How to make felt animal Christmas decorations

Spread Christmas joy with Anastasia Telegey’s kawaii-cute animal decorations. The only stocking filler cuter than these felt animals would be a tiny fluffy kitten – fact. Soft, squishy, and with the sweetest faces, you can hang them around your home, use them to decorate the Christmas tree or give them as mini gifts.

Antasia has created three felt animal Christmas decorations in a penguin, polar bear and reindeer patterns. They’ll all bring some festive cheer to your home. These felt animals are super easy to make and only use a few stitches.

Now it’s over to Antasia for her felt animal tutorials…

How to make felt animal Christmas decorations

You will need

• Soft toy filling
• Toy safety eyes, 8mm (⅛”)
• Sewing needle
• Matching sewing thread
• Embroidery needle
• Black embroidery thread
• Thread for hanging
• Fabric glue
• Erasable fabric marker
• Pink colouring pencil
• For the penguin
  • Black, white, red and orange felt
• For the bear
  • White, black and blue felt
• For the reindeer
  • Dark brown, light brown, beige and black felt

Templates from Mollie Makes templates issue 73

How to make felt penguin Christmas decorations

Step 1

Using the templates, cut out all penguin pattern pieces.

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Step 2

Add a few drops of fabric glue to the reverse of the white face and tummy piece, then stick to the body piece, using the picture as a guide.

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Step 3

Blanket stitch around the edge of the face and tummy piece with white sewing thread.

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Step 4

Use the tip of a pair of embroidery scissors to make two holes for the eyes. Insert the safety eyes, then add on the connectors at the back, sliding each connector onto the post as far as it will go.

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Step 5

Embroider the eyelashes using straight stitch and black embroidery thread, then glue on the beak.

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Step 6

Pin the two body pieces with wrong sides (WS) together. Add a few drops of glue along the wider top parts of the feet, then position between the two body pieces, pressing down to secure.

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Step 7

Blanket stitch around the body, adding a loop of thread at the top and leaving an opening on one side. Stuff, then sew the gap closed.

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Step 8

Tie on the scarf. Rub the pink pencil onto the penguin’s cheeks and smudge with your finger.

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How to make felt polar bear Christmas decorations

Step 1

Using the templates, cut out all bear pattern pieces.

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Step 2

Glue the face piece onto the head using the picture as a guide, then blanket stitch around the edge of the face piece. Glue on the nose.

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Step 3

Use the tip of a pair of embroidery scissors to make two holes for the eyes. Insert the safety eyes, then add on the connectors at the back, sliding each connector onto the post as far as it will go.

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Step 4

Embroider the eyebrows and mouth using straight stitch and black embroidery thread, using the picture as a guide. With WS facing up, glue the bear’s ears onto the top of the head back as shown.

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Step 5

Place the head front and back with WS together and blanket stitch around the edge, adding a loop of thread at the top for hanging and leaving an opening at the bottom.

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Step 6

With WS together, blanket stitch two arm pieces to join. Repeat with the other two arm pieces, then glue onto the WS of the body back.

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Step 7

Place the body front and back with WS together and blanket stitch around the edge, leaving an opening at the top for stuffing.

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Step 8

Stuff the head and body, then sew the gaps closed. Pin the head to the body and sew in place with ladder stitch. Go around the join several times to sew firmly in place.

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Step 9

Tie on the scarf, then rub the pink pencil onto the bear’s cheeks and gently smudge with your finger.

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How to make felt deer Christmas decorations

Step 1

Using the templates, cut out all reindeer pattern pieces.

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Step 2

Glue the face piece onto the head front, then glue three dots to the face piece using the picture as a guide. Glue three dots to the body front, then glue the smaller ear pieces onto the larger ear pieces. Glue the ears and antlers onto the WS of the head back.

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Step 3

Use the tip of a pair of embroidery scissors to make two tiny holes for the eyes. Insert the safety eyes with the connectors at the back, sliding each connector onto the post as far as it will go.

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Step 4

Glue on the nose, then embroider on the eyelashes and mouth as shown, using straight stitch and black embroidery thread.

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Step 5

Place the head front and back with WS together then blanket stitch around the edge, adding a loop of thread at the top for hanging and leaving an opening at the bottom of the head for stuffing.

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Step 6

Place the body front and back with WS together and blanket stitch around the edge, leaving an opening at the neck area.

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Step 7

Stuff the head and body, then sew the gaps closed. Pin head to body and sew in place with ladder stitch. Go around the join several times to sew firmly in place.

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Get the whole family involved in the felt animal fun

Since these cuties are so easy to make, why not get kids involved in putting together these felt friends? Help them cut out the shapes by pinning the templates to the felt or drawing around them with a fabric marker, then show them how to join the pieces with blanket stitch – just add hot chocolate for a fun family.

Discover more festive sewing patterns

We hope you’ve enjoyed making these felt animal Christmas decorations! For more festive makes, check out our best Christmas decorations to sew.