bring the needle back down 3mm from where you came up.  Repeat twice to stitch eye bead on securely, then knot the thread, bury the end and trim excess thread.

Now the ornament is ready to sew together!

You can bead the back, if you’d like, but I find my ornaments always “face” one way so I only bead the front.  But you could embroider a date, name, etc., on the back for added uniqueness.  Do so before you stitch the ornament together.

Stuffing and Sewing the Felt Ornament Closed:  Switch to a hand sewing needle and white thread.  Using a blanket stitch, sew together the front and back of the seal, starting at the bum (marked on pattern).

Stitching on the Nose: You can do this at the end, but I find it easier to do when the ornament is still flat/unstuffed.  Thread black thread onto a needle and knot it.  Bring it up from the back, a couple of mm from the edge of the ornament (marked on pattern).  Then repeat, looping the thread across the nose:

Stuffing the Ornament: Keep stitching along the top of the ornament, until the chest area (marked on pattern).  Stop sewing (you can leave the needle/thread dangling for now) and stuff the top of the ornament with poly-fil batting.  Use a pencil/capped pen or stuffing tool to work small sections of stuffing at a time into the tail and nose.  Once the top has been stuffed, keep sewing along the edge but stop every inch or so to add more batting.

Repeat until the ornament is fully stuffed, and you’ve sewn the ornament fully closed.  Once you have sewn the seal closed, knot the thread to secure it and bury the end.

Hanging the Ornament: Still using a hand sewing needle, switch to green thread for the next step: to hang, use a needle to string (preferably green, but you can also use the white or black – or even gold/silver) thread across the top of the tail.  Form a loop with the thread and secure with a knot.  Your DIY felt ornament is now ready to hang!

Here is the finished DIY Seal Felt Ornament!

I hope you will try this DIY seal felt ornament tutorial – or one of the many other felt ornament tutorials I have!

More Felt Ornaments Designs in the Shop!

Check out my shop to find more of my NEW DIY felt ornament patterns.  Use these felt ornament PDFs to make your own beautiful DIY felt animal ornaments and bring a little homespun merriment to this holiday season.  Make them in different colors, add little scarves – personalize them however you like!  Give them as gifts, turn them into garland or just enjoy these cute little creatures on your tree.  I’ll be sharing the tutorials for each soon, but the basic process is the same so you can already get crafting…