December 11, 2012 65 comments By

DIY Felt Acorns

Ever since I experimented with needle felting earlier this year, I’ve been fascinated with the plethora of potential DIYs associated with this age-old technique. After spotting felted acorns at an adorable boutique in Carmel, I quickly discovered I couldn’t achieve the look with a felting needle (Honestly, fail!) Instead it required an easier method called wet felting which simply involves some hot, soapy water. Suffice to say, I’m obsessed and can’t wait to make a bevy of these felted knickknacks!

You’ll need:

  • wool roving
  • acorn caps
  • thread
  • drill
  • hot glue gun
  • dishwashing soap
  • 2 bowls

Start by working with a half handful of wool roving at a time. Separate the fibers and roll them back together into a loose ball.

Fill two bowls with hot water. Put 2 drops of dishwashing fluid into one of the bowls to create hot, soapy water. Dunk the ball of roving into the soapy water.

Gently roll it between the palms in a circular motion, as if rolling cookie dough or meatballs. This takes patience as at first as it won’t seem like the ball is taking shape. Keep rolling and if the ball is too soapy, dunk it into the clean hot water and continue rolling gently. Keep repeating the dunk and roll steps. As the fibers become agitated with the hot, soapy water it will become denser and denser.

Soon enough, the ball will form nicely. If there are some cracks in the ball, pull off a tiny section of roving, spread it apart, and lay it over the cracked section.

Wrap any excess roving around the ball, dunk it in the soapy water and continue rolling. If the ball doesn’t seem to be taking to the additional roving – keep rolling. Tip: when in doubt, keep rolling!

Rince the soapy ball into the clean water bowl. Squeeze any excess water out with a paper towel and reshape it with clean, dry hands. Set the ball aside and allow to dry for 12 hours.

In the meantime, drill two small holes at the top of the acorn cap. Pull a 6 inch piece of thread through the cap.

When the felt ball is dry, squeeze hot glue into the inside of the cap. Fit the felt ball into acorn cap.

For a more oval shaped acorn, simply roll the ball between the palms in one direction to elongate the shape.

Your colorful felt balls are finished!! Hang them on your tree, add them as toppers to wrapped gifts, or place them all into a pretty bowl as decor.

(all images by HonestlyWTF)

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65 Comments

  1. EmerJa wrote:

    Great DIY:) It’s a nice idea to decorate our christmas tree.

    http://www.emerjadesign.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  2. Candy wrote:

    Love this! Been making DIY ornaments and my own alternative Xmas tree all week so I will def have to try this one out!

    xoxo
    Candy
    taylor & DEMOLISH

    Enter my GIVEAWAY for a class at The Sewing Studio!!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  3. THE STEL STYLE wrote:

    I really love this diy!!! it’s easy to do and so cute!!!

    http://www.thestelstyle.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  4. Veva wrote:

    Best christmas DIY I have ever seen!!

    kisses
    MY WHITE IDEA GIVEAWAY

    12.11.12
    Reply
  5. Mira wrote:

    They look soooo lovely. Must try that <3

    GIVEAWAY ON MY BLOG
    xo

    glamDevils

    12.11.12
    Reply
  6. Denisa wrote:

    Taht si so nice idea. Have a nice day.

    http://www.fashiondenis.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  7. Kait wrote:

    So cute! I love all the different colors and these are great even after the holiday season is over!

    http://www.whenwewander.blogspot.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  8. Molly {Dreams in HD} wrote:

    so cute! i love DIY’s that are easy and look lovely too!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  9. Soulofashopper wrote:

    so prettyyyyyyy!!!!!! love the idea! xo, Alma
    http://www.soulofashopper.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  10. Ambyr wrote:

    These are super adorable. I would have never thought of this.

    xoxo
    http://www.thewrittenrunway.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  11. Lejla wrote:

    Lovely idea…

    http://lejlatravels.blogspot.com/#!/2012/12/if-you-love-mountains-you-must-come.html

    12.11.12
    Reply
  12. Jeanne wrote:

    Bravo c ‘est tellement mignon ! X

    12.11.12
    Reply
  13. Sialsiquiero wrote:

    We really love the outcome! Great post!

    http://sialsiquiero.wordpress.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  14. Luana wrote:

    I loved !!
    I’m posting accessories from Los Angeles on my blog!
    Take a look!

    http://www.thegavlaks.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  15. Jenny wrote:

    Very pretty 🙂

    12.11.12
    Reply
  16. monkeyshines wrote:

    brilliant!

    Bises,
    monkeyshines
    http://monkeyshines-monkeyshines.blogspot.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  17. Natalie wrote:

    Such a cute idea! Love it! http://www.fashionifancy.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  18. Elizabeth wrote:

    Those are so adorable! This is a great DIY project!
    afickleheart.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  19. Cravingforbarneys wrote:

    That’s amazing!!!

