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I'm so excited because this year my little boy is finally old enough to go with me to see the Nutcracker ballet. The production has an age minimum of six years old, so we're going to have a mother-son date! I was in the first grade the first time that I saw a live production of the Nutcracker, and still remember it vividly. I'm hoping he'll remember this outing for years to come too.
This also means that little guy no. 2 doesn't get to go to the ballet. But I've figured out a way to still include him in the fun - with a stuffed Nutcracker toy!
I used my Cricut Maker for this nutcracker project which made putting it together super easy.
Here's how!
Cricut Maker Stuffed Nutcracker Toy Materials List
- Cricut Maker
- Cricut Design Space™
- Standard Grip Mat
- FabricGrip Mat
- Wool Felt
- Gold Foil Iron-on
- Cricut EasyPress
- Sewing Machine
- Cricut Sewing Kit
- Thread
- Polyester Fiber
Open up Cricut Design Space™ or you can find this project all ready to go here. This Nutcracker is available in the Cricut Access Standard plan. After you open the project all you have to do it hit "Make It."
I like to start by cutting out the wool felt first. Make sure that you have your rotary blade in your Maker machine and choose "wool felt" from the materials drop down list. This rotary blade is my new favorite thing!
Cut a piece of wool felt to fit the FabricGrip mat and cut out the nutcracker silhouette. Set the pieces aside.
Next, switch back to your fine-point blade.
To cut out the nutcracker details, select "foil iron-on" from the drop menu and use a medium grip mat. Make sure that your iron-on is placed foil side down onto the the mat. For this project, selecting mirror-on is not necessary since the nutcracker is already symmetrical. Load your mat into the Cricut Maker and cut out the design.
Use your weeding tool to weed out the design.
Doesn't he look cute?
Use the Cricut EasyPress to attach the iron-on onto your felt. Set the EasyPress to 265 degrees for 30 seconds.
Carefully pull the backing off of the iron-on.
Now it's time to put the nutcracker together! Pin the 2 pieces together. Normally you would probably pin the right sides of the fabric together. In this case, the iron-on was so close to the edge of the foil, I thought that it would be best to pin the wrong sides together and sew around the very edge.
Get your sewing machine ready with a zigzag setting.
Sew around the edges of the nutcracker leaving the space at the feet open.
Remove the pins and use polyester fiber to stuff the nutcracker.
Finish off the nutcracker by sewing the edge of the feet after you have all of your stuffing in place.
It may seem like a lot of steps, but this stuffed nutcracker toy can be made in about 20 minutes! I think the little man likes his new toy.
It was only when I was taking pictures that I noticed our new nutcracker toy matched the Christmas tree. I'll have to make some smaller versions as ornaments!
Anyway, my little guy is happy and I love how this project turned out too. It's actually the first sewing project that I've made with the Cricut Maker. I thought that Cricut couldn't get any better than with everything that is possible with just paper, but this is like opening up a whole other world! I can't wait to make more.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
Hi, I’m Jordan – a work at home mom with 3 super fun little boys. I love entertaining guests and want to help you make entertaining easy!