Embroidery Floss

What's that you say? Felt... and embroidery floss? Yes! Benzie now has the most recommended floss in the world -DMC and in every color of our Benzie rainbow. We have searched and scoured for the best hue to coordinate with our shades of wool blend felt making stitching and embroidery projects come together seamlessly.

Our felt collections are a favorite and now there are floss groups to match. These two are my favorite but there are more in the shop. You can also choose floss by its DMC number or by our felt color (it's a whole lot easier to say a name, don't you think?). There may be some hue and shade difference between felt and floss -but you'll find that it coordinates quite well. Welcome to Benzie's newest rainbow!

How to cut felt

It's really quite easy to cut shapes and patterns out of felt -much more precise than pinning, far less fuzzy then transfer pens and cleaner than chalk! And this is by far the most fun! The key is freezer paper (which can be purchased in a roll at your super market or in sheets at your craft store) and a sharp scissors.

This is what you'll need:
-freezer paper
-pattern
-felt
-iron
-pencil
-scissors


1. First trace your pattern onto the matte side of the freezer paper.


2. Iron your freezer paper (wax side down) to your felt. The wax helps to adhere the paper to the felt.

3. Cut out your shapes. I find small scissors helpful when maneuvering around tight corners and sharp tips lend itself to clean and precise cuts.

4. Peel paper off. If you find the paper difficult to peel away from the felt -ease up on the heat or reverse the pattern when tracing. You can also reuse your freezer paper -just re-iron and cut. Perfect!

Guest Curator: Noia Land

I am so excited to introduce you to Paloma Rocha -pattern designer and creative behind Noia Land. Have you ever seen more adorable creatures? Long legged beauties, woodland friends, garlands -and even brooch patterns! (I'm a total sucker for anything I can pin on my blouse.) And what about Marie Antoinette? Beautiful! 

Noia Land has also included an extra special bonus for anyone who purchases her felt collection -a free pdf to make this adorable owl garland! All her patterns uses well designed graphics to help you sew your own doll or animal -and you can use Benzie's felt to get started. Noia Land chose these soft colors of Lilac, Periwinkle, Sky, Icicle, Swan, Peacock, Rose, Cantaloupe, Peach and Pink.



All of these patterns are available for download in Noia Land's shop. Noia Land's curated collection is available at Benzie.

Printable Number Bingo

Any game that involves felt-fetti must be a good one -and pair that with some numbers and you and the kids have got a little math party!

This number bingo works your little one's brain; the preprinted cards include numbers 0-20. Or want to narrow it down to the tricky ones? We also included blank bingo sheets -we suggest laminating them and using a dry erase marker to fill in the blanks. The playing cards span number 0-31. How's that for smart? Here's your felt-fetti and here is your printable pdf -just print off on card stock, trim and play!

Benzie Felt Scrap Bags

You asked for you -and now we have it! Bags of scraps! These remnants are a perfect way to try out Benzie's felt on a budget or to use for your craft experiments. Our scraps come from bolt ends, seconds or leftovers from our crafternoons.

Each bundle weighs 8 ounces and comes in a cute muslin bag overflowing with remnants. These scraps come in a variety of colors -all in Benzie's felt rainbow. You can find yours in the felt shop.

We're celebrating!

We're celebrating our 3rd anniversary -and want to thank you for being a part of Benzie. You are all so very talented and creative -making Benzie's felt look it's finest. We wouldn't be the same without you and want to say thanks. For one week (until March 5) -use the code FELTLIKEAPARTY3 to get 10% off your order at our felt shop. And as always -happy crafting to you!

Image from Olive and Cocoa. 

Felt like a tutorial: Babushkas, Nesting Dolls & Matryoshkas

These Russian dolls come by lots of names -and cute ideas plenty! For more nesting dolls tutorials visit Benzie's Pinterest.

1. Russian Doll Cushions by HobbyCraft.
2. An ornament by Better Homes & Gardens. 
3. Fabric nesting dolls by Made by Joel.
4. Babushka pencil toppers by One Crafty Mumma.
5. Soft doll tutorial by Cupcake Cutie.
6. Russian doll pillow and the legend of Babushka (is this for real?!!) by Restless Risa.