It is cooling down and the kids are  heading back to school. Sporting a special, handmade accessory is a fun way to return in style. This beautiful flower barrette is simply made by rolling cut felt.  Despite it’s simplicity however, this craft does require patience. It is best suited for older children ages 7 and up. Younger children love to help by applying glue or picking out colors, otherwise it mostly needs to be made by an adult.  The results are well worth the effort, though!

Supplies: Felt (preferably thin), barrette clip, bond glue (I used regular craft bond glue, but it was tricky…there is specialty felt glue that might make it easier), glue gun, ruler and pen, sharp scissors

Instructions:

1. Measure and cut felt into strips of approximately  3 cm by  20 cm.

2. Fold in half, lengthwise, and glue. Due to it’s length, it is NOT easy to glue. We glued it once, folded it and it immediately popped open. We then re-glued it and quickly put a heavy book on top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

3. Cut horizontally into the felt along the folded edge. Do not cut all the way through to the end.

4. Begin to tightly role the felt, placing glue ahead of the roll just a bit at a time. Role the felt as smoothly as possible.

5. After you have rolled the felt the entire way, pinch the closing for a minute with glue to make sure it is secure. This is the flower!

6. Use a glue gun to attach the felt flower to the top flat part of the barrette clip.

Depending on how you cut the felt and roll it, each flower will look unique. The following flowers that my daughter made had larger and more irregular spaces in between each cut which gives it a very light and airy feel.

Double check that the glue is dry and it is ready to be worn!

Once we got the hang of gluing and rolling the felt, we really had fun experimenting with colors and cutting techniques.  Enjoy!