How to Felt and Embroider a Clutch Purse
Needle felt a colorful silk-lined clutch using a 6- and 1-pronged felting needle.

Materials and Tools:
Merino sheep wool fiber, several colors
eco-friendly foam
6-prong needle felting tool
1-prong felting needle
scissors
silk fabric
embroidery floss
needle
thread
buttons
Steps:
- Place wool fiber tufts (about a handful) horizontally on an 8" x 12" piece of foam.
- Place another handful of wool fiber on the first layer vertically.
- Continue layering the wool fibers, alternating horizontal and vertical placement, until there are six layers. Repeatedly punch through the fiber with a 6-prong needle-felting tool.
- Once the fiber begins to attach to itself, flip it over and continue punching.
- Continue to use the needle-felting tool until the felt becomes uniform and dense. This process may take 20 to 30 minutes of felting. Remove felt from the foam.
- Cut the felt to the desired purse size, about 10" x 6-1/2".
- Add a border around the outside by felting short pieces of fiber to the purse using the 1-prong felting tool.
- Add decorative elements by coiling small pieces of fiber and placing them on top of the felt. Needle felt them using a 1-prong felting tool until they form polka dots.
- Embroider square and rectangular designs on the felt using embroidery floss and a needle.
- Turn the purse over to attach a silk lining. Measure the fabric, cut and hand sew it with wrong sides together to the inside of the purse.
- Fold the purse in thirds and hand sew the side seams together using a needle and thread in matching color.
- Sew on a button to the mid section of the bag using needle and thread.
- Line up the flap of the purse over the button and cut a buttonhole. Button the button through the hole for the clasp.
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Courtesy of Etsy.com
Courtesy of Etsy.com
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