Sewing tutorial: create your own felt animal masks
Making felt animal masks is a fun, easy, and educational activity for children. All you need to make them is felt, glue, elastic, and a template. This tutorial is easy to follow because felt is a simple material to work with. The masks are designed for children ages 8 to 10, but they can be adjusted for different sizes by modifying the pieces during printing (reducing them by 5 to 10%).
These felt animal masks are perfect for any occasion! This activity is simple and easy to do with children and is accessible even to young children. In fact, this fun activity can be adapted according to the child's age. Here are some general guidelines on the appropriate ages for certain stages of the activity, as well as the skills developed with adult supervision:
- From 3 years old: Children can begin manipulating felt and engaging in simple activities like collage. This helps develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- From 5 years old: Children can begin using age-appropriate tools, such as safety scissors and fabric glue. They can cut the felt according to the templates with adult help. This strengthens their fine motor skills and confidence in their abilities.
- From 7 years old: Children can begin to assemble the masks more independently, which encourages their creativity and sense of accomplishment.
Here are the steps to create these adorable masks:
- Print the pattern for the mask of your choice.
- Cut out each pattern piece.
- Trace the pattern pieces onto the corresponding sheets of felt.
- Cut out each piece from the felt.
- Overlap and glue the different pieces of the mask.
- (After gluing the pieces together, you can sew them.)
- Punch a hole on each side of the mask and thread an elastic band through it.
The detailed shapes of these masks are available for download and are very easy to use. Each page represents a different animal:
- The panda with its round ears and black eyes, perfect for exotic animal lovers.
- The bright orange fox , with its pointy ears and finely detailed face, is ideal for those who love wild animals.
- The light brown doe, with pretty spots on the forehead and pricked ears, for those who prefer gentle and peaceful animals.
- The dark brown bear, with a gentle and friendly expression, for those who love strong and protective animals.
To ensure this activity is safe for children, choose a solvent-free glue, i.e., a water-based glue. BOHIN offers you a textile glue, suitable for felt, perfect for this activity. Important point: the drying time of water-based glue is longer. For proper use and conclusive results, remember to let the glue dry thoroughly once the piece is positioned, without touching it before it is dry. And there you have it, a mask ready to be worn! So, ready to start making these adorable felt animal masks?
Don't forget to share your creations on Instagram with the hashtag #madewithbohin .
We can't wait to see your pretty masks!
