How To Sew Felt Animals: 27 Ideas For Toys, Gifts & More!
Looking for good ideas on how to sew felt animals?
Hand sewing felt animals is a great way to make plushies, finger puppets, baby mobiles and more.
If you’re new to sewing, don’t worry! Felt animals are simple enough for beginners to make. Plus, you’ll find endless options for felt animals patterns to fit what you need.
I’m a bit of a sewing geek (since the good ol’ home ec days in middle school!) and I’m happy to share my best sewing tips and trends with fellow sewists like you.
From handmade felt stuffed animals to cute felt wool animals baby mobiles, get inspired with this ultimate collection of simple felt animals tutorials.
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How To Sew Felt Animals
Step 1: Choose Your Felt Animal Patterns
Step 2: Get Your DIY Felt Animals Kit Ready
Step 3: Cut Felt Animals Shapes
Step 4: Sew Felt Animals Pieces Together
Step 5: Stitch Felt Animal Details
Step 6: Add Stuffing (If Applicable)
When it comes to felt animals crafts, the options of super cute felt animals patterns you can make are endless!
The steps may differ slightly depending on if you’re learning how to make flat felt animals (2D felt animals) or how to sew felt plushies (3D felt animals).
Generally, these are the basic steps:
Step 1: Choose Your Felt Animal Patterns
To start making felt animals, pick the printable felt animal sewing patterns you want to work with. You can find awesome felt animal patterns on Amazon and Etsy.
If you’re creative, have a go at drawing your own animal felt patterns free-hand on paper.
Cut out the felt patterns to use as a cutting guide for your felt.
Step 2: Get Your DIY Felt Animals Kit Ready
You’ll need the following tools to hand-sew felt art animals:
- Craft or wool Felt. You can use either wool, wool blend or polyester felt, depending on your preference.
- Embroidery needle. Choose the smallest needle that fits the thickness of your thread.
- Fabric scissors
- Embroidery thread
- Stuffing (for making plushies)
- Craft eyes/googly eyes
- Pins
- Glue gun (optional; if you’re planning on making no-sew projects)
Step 3: Cut Felt Animals Shapes
Pin your patterns to make felt animals onto the felt fabric. Use as a guide and cut the craft felt animal shapes out.
Alternatively, you can use a Cricut Maker to do all the cutting for you.
Step 4: Sew Felt Animals Pieces Together
Assemble your felt pieces according to the guide or steps that came with your felt animals template. Sew the pieces together and voila! That’s how to make little felt animals.
How to stitch felt animals? You can use a combination of running stitch and whip stitch.
Step 5: Stitch Felt Animal Details
Stitch or glue finishing details like eyes, nose, and mouth to the hand sewn felt animals. For a little extra pop, use craft eyes or googly eyes.
Step 6: Add Stuffing (If Applicable)
If you’re making stuffed felt craft animals, insert stuffing before stitching the seams closed. Use a long and thin object like a chopstick or pencil to insert the stuffing.
How To Make Felt Toys:
1. Fuzzy Felt Farm Animals Finger Puppets (No-Sew Tutorial)
Looking for easy felt animals to make? It doesn’t get any easier than no sew felt projects!
Try this simple tutorial to make a set of horse, sheep, cow, and pig finger puppets. The pattern is simple enough to be drawn on your own.
I recommend this felt farm animal pattern if you like to follow felt pattern printables.
2. Felt Zoo Animals Finger Puppets
These zoo-themed miniature felt animals for kids are great for playtime! Follow the simple steps to make a set of easy sew animals.
To learn how to make felt animals for felt board, this design works great too! Use this zoo pattern for felt animals.
3. Felt Woodland Animals Finger Puppets
Keen to learn how to make felt woodland animals? Making this aesthetically pleasing set is a lot easier than it looks! This tutorial shares how you can make a set of felt fox, rabbit, reindeer, owl, and bear.
4. Peppa Pig Felt Animals DIY Finger Puppets
Fans of Peppa and the gang will love these finger puppets! Make story time all the more fun with this set of felt Peppa Pig, Rebecca Rabbit, Zoe Zebra, Emily Elephant, and Candy Cat.
Download these free Peppa Pig felt patterns.
5. Felt Fabric Animals Puzzle
Here’s a cute idea to learn how to sew felt animal puzzles!
Great as an engaging game for toddlers, these felt two-piece puzzles encourage early counting skills and learning about various animals and foods. You can use this felt animal puzzle pattern to make this.
6. Cute Mouse Felt Toy Animals For Cats
Making felt toys is a fun idea for pets too! Check out the tutorial to learn how to sew toy animals like this adorable mouse to keep your furry little one entertained.
This design can be used to craft handmade Waldorf felt animals too – just stick to natural materials like wool felt and cotton stuffing.
How To Make Felt Stuffed Animals:
7. Safari Felt Animals Plushies
Planning to make some felt jungle animals? These safari-themed mini felt animals are great as toys or nursery decor.
