Felt Boat Tutorial

Whether your gnomes and fairies wish to take to the high seas or just lazily float down a meandering river, our felt boat will help insure they enjoy their adventure!

A BIT ABOUT HIDDEN COVE

In the village of Hidden Cove, where Kristoff grew up, gnomes with the ability to tell the most thrilling stories are highly revered and honored in the village, and it is the hope of all parents that one day one of their children will become a gifted teller of tales. 

There is one position in the village, however, that receives even more respect than the storytellers, and those are the Whitecaps. Named after the small waves with foamy crests that can be seen on the ocean surface, these gnomes are not afraid to go into the sea.

Truth be told, most gnomes are quite afraid of the water. For that reason it seems the coastline might be an unlikely place for a community of gnomes to settle, but not to them. They love the sights and sounds of the ocean. They love walking the beaches. They love their driftwood bonfires with the purple and blue licks of flame and in nice weather, they love sleeping under the stars.

Every generation, one or two male gnomes are born that show no fear of the water. As soon as they learn to walk, their poor frazzled parents must be ever vigilant for fear of losing them to the sea. They need not worry, however, because the Whitecaps are as home in the sea as they are on the land, and when they do frolic in the waves or choose to swim with the dolphins, they always come home.

Perhaps one of the most valued skills of the Whitecaps is their ability to dive to the ocean floor and gather pearls from their oyster friends. The pearls are cherished by the village folk and it is tradition for a string of pearls to be presented to a gnome maiden from her intended when they become betrothed. Although there is no currency among the gnomes, the Whitecaps are rewarded with gratitude, the seats closest to the fire and if they themselves are unmarried, the affection of all the single maidens in the village.

You can easily spot the village Whitecaps because they are the only gnomes allowed to don a white cap. Also, the Whitecaps keep their hair and beards cut short so their hair does not become entangled in the ocean coral, rocks or sunken ships.

Kristoff is the youngest of the Whitecaps in the village, and in all likelihood, is most at home in the water. Besides collecting pearls, he is ever vigilant for signs that the humans have set lobster traps in the cove. When this happens he rows out to the traps and releases all his lobster friends. Eventually, the fisherman grow weary of empty traps and leave the cove. Many of the lobsters owe their lives to Kristoff.

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FYI: You can find the free tutorial for Kristoff, our Seaside Gnome HERE.

Felt Boat Materials

• wool felt in 2 contrasting colors
• iron on adhesive like Heat n Bond
• 6 strand embroidery floss
• 2 Popsicle sticks
• pattern

Felt Boat Directions

NOTE: The seams are 1/16″. If you want to use a bigger seam make sure to make the back of the boat wider. The 2 sides are already extra long and you’ll be trimming them to fit the boat later. 

Make a copy of the pattern. Note: there are pattern pieces for each side of the boat. They are the same. I’ve included 2 pattern pieces to make it easier to cut out the felt.

For each pattern piece you will need 2 pieces of felt and the iron-on adhesive. I begin by cutting out the pattern pieces, then cutting out the 2 pieces of felt slightly bigger. Cut a piece of iron on adhesive slightly smaller than the felt pieces.

Following the directions on the iron-on adhesive, iron the adhesive to one piece of the felt. Make sure the edges are attached.

Remove the paper backing.

Position the other piece of felt over the adhesive and iron on.

DO NOT stop to take photos while doing this or you are apt to scorch your felt like it did!!! No worries… I made this the underside of the boat 🙂

Cut out and bond together the rest of the pieces in the same manner.

You now have a felt sandwich… felt/adhesive/felt. Place your pattern on the felt and cut out. For tips on cutting our felt, check out our post HOW TO CUT OUT FELT.

Decide how you want your boat to look. I wanted the light peach to be on the outside of the boat (the scorched piece helped me make that decision) then pin or staple the back of the boat to the bottom of the boat making sure the back overlaps the bottom evenly on both sides.

NOTE: The boat is sewn together using 2 strands of floss and a small overcast stitch.

Sew the back of the boat to the bottom of the boat.

Sew together the sides of the boat at a short side. Only sew one side together. The color you want as the outside of your boat should be on the outside when sewing the pieces together.

Set the side seam at the front point of the boat.

To sew together place the seam of the side pieces on the front point on the bottom. With the outside edges even, hold the inside pieces of the bottom and side together and begin sewing them together. I found it easier not to pin them together so I could make adjustments as I rounded the corner at the front of the boat. Stitch to the back of the boat.

You will notice the side of the boat is too long. I did this in case I didn’t sew the sides perfectly, I wouldn’t have to worry if the ends matched exactly.

Clip off the extra piece of the side making sure to leave a 1/16″ for the seam.

Sew the side of the boat to the back of the boat.

Do the same to the other side of the boat.

Using 6 strands of floss and a blanket stitch, sew around the top of the whole boat. Not only is this decorative, it will also hold the 2 pieces of felt together if the adhesive begins to let go in a spot.

Now it’s time for your gnome to take the felt boat out for a spin. Remember to give him 2 Popsicle sticks for oars!