A few weeks ago, I gave you guys a little peek of what’s been keeping me busy these days.
And I’m here today to show you more!
I’ve been into all things floral lately for some reason. And I love a good felt project.
And Ellery’s birthday is this week….(our theme is garden-chic. Okay, I just made that up)….
So I combined all those things and came up with these sweet crowns to be given as favors at the beginning of the party so the girls can have fun wearing them together.
They are pretty quick to make, fairly inexpensive, and something that hopefully will get worn over and over again!
I’m really loving them (so is Ellery), and I thought you might too!
So, read on for a step-by-step tutorial:
First you’ll need some fabric strips. Obviously, you can use any type of print you like… I used anything in my stash that was floral, including some vintage pillowcases. This strip below was cut from the edge of a pillowcase. I love the subtle colors.
Anyway, your strip should be about 4 1/2 ” wide and about 18″ long.
Cut a piece of lightweight or medium-weight interfacing and iron onto the wrong side of your fabric strip.
Make a little crown template on a piece of paper. Mine is 4 1/2″ wide and 9″ long… this will be cut on the fold, fyi. See below.
Draw any type of crown shape you like. I made my center point right on the fold, slightly taller than the other 3 points.
Trace the shape onto your folded fabric strip.
Cut it out.
Lay your fabric onto your felt strip. (I’m using a wool felt blend from Ohma– it has a nice weight to it and I highly recommend that you steer clear of the acrylic stuff for this project. It’s too flimsy for this. This yellow felt came in a large square so I was able to get a nice long strip from it. Oh, and the color is called ‘Butter’… It was meant for me.
Stitch the points to the felt. Leave the sides and bottom open for now….
Now, I did not get all crazy-good with my top-stitching, and that does not bother me for this project…or, any project for that matter. I’ve realized that I’m just not a perfectionist no matter how hard I try. 😉
Cut the excess felt away, but leave about a 1/8″ border. Makes everything pop!
Play around with any trims, lace, ribbon, etc… that you like for the bottom edge. I’d say about 1 1/2″ high of embellishment is good. I used 1″ grosgrain ribbon, and some lace. Just stitch it on however you like, leaving a little overhang at each edge. **i love the look of gold thread, so if you have some, use it!
I added some skinny ivory ribbon too….
Cut an 8″ long strip of 1/4″ elastic- that’s a good length for 3-5 year olds I’d say, but if your kid’s noggin is handy, maybe do a little measuring and adjust that by 1/2″ or so either way. For projects that have thin elastic that is visible, like for a button and loop closure here, or on a bag or the back of a dress, I usually buy swimwear elastic from Joann becuase it’s softer than regualr elastic and it’s not stark white. It just looks a little more natural.
But, use whatever you have.
Fold the elastic in half and slip the raw edges into one of the sides between the felt and fabric.
**If you only have wide elastic, like 3/4 or 1″, maybe just use one 4″ long piece instead of folding it in half… and don’t use a button. Just insert the elastic and both ends and stitch.**
Go ahead and fold your ribbon trim edges to the underside of the felt.
Stich the edge down, and stitch the elastic in place. I’m leaving the fabric edge raw all over. If you are worried about fraying, dab a little Fray Check on the edges.
Your crown shold look like this. Minus the baby-photobomb!
Next, find a medium to large button that you like.
Sew it onto the other edge of your crown, so it sits just slightly above the ribbon.
Almost done! You can stop there or you can add a cute little ribbon rosebud right to the center. Or a little bow. Or whatever strikes your fancy.
Try it on your kid! Ellery would not look at me for these photos. She loves to play hard-to-get.
Grant wanted in on the action…. I’ve got to make him a boy version ASAP.
Here’s Ellery “organzing” the crowns and choosing which ones her friends should have. SUCH a first-born!
This girl will be FIVE in a week! No one is more excited than her. She asks me at least 20 times a day who is younger than her… and squeals with delight when she gets to a kid who has a May or June or July birthday. Seriously, I’ll be in the other room and I’ll hear her say, “Mommy?” and I’ll start mouthing the words she’s about to say: “Am I turning 5 before _______ ?”
“YES, ELLERY. YOU ARE TURNING FIVE BEFORE ______.”
“heheheeeee yyyeeeeesssss!! weeeeeee!!!” :::happy dance::::
Let me know if you decide to make one- don’t let my long tutorial fool you… they are so fast to make if you have everything on hand!
