Holiday How-to Series / W1: Merry Mushroom Felt Ornament and a Giveaway!

It's week one of the Holiday How-to Series (going on all November here at Echinops & Aster) and I have a fun, simple tutorial (and giveaway!) to start the series off. This week, I will be showing you how to make your very own hand-sewn "Merry Mushroom" felt ornament.

Last year, around this time, I was busy like an elf making each of the lovely people on my Christmas list a set of felt, woodland-themed ornaments to hang on the tree. They were quick to make and a big hit, so this year, while brainstorming how to continue the new ornament tradition, I decided to keep with the woodland theme (albeit in kind of a new, quirky way). I designed this little plush mushroom to accompany the hedgehogs, owls, and (also new this year) foxes that make up the woodland set so far. It's been fun stitching these little guys up, all the while coming up with fun color combos and adding embroidered embellishments, so I thought I would share the pattern with you guys.

Embellished with french knots

My version of the power-up mushroom for all you Mario fans!

Embellished with the lazy daisy stitch

For me, these are the perfect holiday project because they are so portable. I know as soon as things start to get busy and I find myself traveling this holiday season, I can throw my pattern pieces, felt, and other materials in a small tote so I can have a relaxing project wherever I am.

The pattern, instructions, and detailed material list for the Merry Mushroom ornament can be downloaded here: Merry Mushroom PDF Prior to printing your pattern, make sure in your printer settings that your page scaling is set to "none" or 100% to ensure the pattern pieces print true to size. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the pattern, especially if anything is confusing. I would also love to see some finished mushrooms, so feel free to add some pics to the Echinops & Aster Flickr group if you get a chance!

Since I want these ornaments to hold up over time (possibly even as heirlooms), I decided to use a higher-quality wool felt, purchased from one of my favorite Etsy shops, Benzie Bazaar. Last year I ordered a custom pack of colors from Renae at Benzie, and they were so soft and amazing to work with! I am happy to say that this year, she has generously offered to supply one lucky winner with a set of 30, 6"x9" super-soft, merino wool blend, felt sheets! This is seriously enough felt to make a whole host of little felt fungi to share with family and friends (or to cover an entire tree with if you like)! 

Bejeweled Collection by Benzie Bazaar

My favorite custom Benzie color collection at the moment is Bejeweled. All of those rich, saturated colors are perfect for a more modern take on the Holiday season. I especially like the idea of pairing  peacock, vineyard, and lavender together for a jewel-toned toadstool. 

30 sheet, 6"x9" felt collection by Benzie Bazaar

To enter for a chance to win a pack of 30, 6"x9" sheets of premium felt in the colors of your choice:

• Visit Benzie Bazaar and leave a comment here telling me what your three favorite Benzie colors are or which custom Benzie color collection you would like to have for your holiday projects.

--For (3 additional) bonus entries (please leave a separate comment for each)--

• Be a follower or become a follower of Echinops & Aster (via Blogger, Google Reader, or RSS).
• Follow, like, or heart Benzie Bazaar on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, or on Etsy. 
• Tweet/Facebook/Blog about the giveaway or grab my Holiday How-to Series button and post it on your website.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, November 9th. Winner will be chosen by random and announced on Friday, November 11th. International entries are welcome. GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS!

Best Of Luck and Happy Crafting!

(Please make sure to leave your e-mail in your comment if you're a "no-reply' blogger. If you aren't sure what a "no-reply" blogger is or would like to know how to check to see if you are, click on my 'no-reply' blogger button in the sidebar to find out how to add an e-mail address to your profile so that you can be contacted.)

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P.S. If you'd like to add another felt friend to your own woodland theme, I highly recommend the Give a Hoot for the Holidays felt owl tutorial by Jessica Levit at Juicy Bits. I used her pattern last year to make my owls and they turned out great! 

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