How To Make A Repurposed Felt Succulent Garden

Making this repurposed felt succulent garden was so much fun. It got my creative juices going, trying to work out how to make different succulents out of sweater felt scraps.

Working out how to mount my succulent garden and upcycling a container to show it off added to the creative joy.

I’m such a craft geek, I get a kick out of making lovely things out of repurposed materials. Not only that, I get even more of a kick when it’s made with the scraps from other upcycling projects.

Using Sweater Felt Scraps To Make A Gorgeous Felt Succulent Garden

These weren’t my first faux succulents. I made some super cute tiny ones out of plastic bottles for my upcycled terrariums. But with these succulents, I delved deep into my bag of sweater felt scraps, leftover from all my other upcycled sweater projects.

I’ve always wanted a faux succulent garden. I’ve seen some amazing crochet succulents and cacti on Pinterest, but unfortunately, my crocheting skills aren’t up to recreating one. However, when I spotted this amazing succulent garden made out of quilled paper, I got the idea to make my garden out of my felted sweater off-cuts.

I love upcycling fabrics for the home. Previously, I made a gorgeous sweater felt rug using a quilling technique. I have also made some gorgeous fabric mushroom displays out of old bedsheets.

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What you need to make an upcycled sweater felt succulent garden

• Sweater felt scraps in assorted colours- these are scraps left over from my felted wool sweater projects. (You can see how to felt sweaters wool here). You can of course use craft felt for this. I do prefer to use the sweater felt scraps as they are often thicker than craft felt and have more interesting textures.
• Floristry wire
• Ikea Corcho trivet cork mat
• Old biscuit tin – I used one of the IKEA tins I had left over from their delicious Christmas cookies.
• Stone spray paint
• Fabric Mod Podge
• Hot glue gun
• Pins
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat

How to make an upcycled felt succulent garden

Making the Succulents

1.Spiky Green Succulent

1. I made several different felt succulents. The first lot I made was using a quilling technique similar to the paper quilled succulents here. Cut the felt into long 5mm strips with a rotary cutter.
2. To make this succulent. Paste one side of the felt strip with fabric glue and wind it around the floristry wire. Overlap the felt as you move down the wire. I made each spiky leaf about 6-7cm long,I made about 9 in total.

2. Red Round Leafed Succulent

For this succulent, I rolled my strips of felt into tight flat spirals. I used a dab of fabric glue on the end, to keep it from unravelling.

You will probably have to use a pin to hold the spiral in shape as the glue dries. I made 12 of these red spirals, five large and five small. Then using a glue gun, I glued them into the succulent shape below.

3. The Other Quilled Felt succulents

For these Other succulents, I used a slightly thicker felt strip and quilled the felt into a dome shape. With the tall green ones, I cut some tiny flowers out of pink felt and stuck them to the top. I also hot glued floristry wire on the bottom of each succulent.

4. Large Floppy Long Leafed Felt Succulent

For this succulent cut, a strip of sweater felt about 20cm in length, the width at 7cm on one end, increasing to about 11cm on the other end.

Then cut the strip into a zig-zag leaf shape and curl it up. Secure it with a dab of hot glue and add a wire stick to the base.

5. Purple Flower Faux Felt Succulent

For this unusual succulent, I used the cuff of a felted sweater. However, you can get the same effect with a folded over piece of felt.

Fold a strip of felt about 20-25cm long and 8-10cm wide in half width ways. Cut slits into the felt about 5-7mm apart, don’t cut right to the end. Hot glue the wire stem on the edge, then roll and secure with hot glue.

6. Flat Petal Faux Sweater Succulent

Using a template, cut out six large and six small felt petals. Glue the small felt petals overlapping slightly into a round. Repeat with the large petals. Stick the small petal round into the centre of the large petal round. Don’t forget to glue a wire stem to the base.

How to assemble the felt succulent garden

Use the cork trivet to assemble the felt succulent garden. Simple pierce the cork with wire stems and thread the wire through. Arrange the felt succulents to fit all onto the corkboard. It’s easy to move and change the succulents, by using this simple method.

Where to pot the felt succulent garden

If you already have a pot suitable for the succulent garden, you can use that. I found an old casserole dish that was the perfect size for these succulent gardens.

If not, you can repurpose an old cookie tin by spray painting it with the stone effect spray paint. Or upcycling the tin with denim, like with my recycled jean planter.

This is one succulent garden I won’t be able to kill through neglect. I’ll just have to give it an occasional dust. Also, it’s hardly made a dent in my felt scraps, so I’ve got plenty more to make many more succulent gardens.

I know Christmas is yonks away, but I fancy making a few of these as gifts. Great idea for a housewarming gift too. There is a tutorial for leather succulents with this leather craft round-up.

You can also use some of the smaller sweater felt scraps to make a pretty heart-shaped flower brooch for Valentine’s day. This felt garden has a Mexican feel about it and would go together with my other Frida Kahlo crafts.

I think that this succulent garden looks fabulous alongside my upcycled denim moths taxidermy.

Don’t forget to check out my super cute scrap felt Christmas tree and other ways to repurpose old wool sweaters.