Etsy is a dangerous place to leave me with some free time. After perusing for fun items and silly inspiration, I was instantly captivated by several sites selling felt play food. I literally laughed out loud when I saw a latte kit, as well as a muffin tin, whisk and bowl – all crafted from felt. I had no clue what kind of skill level was required for these projects (“intermediate” was listed on some of the patterns … but really, how does that translate to the felt novice?), but I decided this was something worth investigating.
With the assistance of my loyal friend Google, I found several sites with free felt food patterns, and I headed to my nearby JoAnn’s to check out their felt selection. I wasn’t deterred by several patterns talking about dying wool felt, speaking of “crafters felt” in four-letter-word tones. The little pre-cut … CHEAP … sheets of recycled fabric would be just fine for me.
In typical fashion, I started two projects at once – bowtie pasta and a sandwich. Every time I’d see the progress on an item, I’d just start laughing because it was so cute. This was really my first excursion with fabric and my sewing machine. My thought: I should probably tackle something a little more suited to a sewing newbie before I tore into pillow covers with zippers. Isn’t felt food a natural starting point?
I found patterns for all kinds of adorable items – sunny side up eggs, a grocery bag, bacon (complete with an internal pipe cleaner to make it “crinkle”), carrots, frosted animal cookies – the options really were wide open. And I became somewhat obsessed. Not only because my niece’s birthday was quickly approaching and I needed to mail her felt gift, but more so by the choices I wanted to provide for her. Of COURSE she should have the option between bread and toast when making her sandwich – this gift would be unacceptable otherwise!
I’ll admit … it got a little out of hand.
Luckily, the play food was a hit with the two-year-old, and I already have a head start on her expanded collection for Christmas. But to me, the most interesting aspect was the unintended ripple effect. As I’ve been sharing some of my crafting adventures with dear friends, I’m reminded by the surprised looks of many other friends that this is not a side I’ve expressed in awhile. It’s been so joyfully therapeutic for me to feel like I’m playing again while engaging in the creative process … and a good reminder not to put off that “therapy.”
Next up on the felt agenda: baby mobile for a friend. We’ll see how my replication and pattern-making skills shape up for this sweet little thunderstorm!
