Back to School

It’s that time of year again – summer’s coming to an end, and back to school shopping has begun! It’s time for pencils, books, backpacks, lunch-pails, and a whole new wardrobe! Whew! And, naturally, no child wants the inexpensive plain backpack. If your child has their heart set on a themed backpack – Paw Patrol, Minions, Frozen, etc., it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Thanks to your needle felting skills, you can turn any backpack into the schoolbag of their dreams.

1. Select A Backpack

Any plain backpack will do! It’s helpful if you have a solid color, and a flat section that has enough space for the design of your child’s dreams. Once you’ve selected a theme, and a backpack, you can start designing your patch.

2. Designing Your Patch

It’s helpful in this case to felt your design onto a piece of fabric, or even a flat sheet of felt, to make it easier to sew on your backpack. Cut the base for your design out of your fabric or felt. For example, if you’re doing a Batman logo, cut an oval out of felt first. Then, using a pencil or a piece of chalk, lightly sketch the outline of the bat onto the felt. Now, you can start felting!

3. Felt Your Design

You can add as much or as little detail as you like! Something like Batman is fairly simple, while something like Paw Patrol can have multiple characters, colors, etc. It’s best if you felt it down fairly flat, but a little 3D action can add depth to your design.

4. Sew On Your Patch

When you’re happy with your felting, simply hand- or machine-stitch your patch onto the backpack. Voila! You’ve taken an inexpensive, plain backpack, and created a one-of-a-kind branded bag!

And the best part is, if your child finds a new obsession halfway through the year, changing their backpack is as easy as changing a patch! Batman can become Captain Marvel, and Elsa can become Wonder Woman with just a few stabs of the needle. You can repeat the process with everything from lunch bags to denim jackets to t-shirts!

If you need help getting started, join my academy! You’ll meet with like-minded felters from around the world who can help you through tough spots, and you’ll get access to video tutorials and more!
Who said back to school had to be difficult? With needle felting, you’ll never have to track down that hard-to-find backpack again. Your child’s options are as endless as their imagination!