Hello Autumn! Now that summer is over and the Children have gone back to school we can start thinking about the most exciting part of the year… Autumn! Autumn begins on the 23nd September this year and it marks the transition to Winter from Summer. So many changes happen in Autumn, from the leaves changing colour and falling from the trees, to darker nights and cooler temperatures. In Greek mythology, Autumn began when Persephone (Hades’ wife) was taken to the underworld. Demeter (Persephone’s Mother) is goddess of the harvest and she caused the crops to die until Persephone was allowed to return to Earth in Spring.
When someone says autumn, you instantly think of getting cosy inside and the perfect activity to do whilst you are getting cosy is crafting! We have come up with come beautiful and easy crafts that are perfect for your Autumn décor.
Felt square leaves
These leaves are the perfect addition to any autumn crafts. You can use them as part of a project or as part of a decoration. All you need is some autumn leaf coloured felt squares, thread that will match and some scissors.
Start by cutting some leaf shapes out of the felt squares. You can either leave them as a single layer or double side them. When you have decided how thick you would like your leaves to be, you can sew the veins on. We have done this by using a sewing machine but you will be able to sew them by hand aswell. We have done some of the leaves, double sided and some single layer. We have done a couple of different ways to attach them together, some we have just sewn in the middle to make the veins. Others we have sewn around the outside and the veins in the middle. After you have sewn them in the various colours you have picked, I have just crunched them together in my hands and it has given them a bit of shape, like a real leaf would have once it become crunchy, like they do in Autumn. That’s it. so easy and they look good too. We have used them in different ways, on a wreath, wall hanging or scattered in a display (as you will see later on). They are very versatile.
Autumn Wreath
Next up we have a lovely autumn wreath. To make this wreath you will need a polystyrene ring, burlap ribbon, felt squares for the decorations and glue. We have used the felt square leaves on this as part of the decoration.
Start by wrapping the burlap ribbon around the polystyrene ring. It will depend on the size of the ring you have picked how many bundles you will need. There is approximately 3 metres in a bundle. You can secure the ribbon into place with glue. Next you can make the decorations. You can use some of the leaves you made above. We have also made some toadstools and acorns with felt squares and stuffed them with some multipurpose soft filling. Once all the decorations are made, try and lay them all out on the ring to see where they fit best. When you are happy with the layout of the wreath, you can attach them to the wreath with glue. We have used fabric glue, but you could use a glue gun if wanted, you would just need to make sure it is a cool glue gun so it doesn’t melt the polystyrene. If you didn’t want to use a polystyrene ring, our twig rings are a perfect base for an autumn wreath. The burlap bundle would also make a lovely bow to go on the bottom of the wreath. You could make it a more natural wreath by adding some pine cones.
Polystyrene fruit and veg
These fruit and vegetables are probably one on my favourite things I have made. They are perfect for any autumn display, whether it is as a table centre piece or on a coffee table. With them been made from a chunky yarn that has 20% wool in, they look extra cosy. You don’t need to use a yarn that has wool in. to make them, all you need is polystyrene balls, wool, a knife, a needle and twig.
I have made 2 pumpkins and an apple. For the apple I have used one of the felt square leaves that we made earlier. To make them, start by carving out the top and bottom of the pumpkin or apple. I did this by drawing around something circular on the top of the polystyrene ball and carving out the shape. I also used this peeler to cut out a hole in the middle of the pumpkin and apple to thread the wool through. Imagine you are coring an apple. Just make sure the hole is big enough for the wool to go through as it will get tight the more you go round the ball. Next you need to thread the wool around the polystyrene ball. I have used a chunky wool with a fleck in as I think it looks cosier and modern. I have linked the wool I have used above. It is a more expensive wool so the ribston will work too as a cheaper option. Make sure that the eye of the needle is big enough for the wool to go through.
I started off by cutting a length of the wool that would be big enough to thread through the hole in the ball, then threaded the wool from the top until the end of the wool was at the end so I could tie it around the ball. I then pulled it around until the knot was hidden in the core of the pumpkin or apple. Keep going until you reach the end of the length you have cut and secure it in place. Then repeat the process until you have covered the polystyrene ball. Once the polystyrene ball is all covered in wool, stuff a stick or twig in the hole at the top to make the stork and that’s it. for the apple, I have just added a leaf to the stork. If you didn’t want to use a real stick, you could make one out of felt or tissue paper and glue.
Autumnal wall hanger
Lastly we have made a beautiful autumnal wall hanger. This piece will be perfect in any room. Its so versatile aswell. You can make it as big or as small as you like. You can put whatever you like on it. To make our hanger, I have used felt square leaves, pine cones, dried fruit and spices, beads and thread and a needle.
To start I cut a length of thread and attached to the stick. I then threaded the other end through a needle and laid out everything that I wanted to use on the hanger. I picked out bits in a random order and attached them at various lengths to the thread. For things like the pine cones and cinnamon sticks, I tied them on rather than threading. I got the beads to stay in the position I wanted by threading them all on and then tying a knot on the last bead. I cut all the bits of thread different lengths so that it wasn’t all uniform and added different things onto the thread so that it looked unique, but you could do each piece of thread with the same things on. It takes a bit of time to make a hall hanger and can be quite fiddly at times, but the result is amazing.
Don’t forget, we would love to see anything you have made using products bought from our YTC stores or website. Don’t forget to tag us in them on Instagram.
