Muumade’s The Little Felt Owl is a sewing pattern & instructions to make an adorable felt owl that is approximately 9 cm (3 1/2″) tall and 6 cm (2 3/8″) wide. Its simple shape makes this owl relatively easy to make, but the finished bird looks quite sophisticated with its fancy feather patterns!
Perhaps one of the most characteristic features of an owl is its large brightly colored eyes. What is surprising (at least to me) is that those eyes cannot move like ours can! Apparently they are not like other eye balls at all, but rather are shaped like tubes and are fixed into the owl’s skull. So, in order to see to the side, an owl has to move its head, and it can do so very well; an owl’s head can turn up to 270 degrees in either direction and 90 degrees up and down.
Another iconic feature of an owl is its ear tufts. Despite what their name suggests, they are not ears and have nothing to do with the owl’s hearing. In fact, they are small bunches of feathers, whose exact purposes are still unknown. There are, however, some plausible theories regarding their use, such as camouflage, communication and showing aggression.
So how does an owl hear? Owls have ear openings on either side of their skulls. They are hidden under the facial discs, the flat circular collection of feathers on the bird’s face. You would think that sounds might get muffled by all those feathers covering over the ears, right? Well, what is amazing is that it is exactly the other way around. In fact, those facial discs really work like “radar discs”, collecting sounds and guiding them into the ear openings underneath them! I am therefore happy to have made the facial discs of the Little Felt Owl proudly big and perfectly round.
On a separate note, I made the beige owl in the above image with upcycled sweater wool. If you have old wool knitwear, you can full it to make homemade wool felt!
As shown in the image above, I designed the Little Felt Owl‘s feet to be fuzzy. This is because many owls have legs and feet which are covered with feathers for warmth.
Also, it is interesting to note is that a real owl can point one of its toes backward as well as forward, making it easier for it to perch on a branch or grab its prey. If you wish, you can also arrange your Little Felt Owl‘s toes that way, with two pointing forward and two backward.
As shown above, this Little Felt Owl sewing pattern comes with instructions to make an optional graduation or academic cap, designed to perfectly match this little wise bird. This accessory makes this owl an especially suitable handmade gift for special academic occasions, such as graduation and teacher appreciation!
This download item is available from my online shop, muumade.etsy.com. You can also click on any photo above to go to the item page and download the instructions instantly upon purchase.
If you like the Little Felt Owl, you may also be interested in other Little Felt Animals.
Catch your owl before it flies away!