Hellobee

What kid doesn’t love a crown? All the little ones I know are simply drawn to them. I made a few of these felt crowns for our first annual BBQ this weekend when we will have little ones running around. You can make these super quick and easy, with no sewing required.  Well, mostly no sew. But I know even the novice crafter can stitch a few by hand!

You will need:

felt (2 sheets)
double sided adhesive sheets
scissors
crown template (this is the one from our chalkboard crown DIY)
embroidery thread and needle

1) You will need two sheets of felt. I used two shades of the same color. Cut 3 1/2″ strips lengthwise — each sheet makes two. Cut the adhesive sheets into 3 1/2″ strips as well. Each sheet makes 1, so make 2. 2) Lay out two strips of felt, peel back the adhesive on one side and press onto the felt, lining up edges. It doesn’t have to be perfect because we can trim it later. 3) Next peel back a second strip of adhesive and line up the two pieces of felt — each piece will cover about half of the sheet. Be sure to line up your seam carefully.  4) With the smaller strips of adhesive paper that were left over from cutting the larger strips, apply those to the remaining felt, trimming to size.

5+6) Peel off the backing to the adhesive. Hint: peel up a corner and using your fingernail, peel back the adhesive slightly. This will expose the backing and makes a tab to peel up easily.

7) Apply your first strip of felt to the center. Measure the remaining and cut the last strip in half to match. Press down into adhesive. Press the entire strip firmly and evenly, from the center to the edges. This ensures proper adhesion. Trim one long edge using a straight edge as a guide, the other edge will be cut so you don’t have to trim it.

8) Print and cut out your crown template. Tape together lining up your points, and trim to size for your child’s head, overlapping by one point. I actually made my template larger than I needed, so I can save it and use it again later, and then trimmed my crown after making it.   Lay your template on top of your felt and line up the bottom edge. Using the template as a guide to cut the points to the crown.

Measure the crown to your child’s head and trim one point larger than his head. Cut that last point in half and trim off the point. This forms a tab for overlapping the crown. Form the crown, tab the edge to the inside of the crown.

Thread a needle with embroidery thread in a coordinating color. Tie a knot in the end. Stitch through both layers from the inside of the crown to the outside. Make a straight stitch across the edge and back down through the single layer. Repeat until secure. The goal is to make a secure seam that looks clean — no need to be perfect just aim to be consistent. Finish your seam by knotting the other end to the crown. Hint: tie a knot and use your needle to hold it in place while tightening; this will put your knot exactly where you want it.

Note: I also saw after I had purchased the felt for this project that you can get felt by the yard in the same array of colors. This would make this project even easier and eliminate seams all together. If you don’t have access to yardage, you can fill in the seams easily by using the trimmings of the felt and filling in the gaps. Press gently with your fingers and voila, hidden seams.

These felt crowns are the perfect addition or beginning to your play closet. Make one or many for birthday parties (or BBQs) and little adventures are sure to follow.