The easiest way to make your own felt board

So, you may remember that I made Bella a felt board last winter. It has spent countless hours in use and is still one of her favorite play things. It's one of those toys that can grow with the child simply by creating new felt pieces. Right now we have a set of multi-colored felt letters and some felt weather. Soon we'll be adding felt people with interchangeable clothes. You can create all sorts of scenes!

I only had a quick window of time to put it together, so I didn't take any pictures during the process, but here goes the explanation:

Homemade Felt Board

-18x24 wood frame cork board (don't spend too much here!)
-half a yard of thin felt (most felt from joann's is pretty thin)
-scissors
-four sewing pins
-butter knife


(wow, we're practically done - it's that easy!)

Lay the cork board on the fabric and cut around it leaving twice as much width as the wood frame. You'll be covering the wood frame and tucking fabric beneath it, but you won't want any excess.

Make sure your board is centered on the fabric and start tucking in the middle of the long edges. Use the butter knife to push the fabric between the board and the frame in little increments. When you finish one edge, stretch the fabric nice and tight and do the opposite edge. Then do the short edges, stretching the fabric so that it is taught on the finished side.

When you have done all the ends, it is time for the corners! Just like folding the corner of a bed, make a pleat and tuck in as much as possible. Gather the rest and insert a pin in the corner, being careful to catch all the fabric so nothing goes loose.

Tah dah! It's done. Oh my gosh, it really was that simple. If you have extra fabric hanging off the back that annoys you, try trimming it with an x-acto knife. I'm just not that picky.

I have found that 3-4 inch letters do best. Have fun making your own additions! Enjoy :O)