Felt Flowers

What You Do:

1. To start, cut out flower shapes from the felt. You can cut out large and small, multi-petal flower shapes, large and small individual petals, and partial flower shapes — as long as you keep the sizes between about 1 inch and 5 inches, you’re good to go. (If your child is working on tracing and cutting, you can make three multi-petal templates for her to use, one about 1-inch long, one about 3 inches long and one about 5 inches.)
2. Once you have a generous stack of flower parts to work with, start assembling your flowers. Start with a large flower shape for the base. (If you’ve gone the individual petal route, you’ll want to make a circle of large petals in an overlapping circle and attach them with needle and thread or fabric glue at this point, so that you have a solid base to work with.) Leave space for, or cut two small, side-by-side holes in the center of the base. This will be covered by your petal additions, but you’ll need a spot for the stem to go.
3. When your base is chosen and ready, layer smaller felt flower shapes on top of it until you come up with a combination you and your child like. Contrasting colors are fun and festive; colors in the same family, such as shades of pink or yellow, can also be quite dazzling. You can stick with the same color for each bloom if you want, but even a subtle variation in color makes these a little more interesting. Each flower should have at least three layers.
4. When your child is happy with the way her flower looks, use fabric glue or a needle and thread to attach the pieces. If you’re using a button or bead to make the center of the flower (optional), you can attach that now, too. Let dry if needed. Repeat to make as many flowers as you wish.
5. Carefully, slip the pipe cleaner into one of the holes you made earlier in the base of the flower, coming up through the bottom of the flower like a stem. Slip the pipe cleaner back through the second hole (as though you are making a stitch), then gently twist the short end around the longer stem end, right underneath the base of the flower, to secure.
6. Place in a vase or atop a birthday present and enjoy!