Felt Mandarin

It is mandarin season, so the perfect time to make some of these little gems.

Tutorial

Instructions for one mandarin.
Finished size: approx 4.5cm high, 6cm wide
Materials - orange felt (about 20cm square), green felt scrap, needle, thread, stuffing, sewing machine 

Mandarin 'body' - 

From orange felt cut 4 pieces of the mandarin template shape.

Take 2 of the body pieces, place one on top of the other and stitch together down one side from one point to the other.  Then do the same with the remaining 2 pieces.  You now have two halves of what will become the whole mandarin.

Open up each half and then match up, right sides together along.  Stitch from one point to the other down one of the seams. 

Then match the last two open seams together and stitch this final seam to create a 4-piece 'ball' - remembering to leave a 2-3cm opening at one end for turning right side out and stuffing the mandarin. 

Turn the mandarin right side out...

...and fill with stuffing. Hand stitch the hole closed using orange thread. This end will be the base of the mandarin.

To shape the mandarin secure thread where all the seams meet at the top of the fruit with a double thread & then pass the needle all the way through to where all the seams meet at the base of the fruit. Pull tight enough to form a bit of an indent at the top & base & then tie off securely. 

Mandarin top or 'pedicel’ (the green bit, where the flower stalk attached once upon a time.)

Cut a small 1cm square from green felt & then snip away to form a rough 4 or 5 point star sort of shape.

With matching green thread attach this ‘pedicel’ to the ‘top’ of the mandarin.

 And then make another!