Felt Reindeer Craft | Make A Wand or Ornament!

Instructions

1. Step 1 - Cut The Shape - Cut out the basic reindeer shape twice (back and front) by pinning your template to a folded piece of felt and trimming around. I got this shape from a simple picture from google but made it my own by adding a slightly more upturned nose and bottom. (See Image 1) For the ears, you will only need one layer and then cut a smaller version of the ear from the glitter felt to act as the inner ear. Cut out a basic antler shape and a small circle for a sparkly nose (I use a simple circle punch for this but it can easily be cut freehand too). (See image 2)
2. Step 2 - The Eye - Draw the basic half-moon shape and lashes onto the reindeer face using a fine line black marker pen, allow a few seconds to dry so it doesn’t rub and then using black embroidery thread do a running stitch going over this template. (See image 3) Depending on how thick you want it to appear you can use 3 or 6 strands of the embroidery thread. (See image 4) If you want it extra sparkly use a shimmer or glitter embroidery thread to go over your eye. You can use the same colour as the glitter ears and antler or go for something different.
3. Step 3 - The Nose - This can either be glued on at the end or sewn on before sewing the reindeer together. My preference is to sew it on so that it is extra secure!
4. Step 4 - The Ears - Take your brown felt ear and tack the smaller glitter ear on top, using a small stitch at the very bottom to ensure this does not show once ears are sewn in between the front and back of the reindeer. (See image 6)
5. Step 5 - Sewing Together - Lay the two reindeer shapes on top of each other so they match up with the eye and nose side on top. Place the ears and antler in position (personal preference on how high or low you want these to sit) as well as a small piece of ribbon folded over to create the hanger and pin these in place. (See image 7) Pin the rest of the reindeer together so that pieces won’t move as you are sewing together. Using your white embroidery thread (again your preference on how many strands of thread to use but I think using all six strands gives a nice stronghold when the reindeer is stuffed and also makes your stitching show up giving the overall look a more hand made feeling) start a blanket stitch around the two pieces. (See image 8) Generally, it is best to start either near the chest or the bum of the reindeer so you have a good gap when trying to stuff. It can be quite tricky to sew through the ears and antler but make sure that these are sewn securely so they don’t move when finished. Sew all the way around leaving a couple of centimetres gap at the end to allow you to stuff the reindeer. (Quick tip, use a plastic chopstick to help push toy stuffing into the legs and head to make sure it is stuffed well and help disperse the stuffing easily!). It is up to you on how much stuffing to use depending on how squishy or firm you want the figure to be. Just make sure your stuffing isn’t spilling out of the gap to ensure you can stitch the final part together.
6. Step 6 - The Tail - The final step is to glue on a small pom-pom to the bum of the reindeer to create its cute fluffy tail. You can use a glue gun or just some super glue to secure this. (See image 9)
7. Step 7 - To Make The Wand - Follow steps 1-4 as above and then go from the details below: Ribbon Tails - Cut 5 lengths of ribbons, it is your preference which type of ribbons to use but I like to use five different textured ribbons to create a great effect. Cut these roughly the same size as your dowel rod or a little bit longer. They don’t all need to be the exact same size either. Once these are cut secure these to the reindeer in between its legs by doing a small tack stitch. (See image 10) These will be more firmly secured when stitching the reindeer together.
8. Step 8 - Ribbon Swirl On The Dowel Rod - To make the dowel rod extra pretty add a ribbon swirl all the way around. Start by using your glue gun to secure the ribbon around one end of the rod, then twirl the rod keeping the ribbon tight so it curls down. (See image 11) Once you can see how much ribbon you need to cover the full rod cut it and secure again at the other end with glue, making sure this is neat as it will be on show. (See image 12)
9. Step 9 - Sewing Together - As with the hanging reindeer lay the two reindeer shapes on top of each other so they match up with the eye and nose side on top. Place the ears in position (personal preference on how high or low you want these to sit) and pin the rest together. As above sew together using a blanket stitch with white embroidery thread. Once you get to between the reindeer legs stuff the reindeer as much as you can (this will leave one leg left to stuff). Using your glue gun, glue one end of the dowel rod and push this into the stuffing between the legs, making sure the glue doesn’t drip onto any other part of the reindeer. (See image 13) Hold in place for a few seconds and then continue to stitch together, stuffing the remaining parts of the reindeer and closing together as with the hanging reindeer. (See image 14)
10. Step 10 - The Tail - The final step is to glue on a small pom-pom to the bum of the reindeer to create its cute fluffy tail. You can use a glue gun or just some super glue to secure this. (See image 15)