#chrustmas tree topper

[msnogood]

Albert the Christmas Star

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! This is Albert.

You can see how he was made here!

Materials we used:

Upcycled shiny fabric that was a gift bag from some random purchase as top fabric (strange but often where I get novelty fabric scraps)

Used shirt with holes on it as lining fabric

Random non-stretch fabric as Albert's guts

Poly fill (best to use the silky smooth kind)

Recycled poly batting from grocery delivery padding material as core wool (or other coarse poly fill would also work)

Carded acrylic yarn in yellow as top wool (hand-carded with a cat hair remover thingy)

Glass sewing pins

Polyester sewing threads

Some paper and pencil for mock-up

Optional: jingle bells from abandoned cat toys

Tools we used:

Sewing needles

Felting needles

Seam ripper

Scissors

Wire cutter

Felting foam platform (recycled packaging materials)

To make Albert:

Use shiny fabric.

Cut fabric into a star shape with a flat bottom (for his bum).

Line your star cut-out with your liner fabric (you may skip this part if you feel like your shiny fabric is strong / thick enough).

Sew the star with back-stitch. Leave the bottom hole open.

Flip that star through the bottom hole and set it aside.

Draw a mock-up of Albert's face and cut a few layers of poly batting in approximately his shape. If you are using poly fill instead, you can skip this part and start needle felting a rough base shape shown in next step.

Stab it some.

To speed up the felting of the base, use soap and hot water to gently massage it until it starts feeling noticeably more felted. You may skip this step if you have more patience than me at stabbing.

Add facial features with core wool such as cheeks, chin, and forehead.

Add top wool.

As well as smaller facial features like lips.

Cut glass pins to length so they don't poke through the face. Bend them downward a little and pin at a slight angle downward so they more secure (than poking them straight towards the back).

Sew your optional bells at the five tips of Albert’s body.

Stuff Albert with poly fill.

Sew Albert's face on his body. Put him aside.

For Albert's guts, it's just a small pocket. Cut out a piece of rectangle that is roughly the width of his bottom hole and cut the length at double however long your christmas tree tip is. Mine was around 6ish" long that folded into a 3" deep pocket. Sewn with running stitch back and forth.

Flip his gut pocket inside out. Shove it at his bottom. Sew it onto its body (make sure to sew it to the top and lining fabric together for strength cause that part will need it).

And you have yourself an Albert*.

*Albert means noble and bright!