How to Make a Birthday Crown

Editor's Note: Crafty mommas and faithful followers of Amanda Blake Soule’s blog were thrilled with her first book, The Creative Family. Now Etsy-loving fans of hip, handmade creations (Sacramento Parent staffers included!) can look forward to more wonderful, whimsical projects in Handmade Home, Amanda’s new book, due out in August (Trumpeter Books).

This is a very special crown just for birthdays to make the birthday someone feel extra special. A birthday crown is something that can grow with the child and be kept the same or added to each year with minimal sewing required. My children’s birthday crowns are among their most treasured possessions.

What You’ll Need
• Wool felt, approximately 1/2 yard (I prefer 100 percent wool felt or a wool/polyester blend. Both are thicker than the standard polyester felt you might remember from your own childhood craft days.)
• 1/2- to 1-inch elastic, 5 inches in length
• Needle, scissors, thread, and pins for holding the crown in place
• Embroidery floss, beads, scrap pieces of felt, buttons, and so on for decorating the crown

What to Do
1. Following the template (see illustration C, shown at 50 percent), trace and cut out two pieces of felt. One of these will be the front, and the other will be the lining.

2. Decorate the crown front as you wish. I like to embroider or appliqué additional pieces of felt on it. For Calvin’s birthday crown, I sewed on a simple yellow star and add another each year. When you are satisfied with the crown front and it’s dry (if you’re using glue to attach anything), you can move on to the next step.

3. Lay the lining on the back of the crown front and pin in place. Insert the elastic from one side of the crown to the other side on the small “flap” sides, in between the two felt pieces. Pin that in place as well.

4. Begin sewing your crown together. This can be done by hand or by machine. You can use a straight stitch, a blanket stitch, or whatever you like and are able to do. When stitching over the elastic band, be sure to use extra stitches to reinforce it.

5. Crown your special birthday person and begin the celebration!

Excerpted from THE CREATIVE FAMILY by Amanda Blake Soule, © 2008. Published by arrangement with Trumpeter Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston. www.Shambhala.com.