It’s that time of year – the time when I begin to wonder why on earth I did not start my holiday crafting earlier. Good grief! This Mama will be busy for the next few weeks. Here is a post I did last year on making felt numbers. I was aiming for the alphabet for my boys this year, think I’ll make it in time? Hmmm …

Anyways, here is how I made them last season in case you want to join me for the mad dash.

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I really like homemade gifts.  I love receiving them, and I really like giving them.  Financially of course it is beneficial, but it is also so much more.

Creating homemade gifts is a lengthy process, meaning I am thinking of the little ones (or big ones!) I am creating for, for quite awhile.  Time is spent thinking, planning, and of course creating.  This year I am going to try very hard to give homemade gifts at Christmas time.

I also tried last year, though not with complete success.  I was going to make these beautiful felt letters created by Buggy and Buddy for each of the little ones in my life.  While I did not accomplish that last year, I am off to a great start this year!  My twin nephews just celebrated their first birthdays so I decided to make them some stuffed felt numbers as practice.

These stuffed felt numbers were very, very simple to make – they just took a bit of time.

To begin, I chose a font I liked on the computer, and printed the numbers 0-9 in a large size.

Next, I folded my felt in half so I was cutting through 2 layers, and I cut out each number.  This way, I had two identical pieces of felt for each number.

After, I began sewing.  I used a very simple stitch that makes a very pretty finish.  I believe it is called the blanket stitch (?).  I put my needle through the 2 pieces of felt, wrapped the thread behind my needle, and pulled the needle through.  Then I came back to the front, put my needle through, wrapped the thread behind my needle, and pulled the needle through – and so on.  Here is a much more detailed (and clear) tutorial for this stitch.

I sewed the entire back of each number, and then alternated between stuffing and sewing.  So (for example) the number 3, I sewed the entire back of the number 3.  Next, I sewed the bottom curve of the number 3 and stuffed it.  Then, I sewed the middle curve of the number 3 and stuffed it.  Finally I sewed the top curve almost all the way, stuffed it full, and did my last few stitches to close it completely.

I used a chopstick and an un-sharpened pencil to help me with the stuffing.

The stitching is quite strong and I am quite confident these felt numbers will hold up over time.  I am working on a second set now for my own little ones, so I will soon find out their strength!

I really do adore homemade gifts. These sweet little felt numbers are perfect for learning and play – nothing at all better than that!

Thank you so much for reading friends.

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