Is it a felt award badge or a felt prize ribbon? I can’t quite decide on the proper terminology. What I can say decisively though is that this simple DIY is absolutely delightful and a super fun way to share an accomplishment or other sentiment!
This post contains affiliate links. Read more.
I decided to make this badge to celebrate the release day of my very first book, HeartFELT Crafts to Make and Give! I needed a little award to remind myself that I’m an author and I finished a BIG craft project!
I was inspired by other ‘adulting’ type badges I’ve seen, usually they are stickers that say things like “went outside today”, “had a shower”, and “did my taxes”. They always make me giggle because there are days when I really wish someone would give me an award for folding 5 loads of laundry!
And finishing a craft project definitely deserves an award. Especially if it’s been sitting in your half-finished project pile for months/years! (I know you have one, we all do!)
This award badge is a very easy DIY project, in fact I think it would be perfect for the 10-14 year old range as a fun girl-party craft!
You can personalize the phrase or words to whatever you want, there’s so much flexibility with this project. Add tons of ribbons or none at all. Bedazzle with ALL the beads and sequins and buttons, or leave it plain.
Whatever you do, just have so much fun with it! And pretty please tag me on Insta so I can see your creation! @yellow_birdhouse
Gather Materials
Here’s what you’ll need to make one DIY felt award badge:
Printed PDF Pattern – Find it at the bottom of the post, no sign-up required
Backing Felt – 4″ x 4″
Top Felt – 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Big Tail Felt – 4″ x 4 1/4″ (I used this printed daisy dot felt, I’m obsessed!)
Small Tail Felt – 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
White Felt – 2″ x 3″
Variety of Ribbons and/or Ric Rac
Letter Beads
Glitter Sequins
Seed Beads
Embroidery Threads in White, to match the top felt colour, and to match the sequins & beads
Hot Glue Gun – Surebonder is my fave!
Brooch Bar Pin or large Safety Pin
Sewing Needle
Embroidery Scissors
Scalloped Scissors (optional)
In terms of colour scheme, let your imagination run wild! This badge is meant to spark fireworks of joy, not be perfectly aesthetic. So, choose colours with your heart!
I love this shop, The Felt Pod, for finding all the prettiest 100% wool felt colours. Pictured in this project I used colours Light Pink and Coral Pink.
Cut Everything Out
Use the printed pdf pattern freebie to cut out all your felt elements.
Note: I did forget to put the three white felt rectangles on the pattern page, oopsie daisy, my apologies. You can either freehand the rectangles, or measure them at about 3/8″ x 2 1/4″ each. This size is what worked for the specific words I chose for my badge. If your words are of different length, or you need 4 lines instead of 3, you may want to adjust the width of the white rectangles. Keep the height at 3/8″ though, if you can.
Also, after you’ve cut out the larger circle, trim it with a pair of scalloped scissors all around. This step is optional but so cute!
How to Make an Easy DIY Felt Award Badge
First, decide what wording you want on your badge and make sure it will fit comfortably on the smaller felt circle.
Once you have the positioning centered and confirmed, go ahead and attach the letters with 2 strands of white thread through both the white rectangle and the felt circle at once.
Pictured below I thought I could get away with stitching the whole word with a single stitch. This was a mistake. I went back later and stitched each letter individually which is what I recommend for you as well. The end result is much better as you’ll see in the finished project photos later. Floppy letters are not the vibe, lol.
Next, attach some glittery sequins around the words with a single strand of matching thread.
Fill in the remaining gaps with a mix of coordinating seed beads. (I purchase beads at my local craft store in a pre-mixed state. Multiple colours/styles in one vial. Easy peasy.)
Attach this bedazzled badge front to the scalloped backing with 2 strands of matching thread and a small blanket stitch.
Alternatively, you could use a backstitch or a running stitch around the perimeter if you don’t have much experience with a blanket stitch.
Fire up your glue gun.
Layer the smaller felt tails onto the big double tail, then add all kinds of ribbons and trims. Don’t worry about the lengths at this step.
Use some hot glue to secure all the elements to the top of the big tail.
Now you can either glue or stitch the whole tail section to the back of the badge. I decided to glue it because it was easier that way!
Trim the ribbons, each at an angle, to your desired lengths.
Flip the badge over and either sew or glue a brooch pin to the backside.
Alternatively, you could use a large safety pin and secure it in place with a short strip of felt glued over the stationary wire to the backside of the badge.
All done! Wear or display it with pride!
I’m pretty proud of having published my first craft book, HeartFELT Crafts to Make and Give. I poured my heart into it and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! I finished one heck of a craft project with this one! haha! The book has 18 beautiful projects in it that will add so much colour and joy into your life. You can find it on Amazon here, honestly every single sale is a literal dream come true!
Pretty Prize Ribbon Free Pattern
For your proudest accomplishment!
I’m honestly so excited to see what will be made with this easy DIY felt award badge pattern. The free templates are really just the base guide for getting started because there’s so much room for creativity and personalization. What fun!
Here’s the pattern, just click to open and download, no sign-up required. Enjoy!
Happy award-winning crafting!
