diy felt love letters

i saw this cute idea somewhere, and knew i had to make some.
if you haven't discovered the joy of FELT yet, let me give you a few reasons to love it:

• it's cheap...like 25 cents for a 9x12 inch square
• it's edges are self-healing...you don't have to hem stitch the raw edges
• it's machine washable...handy for households with little monsters
• it's versatile...you can stiffen it, stuff it, glue it, staple it, etc...
• it gives you instant gratification

these little felt love letters are a cinch to make, and are wonderful gifts for preschool-aged kids.

here's what you NEED:

• 9x12 inch piece of felt {any sort will do, i like eco-fi felt}
• embroidery floss
• needle
• tiny black rick-rack {optional}
• scrap pieces of contrasting felt
  
• hot glue gun

here's how to make them:

cut a 9x5 inch rectangle from a piece of felt




fold up a 3" section from the bottom and press with a hot iron.
{please excuse the raggedy cuticles...}





fold down 2" or so and press.
you should now have a tri-fold piece of felt.
{now i really wish i'd painted my nails}



fold up the corners beginning where the outer flap meets the top of the inner flap.
my wonky alien thumb is at that point. iron down...you will be snipping these corners off.
it should now look like this:





cut a small opening at the top of the bottom fold-up, to mimic a real envelope.





using a blanket stitch with 3 strands of embroidery floss
stitch all the way around the top and sides of the envelope.
start in the lower right hand corner.
if you need help with a blanket stitch, click here.



you're going to blanket stitch from the lower right hand corner
all the way around the top and down the left side of the envelope.



when you get to the part where the inner flap meets the outer flap there will be a small space.
open up the envelope and keep stitching till you reach the fold.
my needle is marking the fold in the photo above.



when you get to the fold, close the envelope.
bring your needle up through the fold next to the corner and begin blanket stitch there.
you'll be blanket stitching all the way across the top of the envelope.


when you reach the upper left hand corner, open the envelope.
bring your needle down inside the flap and continue blanket stitching the edge.
you're almost there!
keep going!



here's the finished front...



and here's the finished back!


NOW IT'S TIME TO GET CREATIVE
you can embellish this lovely envelope however you want to.
i chose to use black rick-rack and scrap felt.
but really, it's all up to you!

NOTES:

• i chose not to close the opening in any way, simply because it's easier for little hands to manipulate without buttons, velcro, etc. but you certainly could add a closure of some sort!
• feel free to make these in any size, using any materials, and any sort of stitch you want