Felt Pear

Tutorial

Instructions for one brownish coloured pear - but you could choose any 'pear-y' colour of your choice.

Materials - light tan felt (about 15cm square), brown felt scraps, dark green felt (small piece) needle, thread, stuffing, sewing machine (optional)

Pear leaf
Using a sewing machine free motion embroider a rough leaf shape outline onto green felt   Cut out the leaf leaving a small border outside the stitches.  Alternatively you could cut out the shape & then hand stitch the detail on later. 

Pear stem and 'calyx'
From brown felt cut a 1cm x 1cm square & then snip away at this to get a rough 6-point star shape - this will become the little brown bit you find on the base of a pear.

From brown felt cut a rough 5cm x 2cm rectangle for the stem.

To make the stem with the leaf attached, place the leaf onto the brown rectangle as pictured above.  Then roll the rectangle up lengthwise from right to left (towards the leaf), catching the stem of the leaf in the roll of brown felt.  Stitch & wrap matching dark brown thread around & around to form the stem & hold it in shape with the leaf firmly attached.

Pear 'body' - From tan felt cut 3 pieces of the pear template shape.

Stitch 2 of these pieces together down one side from one point to the other.

Then add the 3rd piece and stitch in place down one side.  Then stitch the final seam  to create a 3-piece pear shape', leaving a 2-3cm opening at the base of the pear (the fat end) and a smaller 1cm opening at the top end (narrow end).

2-3 cm opening in stitching at fatter end (right) and 1cm opening at  narrow end (left)

Turn pear right side out through the larger hole at the base and fill with stuffing via this same hole.  Push the stuffing up so it fills in the narrow top end also, then stitch up the base hole.

Attach the calyx (small brown star shape) to the base of the pear with matching dark brown thread

Left - stuffing hole in base stitched closed.  Right - Calyx added and stitched in place

Now turn your attention to the small hole you left at the top of the pear. Poke a finger down into the hole to create a bit of a gap in the stuffing & then poke the stem part way into the hole. Hand stitch hole closed and also stitch through the stem a few times to secure it in place. 

For this next step, use the longest needle you have as you need to stitch with a double thread from the top of the pear all the way through to the bottom.  If your needle isn't long enough then squish the pear down to get the needle through.  Pull the thread tight enough to create slight indents at the top and bottom of the pear and stitch in place to secure.  This step gives the pear a bit more of an 'pear-y' shape by bringing the top and the bottom points in towards each other.

I think this might be my new favourite felt fruit...