Felt Ladybug

Felt Ladybug 

Designed by Angie Wilhite

This month Angie brings us a charming ladybug made out of felt which we can applique to a t-shirt or attach a magnet to decorate our refrigerators or file cabinets. The association of a ladybug with good luck comes from legends in which the insects saved farmers' crops from bad bugs. Ladybugs eat aphids,mealybugs, spider mites and other insects that feed on plants like roses and crops. Today you can buy ladybugs for your garden to control harmful insects without using pesticides. 

This little felt project uses Kreinik Very Fine Braid. It's perfect for adding a decorative buttonhole or blanket stitch on anything, and it's easy to use. The creative possibilities are endless.

Materials needed: 

• Kreinik Very Fine (#4) Braid in 003 Red and 005 Black 

• CPE felt, 6" x 6" red (0543) and 4" x 4" black (4093) 

• 6" x 6" Pellon® Wonder-Under® transfer web 

• 3" x 3" Pellon® Fusible Fleece 

• 1/2" x 1" adhesive magnet strip if making into a magnet 

• Pressing cloth 

Instructions:

1.) Cut red felt into two3" x 3" pieces. Cover felt with pressing cloth before fusing.Following manufacturer's directions, bond fusible fleece to one piece of redfelt and bond transfer web to the other piece of red felt. Remove paper backing.Position felt pieces wrong sides together; fuse. Cut ladybug body from fusedfelt following the template above.

2.) Following manufacturer'sdirections, apply transfer web to black felt. Cut head and stripe from felt.Remove paper backing. Position head and stripe on ladybug; fuse. (print out thisdiagram to use as a template)

3.) Blanket-stitch aroundladybug body with Very Fine Braid 005 Black, and blanket stitch around ladybughead with Very Fine Braid 003 Red. To make into a magnet, just attach theself-adhesive strip of magnet. To put on a t-shirt or on the pocket of a shirt,tack the ladybug using matching sewing thread.