How to Make a Bumblebee Using Felt
- 1). Add one teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid that doesn’t contain bleach or dye to a small bowl. Fill the bowl with warm water and stir to disperse the soap; don’t try to make the water sudsy. Set aside.
- 2). Gather a quarter-sized amount of black wool roving. Roll it into a ball using your hands to bring it into shape. Wrap strips of black wool roving around the ball one at a time so the ball is compact. Build the ball into a shape that is approximately 2 inches in diameter.
- 3). Dip the ball into the warm water to saturate it. Roll the ball without squeezing it around in your hands to mold it into an egg shape. Continue rolling the ball until the wool begins to harden, which can take 5 to 10 minutes.
- 4). Pull a thin strip of yellow wool roving apart so it is long enough to go crosswise around the middle of the egg-shaped ball. Wrap the yellow wool roving around the middle of the ball to form the first stripe of the bumblebee’s body. Press the yellow into the black; add more soapy water to help it adhere to the black ball.
- 5). Add a second stripe of yellow roving to the right of the first stripe using the same method. Space the stripes 1/4 inch apart. Continue adding yellow stripes to the same side of the bee until you reach the edge of the ball; don’t add stripes to the entire ball as the left-half of the ball is going to become the bee’s face.
- 6). Dip the ball into the warm water to saturate it again. Roll it gently in your hands without squeezing it, so the yellow stripes stay in place. Continue rolling for 5 to 10 minutes or until the yellow wool hardens to the ball.
- 7). Rinse the ball under cold running water to remove any visible soap. Allow the ball to dry overnight.
- 8). Cut a 4-inch-by-1-inch oval from a sheet of bubble wrap; use a wrap that contains small bubbles. Cut the oval in half across the center so you have two 2-inch-by-1-inch pieces that are rounded on one side and flat on the other. Position the felt bumblebee so the stripes are parallel to you. Place each of the pieces of bubble wrap so the flat sides are parallel to the stripes. Arrange the pieces so they are on each side of the body and behind the first yellow stripe. Use hot glue to adhere the pieces to the body to form the bee’s wings
- 9). Attach two googly eyes to the center of the black end of the bumblebee’s body using hot glue. Cut two 2-inch-long pieces from a black pipe cleaner. Attach each one to the top of the bumblebee’s head using hot glue for the antennae.
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