Follow the steps to learn how to sew animals using hand-drawn patterns. You can also use ready-made safari patterns for making felt animals.
8. Easy Felt Stuffed Animals: Adorable Baby Elephant
Hand sewing felt projects are great as an adorable gift or to add to your children’s toy collection. These interesting felt soft toy patterns include pretty details like curved trunks and braided tails for a truly unique look.
9. DIY Felt Plush Puppies
Learning how to make cute felt animals isn’t difficult. For easy to sew stuffed animals, try making these mini puppy plushies.
Download this free felt dog template.
10. Plush Felt Sea Animals
Here’s a beautiful ocean-inspired felt animals how-to, check out this fun tutorial on how to make a felt plush mermaid, starfish, penguin, crab, and tortoise.
You can draw your own patterns to make these sea plushies, or use these ready-made patterns for felt sea animals.
11. DIY Felt Woodland Animals: Teddy Bear
Teddies are such timeless felt stuffed animals to have. This woodland bear tutorial is a great way to learn how to sew stuffed animals for beginners.
Download the teddy felt animal patterns free template.
12. DIY Felt Stuffed Animals: Dinosaur Plushie
Are your kids in their Jurassic phase? Then make their day by learning how to sew a felt doll dinosaur! This friendly T-rex gets its playful look from a fun mix of vibrant-colored felt.
Download the free dinosaur felt free patterns.
13. Cat Plushie With Felt Needle Animals Details
Inspired by Japanese felt animal patterns, this super cute cat design uses an optional simple needle felt animals step to add some extra details to the eyes.
This needle felt animals DIY technique requires a felting needle and wool to create the intricate look.
Download these free felt cat patterns.
PS. Learning from “how to felt animals tutorials” on YouTube is a great way to pick up this useful technique. So if you’re keen to make easy needle felt animals, check out this little needle felt animals tutorial.
For more inspiration on what to make, take a look at these needle felt animal patterns. You’ll probably find needle felted animals free patterns from your favorite craft bloggers too!
How To Make Felt Animals For Baby Mobile:
14. Woodland Bear Fuzzy Felt Animals Mobile (No-Sew Tutorial)
Forest-inspired handmade felt animal patterns are a natural fit for any woodland-themed nursery with its felt bear, snow-capped mountains, and pine trees.
The best part about this specific design: you don’t have to worry about how to sew little felt animals! This pretty baby mobile is completely no-sew, making it easy for beginners to learn how to make a felt stuffed animal.
PS. See those cute felt balls used in this design? They are made using a separate technique called felting. You can use ready-made felt balls but if you do want to upskill, you can learn how to sew a felt ball.
15. Felt Ocean Animals Baby Mobile
If you’re just starting to learn how to make felt animals for mobiles, try this super simple mobile design. This mobile features a set of sea-themed felt craft patterns for animals: starfish, seahorse, whale, and clownfish.
You can make your own free felt craft patterns or use this similar felt ocean animals template.
16. Felt Safari Animals Baby Mobile
Add a wilderness vibe to the nursery with this colorful baby mobile. This safari hanging decor features a set of tiny felt animals, including, an elephant, tiger, giraffe, hippo, and zebra.
This tutorial comes with one of the coolest free felt animal sewing patterns I’ve seen that you can download from the YouTube video description.
17. DIY Felt Animal Mobile With Elephant Plushies
If neutral vibes are your thing, get inspired with this aesthetically-pleasing felt baby mobile.
Learn how to make stuffed animals out of felt with this elephant plushies tutorial. Complete the look with soft clouds, stars, and a moon to add a dreamy feel.
Try this baby elephant pattern felt animals design for something similar.
18. DIY Felt Animal Mobile With Whale Plushie
How to make felt animals easy? Stick to minimalist designs! With this simple ocean-inspired set, all you need is a felt whale, starfish, and cloud to spruce up the crib.
Grab the free felt patterns animals design in the YouTube video description.
How To Make Christmas Felt Animals & More Holiday Crafts:
19. Baby Dove Felt Ornaments Animals (No-Sew Tutorial)
How do you make felt animals for Christmas? Start with these handmade baby doves!
They may look complicated but there’s actually no sewing required – all you need to do is cut and glue.
It’s the perfect design if you’re wondering how to make felt animals for beginners.
20. Felt Christmas Animals: Reindeer Plushie
Planning to make some handmade felt animals for Christmas decor? These cute reindeer plushies are perfect if you want to cut and sew stuffed animals for a festive touch around the house.
Check the YouTube video description to download the reindeer felt animal templates for free.
21. Christmas Penguin Felt Animal Ornaments
If you’re wondering how to make small felt animals for Christmas, here’s a design you can try! These scarf-sporting penguins are great as tree and wreath ornaments.
