Stuffing Felt Projects: Filling, Closing and Finishing

Two flat felt shapes become a plump star, a whale or a pincushion in the last ten minutes of a project, and those ten minutes decide how the finished piece looks. Stuffing felt projects well is mostly a matter of patience: small amounts of filling, placed deliberately, with the far corners filled first.

Lumps, hollow points and a seam that bulges where it was closed all come from the same habit, which is pushing in one large wad and hoping it spreads. It does not. The method below takes slightly longer and gives a smooth, even shape every time.

Filling Options: Fiberfill vs. Felt Scraps

Fiberfill suits almost everything small. Felt scraps are a thrifty alternative for projects that should feel solid, but they show through as bumps under thin acrylic craft felt, so keep them for thicker wool-blend felt or mix them into the middle of a shape with fiberfill around the outside.

What You Need

• A stitched felt shape with a gap left open, 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 4 cm) wide
• Polyester fiberfill or finely snipped felt scraps
• A blunt stuffing tool: a chopstick, a knitting needle or the closed tips of small scissors
• Needle and the same floss used for the seam
• Small scissors

Where to Leave the Gap

Plan the opening before stitching. Place it on a straight or gently curved stretch of edge, never on a point or an inside corner, where closing neatly is hardest. On a star, the gap belongs on the side of one arm; on a heart, along one lower straight side. Make it just wide enough for a fingertip or the stuffing tool. A gap that is too wide leaves more seam to match up while the shape is already full.

Leave the needle and thread attached at the edge of the gap rather than ending off. The same thread closes the opening afterward, so there is no extra knot to hide. The basic sequence of cut, stitch, stuff and close is shown in full in the tutorial for felt ornaments.

How to Stuff a Felt Shape Step by Step

1. Tease the filling apart. Pull the fiberfill into loose tufts about the size of a grape. Fluffed fibers blend into each other; compressed lumps stay lumps.
2. Fill the farthest points first. Push one small tuft into each tip, ear, fin or corner with the blunt tool. Twisting a wisp of filling around the end of the tool helps it travel down a narrow point.
3. Work back toward the gap. Add tufts one at a time, filling the edges before the center. Each new tuft should overlap the last so no hollows form between them.
4. Check the shape from both sides. Hold the piece flat between two fingers and feel for hard spots or empty pockets. Shift filling from inside with the tool rather than squeezing from outside.
5. Stop slightly before it feels full. The last 1/2 in (1 cm) near the gap is filled after the first closing stitches are in place.
6. Begin closing. Stitch halfway across the gap, tuck in a final small tuft with the tool, then finish the seam.

How firm should it be?

The right firmness depends on the job the piece will do.

• Hanging ornaments: lightly filled, so the shape is rounded but still squeezes easily. Overfilling strains the edge stitches and makes the seam gape.
• Small animals and figures: medium, springing back when pressed and holding their outline. Shapes such as the whale and owl in the guide to felt animals need filled tails and ears to read clearly.
• Keychains: medium-firm, because they are handled and squashed constantly.
• Pincushions: very firm, packed until pressing barely dents the surface, so pins stand upright.

The seam is the best gauge. If the stitches stretch apart and the filling shows between them, there is too much inside. If the felt wrinkles or dips, there is too little.

Closing the Gap

On an edge finished with visible stitching, simply continue the same stitch across the opening, keeping the spacing identical so the closed section cannot be picked out. Pinch the two edges together with the free hand and push any stray fibers back inside with the needle tip before each stitch. The method for meeting the first stitch and burying the thread tail is covered in the guide to blanket stitch on felt.

On a seam that should stay hidden, a ladder stitch works well: take a small stitch along one edge, cross straight over to the other edge, take a small stitch there, and repeat. The thread forms rungs between the two sides, and pulling gently draws the edges together and hides the thread. End with a tiny knot against the seam, pass the needle through the stuffed body, bring it out about 1 in (2.5 cm) away and trim so the tail sinks inside.

Final Finishing

• Trim threads. Snip any tails close to the surface and check both sides for missed ends.
• Remove marks. Follow the instructions for the fabric pen used. Water-erasable lines lift with a barely damp cotton swab; air-erasable lines fade on their own. Do not soak the piece.
• Remove lint. Pat the surface with a loop of tape or a lint roller to lift stray fiberfill and floss fluff, which cling to felt.
• Smooth creases with care. Acrylic craft felt can melt or turn shiny under a hot iron. Hold a steam iron above the surface without touching, or press flat unstuffed pieces on low heat through a pressing cloth. Shape a stuffed piece by rolling it gently between the palms instead of ironing it.

Practice Exercise: Two Circles, Two Fillings

Trace a glass about 3 in (7.5 cm) across and cut four felt circles. Stitch them in pairs, leaving a 1 in (2.5 cm) gap in each. Fill one pair with fiberfill, in grape-sized tufts worked from the far edge back to the opening. Fill the other with snipped felt scraps. Close both, then compare the weight, the firmness and the smoothness of the surface. The difference makes it easy to choose a filling for the next project.