DIY felt Autumn Wreath*

*This is a sponsored post* 

A front door is not Autumn-ready without a beautiful wreath, I'm sure you'll agree. After last-years failed attempt to make one using real flowers (never again - how do people make it look so easy?!) I decided to try my hand at making one using felt and wool. Not only is this a really fun, relaxing craft, but it'll be something you can bring out year after year.

I'm so pleased with how this has turned out I'm already planning to update these seasonally - I'm thinking holly and berries for Christmas, and snowdrops and daffodils in the Spring? But anyway, here's exactly how I made it. And it’s much easier than you might think!

I made this wreath using bits from Creative Rox - scroll down for a discount code! 

You will need: 

Foam wreath
Felt - I used five sheets in total, one of each of the following colours: orange, dark brown, light brown, yellow and green
Wool - I used about 1/3 of a ball of the following colours: dark green, light green and rust
Pom pom makers in two sizes
Embroidery thread
Cotton wool for the inside of the pumpkins
Long embroidery needle
Glue gun
Fabric scissors

You can get 10% off all orders at Creative Rox using the code: 'DOVE10'

First up: the pom poms. Altogether I made a total of 30 pom poms in three different colours. I chose two different greens and a beautiful rust colour to reflect the changing colours this time of year. I used pom pom makers of two different sizes to make them, which are so quick and easy to use.

Now onto the felt flowers. These might look tricky, but I promise they're much simpler than you think!

How to make the sunflowers

I made three sunflowers, and for each one you need to start with the stamen part. To do this I took a length of dark brown felt measuring 5cm wide by 20cm long. I folded it over length ways, and glued it together using a glue gun (be careful as it can get hot!), after which you'll be left with a piece of double-thickness felt measuring 2.5cm by 20cm.

Next, make small cuts at intervals along the length of the felt, being careful not to snip all the way through. Once you've cut all the way along, roll the felt up lengthways into a ball, gluing it together as you go. Then do the same with the lighter coloured brown felt, however instead of rolling it up into a ball, glue it around the edge of the dark coloured ball to create a more realistic looking stamen.

Moving onto the petals, I sketched out a small template on a piece of card, and used this to cut out petals from the yellow felt. You'll need twenty petals for each flower. I then glued these to the back of the stamen, layering them up a bit to create some volume. Finish the sunflower off with two leaves cut from green felt, and gluing these to the back of the flower.

How to make the pumpkins 

These are my favourite part I think - and SO easy to make, seriously I was surprised by how quickly these came together.

I started by cutting a large circle from felt, to form the pumpkin shape. Then, using embroidery thread and a needle, I stitched around the edge of the circle using a standard running stitch - no need for anything fancy here as you won’t see this when the pumpkin is formed. Then, pull the thread together so the felt forms a cup shape, and fill with cotton wool.

Once it’s full, pull the thread together to fully close the pumpkin. Don't snip the thread, keep it attached before moving onto creating the ‘segments’. Push the needle through the centre of the pumpkin from the top, pulling it through the base. Be careful with the needle here, as it can be a little tricky.

Repeat this around the pumpkin to create six segments. Once you're all done, tie off the thread to secure.

Then to finish I rolled some of the darker brown felt into a small tube, securing it with glue to create a stalk.

How to make the leaves & berries

Finally I wanted to add a couple of different types of leaf, so drew another template from a piece of card, and cut out four leaves from brown felt. I then drew a smaller leaf shape, and cut nine leaves from the green felt, sticking them together to create a 'sprig'. I added some red berries to the end of it, again just by cutting a small circle shape from the felt.

Assembling the wreath

Now it’s time to put it all together. I attached the pom poms first, assembling them on one half of the wreath. Use as many as you can squeeze in to give a fuller look, and vary the colours evenly.

Tip: When securing the pom poms to the wreath, apply the glue to the centre of the pom pom to ensure it attaches securely. Look for the piece of wool holding the pom pom together and apply the glue directly onto that. 

Finish it off by gluing everything together onto the wreath using a glue gun, being careful to fully cover the wreath, and add a piece of thread to hang the wreath from.

And you're all done - see nice and easy wasn't it?! For more inspiration and DIY tutorials. check out the Creative Rox blog.

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx

*This post was sponsored by Creative Rox, but as always the design, and all words are my own*