There are two parts to this tutorial. Make sure to check out the second part too. This tutorial includes the free felt animal templates to make this design – check the YouTube video description.
22. Swedish Christmas Horse Felt Animals Ornaments
For Scandinavian-inspired Christmas decor, sew cool animals like this traditional Swedish Dala horse. Its unique design is a fun take on popular Gluckskafer felt animals.
Not only do they make a colorful addition to the Christmas tree, these seen-on-Pinterest felt animals can be given as cute handmade gifts as well.
This pattern is simple enough to be drawn by hand. If you prefer to have a template for 3D felt animal patterns like this, I recommend trying this cute Dala horse pattern.
23. Woodland Felt Animals Masks For Halloween
DIY felt masks are an easy and inexpensive way to make Halloween costumes for the family. This felt forest animals set serves as inspiration if you’re keen to make a deer, fox, or raccoon design.
24. Easy Sew Stuffed Animals: Felt Easter Bunny Plushies
Add some Easter cheer to your home with these adorable carrot-covered bunny plushies! This versatile felt sewing animals design can be used for other occasions too like birthdays and family celebrations.
The free felt pattern PDF is available in the YouTube video description.
How To Create Felt Animals For Accessories:
25. Japanese Felt Animals: Totoro Phone Hanger
Add some cuteness to your phone with a felt animal hanger. Bonus points if it’s cute Japanese felt animals from your favorite shows. I think this Totoro one is just too adorable!
It’s a quick and easy project if you want to learn how to make animals out of felt. Grab the Totoro free felt templates animals design in the YouTube video description.
26. Googly Eyes Felt Bee Keychain
Here’s another idea for easy felt animals to sew!
This cheery felt bee keychain is simple to make and adds such a feel-good vibe to anything it’s attached to. The googly eyes add a cute touch to felt crafts animals!
Drawing a felt bee pattern like this is pretty straightforward. If you prefer downloadable patterns for small felt animals, try this felt bee pattern.
27. Tropical Felt Flamingo Keychain
Try this playful inspiration for felt animals to sew if you’re a fan of tropical vibes! You can use this fun flamingo-pineapple combo as a keychain, party decor, or door gift.
The link to the free felt sewing patterns for felt animals is provided in the YouTube video description.
How To Sew Felt Animals FAQ
Is Making Felt Animals Easy?
Yes, making felt animals is easy! You won’t need sewing skills if you’re doing a no-sew design. If you want to sew your own felt animals, you can blanket stitch felt animals or use other basics like whip stitch and running stitch.
Is It Better To Sew Or Glue Felt Animals?
Sewing felt is a long-lasting and strong option, there are occasions when it is faster and better to glue felt. It depends on your project.
Glue is perfect for no-sew felt cute animals if you won’t need to wash the final product.
Do You Need Fabric Scissors For Felt?
Yes, you need fabric scissors for felt. This helps to give clean-cut edges to your pattern pieces.
You can use bigger fabric scissors (shears) for large felt animals and smaller ones to make cutting curves and edges easier, but either way, definitely get yourself some good fabric scissors.
What Is The Best Stitch For Felt Animals?
The best stitch for felt animals is the whip stitch. This simple stitch is often used to close the sides of the fabric and creates a neat seam. It’s an especially popular choice for making stuffed felt animals.
Can You Sew Felt Animals On A Sewing Machine?
Yes, you can sew felt animals on a sewing machine. Felt can be stitched by hand or embroidered as well.
Felt is a versatile, beginner-friendly material to work with. In my opinion and experience, hand stitching is the best option for sewing small felt animals and sew only larger felt animals on a sewing machine.
More Felt Animal Ideas & Resources
- Get more inspiration with this classic felt animals book: How to sew little felt animals by Sue Quinn
- Japanese templates for felt animals are wildly popular. If you’re a fan of kawaii patterns of felt animals, get this highly-rated book on Japanese-style felt animals to make.
- Looking to make Disney felt animals patterns? Check out these templates for making felt animals from your favorite shows.
- Learn a fun technique using felt to make cutesy eyes for your toys: How to make felt toys for stuffed animals
- Looking to buy felt animals while you work on your sewing skills? Check out felt animals Etsy stores for felt cute animals.
- If you’re looking to turn your hobby into a business, Etsy is a great place to put your felt animals for sale too!
How To Sew Felt Animals: Wrap Up
Learning how to sew felt animals is perfect if you’re looking to make toys, nursery decor, cute accessories, and more! I hope you’ve found inspiration to sew many animals for various projects.
Try a tutorial on how to put together no-sew felt animals if you prefer something beginner-friendly. Otherwise, you’ll just need to master some basic stitching techniques to make your own felt animals.
Making a few felt animal templates is also a great starter skill to have before moving on to more advanced crafts techniques like learning how to felt wool animals.
Keen to learn more about how to sew on felt? Check out my ultimate felt sewing guide!