And I hope all of you KCW -sewing Mamas have fun this week and don’t putter out before the week is over! I simply cannot get my act together to participate this time around…I am here cheering you on though and can’t wait to see what everyone makes!
Ciao!
-Erin
I think big girls would love these too.
I completely agree!
Amazing! So pretty–great fabric and trim selection. The photos are adorable too. Happy Birthday to Ellery!
Thanks Allie! 🙂 -E
very cute, nice tutorial, thanks!
These are so great! What a fun way to play with your embellishment stash! Which one is Avery’s? That photo with Coco peeking out is kinda creepy. Ha! Caro
Oh my gosh I just had chills reading this comment! I have 2 girls; their names are Avery and Coco. …what are the odds!
hahah… caro… totally creepy. like the kid behind the curtain in three men and a baby. i don’t know which one is avery’s… she can have first pick! -E
These are the coolest party favors ever – imagine all the fun that these little girls will have! The elastic button closure is brilliant. Love the floral material you used too. Have fun and Happy Birthday E!
thank you Monica…. Your flower crown is still my fave though!!! -E
Those crowns are adorable!
Thanks for posting, Aurum
AurumEve.com ~Global Jewelry
Oh my goodness!! Those are so incredibly cute!! My daughter would love one!!
Aww these are so sweet! I bet the little ones will be so excited to receive them! If I were a mom of a child going to the party, I would totally have to try the crown on the first chance I had =)
thanks Veronica! Party is today and E is having fun sorting through them and choosing one for herself as we speak!
Perfect timing! My kids’ shared birthday party is this saturday. These will be great favors for the girls and boys. I was so excited I actually started making some before I typed this. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
Oh, awesome! Let me know how they turn out!!
Wow! How fun!Let’s try this out!
I just love this! I’m pinning it and want to make Gigi one for her birthday coming up. Thanks!
Thank You Justine 🙂
It´s great. I love the idea and the simple way to do it. THANKS!
Hi there, I thought you might like to see my attempts! http://maviebella.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/a-bit-girly.html
I love them! thanks so much for letting me know!! they’re adorable- I hope your little girls love them. great idea for a stocking stuffer!! -E
Thank you so much for this sweet tutorial! I have a few little people in my life and I think they’d LOVE crowns!
you’re welcome! they are some of the most worn dress-up items in our house. 🙂 -E
So wonderful! Great for Valentine’s or Birthday gifts! What little girl wouldn’t want one? I want one! 🙂 ♥ Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love these! You are so clever!! I will be making these for my girls and my daycare babies and I will be trying to make them for the dolls and babies!!!
These are super cute!! I made one tonight as my first project on my new (and first ever) sewing machine!! I made a boy’s version- in green with super sparkly material (my guy loves a bit of sparkle at almost 3!) I managed to knock it over in a couple of hours!!
I would love to get these for my three kids but I can’t sew at all. Do you sell them?
I do have an etsy shop (hungie gungie), but do not currently have these crowns listed… I could probably make some for you, but it would be 2-3 before they ship. you can email me at hungiegungie@gmail.com!
I saved this link such a long time ago just waiting to make these. FINALLY!!! My granddaughters are having a combined “garden” themed birthday party in October, oldest will be 10 and the youngest will be 4. I just made 2 (with a few more to make) of these little beauties for our 4 yr old & her little friends. They are soooo cute. I can barely sew a straight line but I managed to complete this project in a couple hours. Thank you for such a cute idea and awesome instructions. And a special party keepsake!
oh, how sweet! I love hearing when someone has made something from a tutorial of ours. My girls still wear their crowns all the time- I hope your granddaughters love them! -e
soo soo cute! I’m making 30 of them for my girls 1st birthday party in december! I am dying of cuteness over here!
oh, that’s awesome!!! they’re so fun and cute.
My daughter would love this! I really really like how you used elastic for the fit, seems like such an obvious thing to do but I never wouldn’t thought ahead enough to do that.
I was looking for a tutorial for these crowns for my daughter’s birthday. Yours was the first one I came across, and it just so happens my daughter’s name is “Ellarie” too!!!! I thought, “Yep it was meant to be!!” We’ve only heard of one other Ellarie 😉 thanks for the tutorial dear!!
Oh that’s awesome! We’ve only met one other Ellery- I believe they spelled it Eleri. Enjoy the crowns!
Love these! No wonder your daughter was excited. I want one and I’m 50! I’m making one tomorrow. End of. Take that world 😉 Thanks heaps for such a fun easy to follow post