DIY Felted Wool Spring Poppy Pillow [tutorial]

I’ve been itching to make something using felted wool for a while.  I’ve always loved the rich, chic look of wool décor, especially pillows.  What I didn’t realize was how simple it was to make felted wool!  As soon as I realized all I needed was an old wool sweater, I rushed right out to my nearest thrift shop to start searching.  I decided I would use my felted wool to create an fun accent pillow for my bed, so I chose an old sweater in a bright, Spring green.  After about an hour, I completed my lovely Felted Wool Spring Poppy Pillow (which even Brett approved of)!

DIY Felted Wool Spring Poppy Pillow [tutorial]

MATERIALS:
*you won’t need the first three items if you already have a premade pillow

• fabric for your pillow base (I used a canvas drop cloth!)
• cotton pillow fill
• sewing machine
• old wool sweater (at least 75% wool)
• needle & thread
• scissors

METHOD:

How to make felted wool: Start with an old wool sweater.  Place it in the washing machine on the longest possible setting.  Remove the sweater from the washing machine and place it in a pillow case, dry the sweater on the hottest setting.  This simple process will turn your wool sweater into felted wool!

Now that you have your felted wool, cut it into small circles (approx. 2″ in diameter).

Next, you will need to create your pillow base.  Stitch a simple pillow form on your sewing machine, flip right-side-out, stuff it, then stitch up the open side.  You can skip this step if you are starting with a premade pillow =)

Now it’s time to attach your felted wool circles to your pillow!  This process is a lot like tufting.  Lay out the pattern of circles on your pillow, then, starting from the top of the circle, pull your needle all the way through the back side of the pillow.

Stitch the needle through the circle 5 or 6 times until you achieve a nice indent in the center of the circle.

Continue this “tufting” method for the rest of the circles.  Once complete, you’ll have your beautiful, new felted wool pillow!  This gives the circles a fun, poppy flower look!

I absolutely LOVE the fun pop of color my felted pillow added to my (all white) bedroom =)

PS. If you like the look of this pillow, you’ll love our DIY Irish Rose Wreath, St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner!

How’s about some more DIY home décor projects?  Find our favorites here!