Hellobee

Ahhh…fall. It’s nearly here and before too long there will be colorful leaves covering the ground. I love hearing the sounds of crispy, crunchy leaves underfoot. You know, until the rain comes and makes them a mucky mess. Let’s not think about that though.

This easy sewing project will result in leaves that remain crunchy and crinkly for a long, long time. Your kids will enjoy playing and perhaps even acting out an autumn day. So get ready to stitch up a whole pile!

You will need:

Felt in a variety of fall colors + black
Cellophane (or recycled packaging)
Black and brown embroidery floss
Scissors
Needle
Pins
Sewing machine (optional) with brown thread

Felt Leaf Pattern PDF

For each leaf, cut two shapes from felt. If you want your leaves to have happy little faces, cut out two eyes and a mouth.

The eyes can be tricky, but I’ve found that a quality hole punch will work on felt. Sometimes they only partially punch and you need to trim them the rest of the way, but it’s still easier than cutting by hand.

With two strands of black embroidery floss, stitch each face on one of the leaf shapes. Use the template pieces as a guide for the placement.

For each leaf cut two pieces of cellophane. Follow the templates, but try to cut them a little smaller than the felt shapes.

Crinkle the cellophane, then fold or scrunch it a little so it will fit inside the felt leaf pieces.

Place the cellophane between the felt layers and pin around the edges. If the cellophane tries to stick out, just tuck it in and add another pin.

Sew around the outside with brown thread.

If you’re using a sewing machine, sew around the edges several times, not worrying about keeping the stitching aligned. On curves and tight areas, just take it slow. The goal is to have it be a little sketchy and not too perfect.

Instead of a sewing machine, you can sew these by hand. Use three strands of brown embroidery floss and simple running stitch. For this look, only go around the outside one time.

Stitch the veins of the leaf with three strands of embroidery floss and running stitch. Use the templates as a guide, but you can pretty much freehand these.

You’ll be stitching through the felt and the cellophane so expect to hear a little “pop” with each stitch.

Give the leaf a little squeeze to hear its crinkle and crunch!

Now start making more leaves so they can all play together!

These leaves are so much fun to play with, especially for little ones who will enjoy the feel and sound. Keep an eye on the faces so they don’t fall off after some chewing (or simply leave them off). They are also pretty to have around as kid-safe fall decor!

Happy crafting!