Real cacti might be prickly, but a felt cactus is soft and cuddly! You can decorate your sewing table and use your felt succulent as a pincushion, or simply place it on a shelf or mantel. They also make a fun housewarming or hostess gift!
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Get our free printable felt cactus pattern:
The link and picture below will take you to our free, printable felt cactus patterns! The 3 page PDF file will open in a new window. Then simply print the template of your choice on 8.5 x 11 (letter size) printer paper.
»> Felt Cactus Templates «<
Do I have to sew the felt cactus together?
We do recommend sewing the felt cactus together. The seams give the cacti a cute look, and it makes the plush cactus a lot stronger. But if you don’t want to sew, you can use hot glue to connect the cactus pieces together. Follow the same basic instructions, and then add a generous amount of glue to connect each layer together in the center. Be careful not to push the felt too much as you stuff the cactus, since glued felt is not as strong as sewn felt. Glued edges can separate with repeated handling or play, but as long as your cactus is just sitting on display it should be fine.
What size felt cactus do the patterns make?
We have 3 sizes of felt cacti for you to make. Felt cactus #1 (the one we made in the tutorial above) is 5 inches tall (including the pom pom) and about 4 inches across. Felt cactus #2 (tall cactus) is 5-3/4 inches by 3 inches. And felt cactus #3 (short and wide) is 3-3/4 inches by 4-1/2 inches. Scale the pattern up or down while printing to make cactuses of different sizes.
What stuffing is best for a felt cactus?
We like to use poly-fill, a polyester stuffing, to stuff our felt crafts. But you can also use stuffing from an old pillow – or even buy an inexpensive pillow at the dollar store to use. You can stuff your felt cactus with cotton balls, old t-shirts or socks, or bits of scrap fabric. Make sure you cut the fabric bits small to prevent the cactus from looking lumpy.
What type of felt is best for making a felt cactus?
We made our felt cactuses using soft craft felt. This felt is inexpensive and easy to find at the craft store, making it great for kids crafts. Synthetic felt is quite thin, and it pills easily if you handle it a lot. (Which shouldn’t be a problem for these cacti since they’re decorative). If you want a really good quality felt cactus, you can use wool felt, or a wool felt blend. Wool felt is more expensive, but it doesn’t pill, and it’s very soft and durable. It also tends to have a really beautiful texture compared to synthetic felt, which will give it a “higher quality” look.
There’s no need to water a felt cactus, making it the perfect “plant” for people without a green thumb. And there’s no need for direct light, making this plush plant a great office companion!
Here’s even more felt craft ideas:
Felt Donuts Pattern
DIY Felt Ornaments
Felt Monster Pattern
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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