Okay, so I decided to make a Santa figure the other day. It just popped into my head, you know? Getting festive and all that. Didn’t really have a solid plan, just thought, “Yeah, let’s try making a Santa.”
Getting the Bits Together
First thing, I had to rummage around for materials. I knew I had some red felt somewhere from a project ages ago. Found that, luckily. Then I grabbed some cotton wool balls – essential for the beard, obviously. Needed glue, scissors, needle, and thread (though my sewing skills are, well, basic). I also found an old white sock that looked like it could be useful, maybe for the body?
Starting the Body Shape
So, I took that white sock. I thought I could stuff it to make a chubby Santa body. I filled it with some stuffing from an old pillow I don’t use. Packed it in pretty tight to get that round belly look. Then I tied off the top end of the sock really tight with some string. It looked… okay? A bit lumpy, but hey, it’s homemade.
Making the Famous Red Suit
Next up, the suit. This was the tricky part. I took the red felt and tried to sort of drape it around the sock body to figure out the shape. Cut out a piece that looked vaguely like a coat. Getting the arms right was a pain. I ended up just cutting two smaller rectangles and gluing them on the sides. It wasn’t perfect. Honestly, gluing felt is messy. Got some on my fingers, naturally. Then I cut a thin strip of white felt – actually, it was more like fluffy white fabric I found – to make the trim for the coat and cuffs. Glued that on too. It started looking a bit more like Santa, which was encouraging.
The Head and That Beard
For the head, I used the top part of the stuffed sock, the bit above where I tied it. It was already sort of head-shaped. I needed a face, though. I found two tiny black buttons in my sewing kit – perfect for eyes! Sewed those on. Didn’t bother with a nose or mouth, figured the beard would cover most of it. And the beard! This was the fun part. I pulled apart loads of cotton wool balls to make them fluffy. Then I just started gluing the fluff all around the bottom half of the ‘head’. Lots and lots of glue again. Made it big and bushy. It really transformed the lumpy sock thing into something Santa-like.
Finishing Touches
Couldn’t forget the hat. Used more red felt, cut out a sort of triangle shape, rolled it into a cone, and glued the seam. Added a small cotton ball to the top for the pom-pom. Glued the hat onto the head. Then I cut a thin strip of black felt for a belt and a little square of yellow felt for the buckle. Glued that around his middle. Didn’t bother with legs or boots, figured he could be a sitting Santa. Looked pretty decent sitting there on the table.
So, How Did It Turn Out?
Well, he’s not going to win any craft awards, that’s for sure. He’s a bit wonky. The glue is visible in places if you look closely. The ‘arms’ are just sort of stuck on. But you know what? It looks like Santa. It was fun messing around with the felt and cotton wool for an afternoon. Took my mind off things. And now I’ve got this little handmade Santa sitting on my shelf. Made it myself, which feels kinda good. Probably won’t make another one exactly like this, might try a different way next time. But yeah, that was my Santa-making adventure.
