Kids love to play in the dirt. Here's a fun project that will keep little hands busy indoors when they can't play outside.
Felt Carrot Pattern
Download and print this pattern on a sheet of 8.5x11 paper.
Gather Supplies
You will need: craft felt / embroidery thread / scissors / tapestry needle / fiber fill and felt vegetable patterns. There are many patterns available online.
Cut the Pattern
For this tutorial we will show how we made the carrot. Cut out the paper patterns and lay them on top of the felt. Secure the pattern with pins.
Sew the Felt
Felt does not fray. So assembling these play veggies is easy with a blanket stitch. To begin, thread your tapestry needle with the embroidery thread. Lay two of the left pieces together, back to back, lining up the edges with the same shape. Insert the needle in between the two pieces of felt you are sewing together.
Blanket Stitch
Pull the needle through and insert it about 1/4 inch to the left and pass the needle through the felt. Before you pull the thread completely tight, insert the tip of the needle through the stitch you just made and pull the thread through. This is the first stitch.
Continue Blanket Stitch
Continue the blanket stitch by inserting the needle 1/4 inch to the left of the last stitch. Repeat the previous step.
Sew all the Pieces
Continue to assemble the rest of the parts of the carrot. When the body of the carrot is sewn, you will need to sew a running stitch at the top (wide end) of the carrot. This will make a "cinch" top so it can be closed after it's filled with batting.
Fill It
Fill the carrot base with fiber. Once filled, pull the thread to close the carrot top. Pass the needle through the top a few times and secure with a knot.
Attach the Top
After you have filled up the carrot body with batting, take the round green piece of felt (carrot bottom) and cut a small hole in the middle of the circle. Insert the two sewn leaves into the hole. Secure with a few stitches. Finish off the carrot by attaching the leaves at the top. Continue to make more felt vegetables to fill the play garden.
Assemble the Vertical Garden
You will need: One 18x24 inch piece of brown felt, three 6x18 inch pieces of brown felt, two 1 inch grommets and a grommet setter kit, hammer (not shown) and sewing machine (not shown).
Place the Grommets
Measure 2 inches down for the top and 2 inches from the sides of the 18x24 inch piece of felt for the placement of the grommets. Make a mark with a permanent marker in the "hole" of the grommet.
Insert the Grommet
Cute a hole where you marked the placement of the grommet. Make it large enough to insert end of the grommet through the hole.
Set the Grommet
Add the circular bottom of the grommet and set it with a setter tool and hammer.
Pin the Pockets
Pin the three 6x18 pieces of felt to the main vertical garden body. Start by pinning one of the pockets at the bottom of the main piece and leave a one inch space inbetween each pocket.
Sew the Pockets
Sew around each pocket to secure it onto the main piece of felt. After each 6x18 piece is sewn onto the main body, sew dividers along each pocket. Start by sewing down the middle of each pocket, then down the middle of each section. You should have 4 pockets total in each 6x18 section.
Gather Your Vegetables
Collect the vegetables to add to the vertical garden. If you are not keen on sewing felt vegetables from scratch, consider plastic toy ones or purchasing felt vegetables online.
Plant and Hang
Now, plant those veggies! You can hang your vertical garden anywhere you like. For a temporary placement, use pushpins to hang it. When not in use, leave the vegetables in the pockets and roll up the garden for easy storage.Your little one will have hours of fun planting their own play garden.
