Get inspired by old camp patches and get crafty with felt to create a vintage-style wilderness banner. Learn a throwback technique using freezer paper to easily design and cut out a landscape pattern. Put it all together in a frame for some colorful retro summer camp vibes. This is what we consider a classic craft, no need for any technology and no stress.
Freezer paper is a great hack to use when crafting. We always have a roll on hand and we’ve actually never put it in the freezer! It has a waxy finish witch can be ironed. This makes for a great stencil or template! We like to use freezer paper with this project because you don’t have to trace around your stencil, you can just cut around it, leaving you with the cleanest look.
We love the texture that felt gives, but you could do this craft with paper or fabric. You need one large piece of felt that will be your backing and a handful of smaller pieces for each element. This is a great project to use all of those scraps! We picked colors that had a retro feel to them, but pick colors that work for you!
Materials
- Fiskars Scissors
- Fiskars Rotary Cutter
- Fiskars Cutting Mat
- Fiskars Acrylic Ruler
- Different Colored Felt
- Large Piece of Felt
- Freezer Paper
- Iron
- Felt Glue
- Frame
Draw a simple landscape:
Start by creating a template on freezer paper. Tear off a piece of freezer paper larger than your frame. Take apart your frame you trace the backing onto the matte side of your freezer paper, this way your image is the correct size. Draw a simple landscape image incorporating different elements with simple shapes. Each shape should be a different color of felt. Wavy lines for water, sharp triangles for trees, larger triangles for mountains, lines for multi colored sky and a circle for the sun. Tip: If you don’t have freezer paper you can do this with any type of paper, you wont be able to iron it, but you can trace around it like a typical stencil.
Cut out your landscape:
Before cutting your freezer paper write what color felt you want that piece to be. This might seem like an extra step, but once pieces are cut, it helps to have a guide. Cut apart your landscape on the drawn lines. If by chance you mess up, don’t worry this is just a template!
Iron on the freezer paper to the felt:
Place each piece of freezer paper onto your felt. Set your iron to medium heat and lightly press it onto the felt. It’s best that the freezer paper doesn’t fully adhere to the felt too well, if so it might leave a waxy residue. If you’re finding that your felt is left with a shine from the ironed freezer paper, use the backside of your pieces as the front.
Cut out the felt pieces:
Cut your felt carefully around each piece of freezer paper. Take your time with to keep the edges clean. If you created a sun like we did, cut it slightly smaller than the freezer paper template, this will help with the layout (you will understand with the next step). Peel off the freezer paper from each piece of felt. Tip: When cutting rounded edges hold the scissors steady and turn the felt as you cut. We are taught to turn the scissors, but turning the material helps with precision.
Lay out the landscape and glue down:
Cut your large piece of felt down to the size of the frame backing with a rotary cutter. Lay the piece of felt down and starting from the bottom begin to lay out your felt pieces leaving about a quarter of an inch between each piece. This will give the banner an outlined look. Since you spaced it out you will be left with a little bit of an overhang from your top piece of felt. Take the frame and place it on top of your banner and adjust it to see how it looks. If you’re not liking how it looks with the top being cut off, cut off a bit of the bottom piece.
Pick up each felt piece and begin to glue them one-by-one to the backing. Tip: Less glue is more. Spread out the glue with a paintbrush or your finger so you don’t see if from the front.
Trim edges and place in frame:
Place the glass of the frame on top of your piece, center it and trim off any edges that overhang using a rotary cutter. Place it in your frame, we like it with no glass, but that is up to you and you’re done!
Check out the full tutorial here!
Happy trails!