    New outfit in http://cravingforbarneys.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  20. Betsy wrote:

    This is such a neat idea!

    http://suspironews.blogspot.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  21. welovefur wrote:

    I love this idea
    kisses
    http://www.welovefur.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  22. Brittany wrote:

    This is incredibly creative! I love it!!

    brittanykytecreated.blogspot.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  23. Nadja wrote:

    omg such a cute idea!!! i think this won’t work out at my flat (i own two cats and they would get nuts with the awesome items) but i love it 🙂

    http://www.violetfleur.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  24. Cony wrote:

    I loved them! They look cute and cozy! Excelent for a christmas tree!!

    http://pilanaandcompany.blogspot.com.ar/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  25. The Fashion Careerist wrote:

    So cute and timeless, love this!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  26. Iren wrote:

    Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    xoxo Iren
    Visit my blog:
    Living In A Kitten’s World

    12.11.12
    Reply
  27. Nancy wrote:

    Simply adorable! Your DIYs are always the best. They always hit the right tone whether it be for decorating or for jewelry accents. You always strike just the right tone. Love your site & DIYs!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  28. Ashley Ho. wrote:

    ah cute! great idea

    12.11.12
    Reply
  29. Anna wrote:

    They’re beautiful! I’ll mix with these:

    http://natknitlab.blogspot.it/?m=0

    Look this blog, love it like your!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  30. Anita wrote:

    They came out great!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  31. Lauren wrote:

    If you buy roving that is on the rougher/ more textured end of the spectrum it is also very quick and easy to do this project utilizing the needle felting method…just watch out for your fingers!

    12.11.12
    Reply
  32. Vikki wrote:

    Amaizing DIY for my tree! I make it in white color))
    http://raslinkina.blogspot.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  33. Caroline wrote:

    Those are so cute! It could be a great family project, I think my niece and nephew would love to make them. Thanks!
    xo
    girlintheyellowdress.com

    12.11.12
    Reply
  34. Ola wrote:

    It’s a great idea !
    Those are so cute !
    Love it !

    http://www.olastory.com/

    12.11.12
    Reply
  35. milanomode wrote:

    Genius – I love it!

    12.12.12
    Reply
  36. milanomode wrote:

    BTW – would like to try it!

    12.12.12
    Reply
  37. Stella@tshirts wrote:

    Colorful DIY… Specially for Christmas. Love it

    12.12.12
    Reply
  38. Bonnie, Clyde and Marni wrote:

    This is by far the cutest xmas DIY ever!!! Loveeee it!!
    http://www.bonnieclydemarni.com/

    12.12.12
    Reply
  39. arleendee wrote:

    These are SO CUTE! you guys have the best DIY projects!

    http://supikuku.wordpress.com

    12.12.12
    Reply
  40. meixi wrote:

    So adorable!!!! I have since refashioned a thrifted dress in preparation for Christmas too 🙂

    http://thiscache.blogspot.sg/2012/12/refashion-cut-out-dress.html

    12.12.12
    Reply
  41. Sanne wrote:

    I’m so in love with this DIY! I just featured it in my last post: http://www.dutch-beauty.nl/2012/12/lets-make-each-other-christmas-presents.html 😀

    Maybe I’ll also try to make it 🙂

    12.12.12
    Reply
  42. Ely wrote:

    I love it!!!!!

    Arts & Fashion MIX
    http://artsfashionmix.blogspot.mx/

    12.12.12
    Reply
  43. Laura wrote:

    So nice !
    Check out my new post : http://www.thestilettoholic.com/2012/12/13/rendez-vous-place-de-la-concorde/

    12.13.12
    Reply
  44. Xopink wrote:

    Great idea!!

    http://xopink.blogspot.com.es

    12.13.12
    Reply
  45. Astrid wrote:

    well this i really cute, thank you for the suggestion because i’m in love

    12.13.12
    Reply
  46. LAU wrote:

    太有意思了,好聪明,! nice work!

    12.13.12
    Reply
  47. Sanne wrote:

    What a great DIY!

    12.13.12
    Reply
  48. Alexandra wrote:

    These are so cute! I’m definetely gonna’ make some 😀

    12.13.12
    Reply
  49. Carol wrote:

    very nice:)

    http://sanchanps.livejournal.com/

    12.14.12
    Reply
  50. Vera Vandenbosch wrote:

    Cute!

    2.23.13
    Reply
  51. Abby wrote:

    Another Great Idea is to add Decorative Hanging Crystals to your Tree….When you kick on the lights the crystals sparkle beautifully

    chandelier crystals

    8.22.13
    Reply
  52. what to do when your dog barks a lot wrote:

    I have read so many posts regarding the blogger lovers however this piece of writing is genuineky a nice article, keep it up.

    3.7.14
    Reply
  53. zen wrote:

    As always, loving it here. Including this on my best Christmas DIYs round up post for my blog hapinesswherever.wordpress.com

    8.16.15
    Reply
  54. Donna Phelan wrote:

    So pretty! Years ago I made ‘felted’ soaps, they came out beautifully! Thanks for sharing!

    11.12.16
    Reply
  55. Mercedes wrote:

    Fáciles y muy bonitas para decoración en Navidad. Gracias

    10.14.23
    Reply
  56. Jax wrote:

    Your work is FAB! Love that you have an actual tutorial on your blog! Thank you!!

    9.12.24
    Reply