Holiday DIY: Wool Typography Banner

How to make felt typography banners. The ones featured here are Christmas-themed, but they can be made for any occasion.  Enter our giveaway for the banner we made.

What you’ll need:

• 10" x 12" 100% wool felt sheet in black
• 12" x 12" wool felt in white
• Scraps of felt in a variety of colors
• Thread in black, white, and to match the other felt colors you’ve chosen
• One 12" wooden dowel
• Reynolds freezer paper
• 24" length of twine or string for hanging the banner
• Sewing kit
• Cutting mat
• Rotary cutter
• Metal ruler
• Printer
• Fiance typeface by Ale Paul

I always start by preparing the black banner first. Take the black wool felt and place on your cutting mat. You want to trim the sides up using a rotary cutter and running it against the side of a metal ruler so they’re nice and even.

Pin the felt over with a 0.75-inch seam.

Using Fiance typeface, print either directly onto the freezer paper or place freezer paper over the printed type and trace.

Next, turn the iron on at a low setting. Place your printed freezer paper (shiny side down and printed typeface up) on top of your chosen felt colors and iron.

Cut out your letters using small, sharp scissors. You may find a utility knife will help make the first cuts in the centers of the letters A, B, and R, followed by careful scissor work. Unpeel the freezer paper from the felt. If your felt comes away from the paper a little fluffy, just iron back over the letter.

Arrange your hand-cut felt letters on the banner to check for correct placement.

Once you’re happy with the placement, cut the banner shape using the rotary cutter and metal ruler.

Find the center of your banner and place the ruler on a diagonal to 2.75 inches up the banner.

Check your measurements and then cut both sides with the rotary cutter.

Sew tiny stitches along the edge of the seam in black thread to create the dowel seam. I like to sew only halfway through the felt so the stitches aren’t visible on the front side.

Next, sew on each letter using your tiniest stitches in coordinating thread. (I only pin one word at a time as it saves me from getting pins stuck in my hands as I sew.) Try to sew  through half the thickness of felt so the reverse side is mostly free from stitches.

After sewing on each letter, double-check your alignment — it’s much easier to undo one letter than an entire word.

Iron over your finished work on a low setting, thread through the dowel, tie on your string, and hang!