Octagon Felt Flower Bowls

I have embroidering like crazy lately and I have an idea to use all of my embroidery floss off cuts but I keep forgetting to save them. I got myself a sandwich bag but I threw it away and then did the same with my second attempt using a paper bag. It seems that whenever I see it in a cleaning frenzy my mind automatically catalogs that business as trash. Now that’s not to say my house is clean because it is not! :) It just means I go nuts and clean randomly around the house muttering about what a mess it is but never actually getting the full house clean.

But that’s okay, really. For now, at least. I’m trying to get prepared for my first blogging conference that’s giving me butterflies in my stomach just typing about it so things are hectic and crazy and I’m getting better at letting the smaller things go.

I am excited that I get 3 of my kitties back this weekend! It’s been such a pain trying to get things all worked out and we’ve been struggling as to whether to keep or find a new  home for Miss Lucy in light of her less than cat friendly demeanor. So I guess you can say my mind has been on bigger things than little bits of floss.

But I can’t keep throwing them away if I’m going to make my project with them so I started using a kitchen bowl and that worked. But I can’t use that forever so I got out the felt and made some little flower bowls.

Now if you’re wondering, how does a blogger come up with these ideas and patterns? In my case, at least, I go through tons and tons of paper trying to find something that works :)

I actually went through ALL of my scrap/junk paper and resorted to new sheets which drove me crazy but I was like a woman possessed intent on my crafty mission. And in the end? It all worked out. And since paper can be recycled, no harm and no foul, I suppose :) But let’s quick gabbing and start making!

For this project you will need:

• PDF pattern printable
• 2 sheets of acrylic felt per bowl
• Marker
• Spray adhesive
• Hot glue gun

Take your felt for your bowls and using spray adhesive stick 2 (or more) pieces together. Allow ample time to dry.

This is your pattern. Print it and cut it out along the sides and then make slits on the lines going inward. Stop on the second line. If you have cardstock I’d recommend using it over printer paper as it will make your pattern more durable.

Using a marker trace around the pattern.

Lift up each flap and follow the line toward the center.

On each of your flap cuts you’ll place glue on ONE side of the OUTSIDE color for your bowl. You’re going to temporarily make the outside color the inside color (we’re going to flip it at the end, so no worries).

Squeeze the glued pieces together and allow the glue to fully cool and set. The heat kind of melts the acrylic felt as well as the glue so it might take a bit longer than normal for the glue to set. Just be patient.

…or as I figured out on my second go, use clothespins to speed this business UP!

This is what your bowl should start to look like. Up to when you’re halfway through gluing it won’t seem like it will actually turn into a bowl. It seems to be too flat but it works in the end so just get around to all sides!

Now I considered leaving my bowls like this. It’s mod and kind of awesome, but in the end I wanted flowers so I kept on!

Turn your bowl inside out kind of like those old toys Popples. Remember those?  I LOVED those! (they still make them, by the way!)

Boom! It’s all flower-like all of the sudden :)

On each of your glued bits that make your petals go inward there will be a big difference in height. Cut them all shorter at an angle going inward making the cuts as uniform as possible.

To finish your bowls you can always put a little yellow center :)

Oh, look! Someplace to put my floss bits! :)

Now these suckers are really sturdy. They’ll even hold heavy beads and keep their shape. BUT see how my orange is wrinkled inside? That’s because I didn’t wait for my spray adhesive to set before starting so be sure to let that glue dry before you go on!

These felt flower bowls are lovely and very inexpensive with felt costing about a quarter apiece. Not bad at all, I’d say!