I’ve got a simple and beautiful free pattern for you today to make a delightful DIY felt dusty miller stem!
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DIY Felt Dusty Miller
This felt foliage tutorial is so easy, you’re gonna love it. The stems are perfect for filling out a felt flower arrangement or you could twist a bunch of them onto a vine to make a garland or a wreath or even a whimsical headpiece!
I’ve actually designed this dusty miller to go with some of my felt flowers including this Zinnia. I’ll be creating a bouquet pattern set that will be absolutely beautiful but it isn’t quite finished yet.
(ooh fun update! The bouquet is finished!)
This free pattern is available both as a printable PDF and as an SVG so you can use it with a Cricut.
Let’s get crafting!
Gather Materials
Here’s what you’ll need to make these DIY felt dusty miller stems:
Blue-Grey Felt – 2.5″ x 3.5″ per large leaf. (3.5″ x 7.5″ per 3-leaf sprig.)
White Chalk
Floral Wire – 22 Gauge
Hot Glue Gun
Small Embroidery Scissors
Freezer Paper & Iron (Optional)
Printed Pattern (Located at the bottom of the post)
The felt colour I used is called Morning Air and you can find it in this shop. It is the perfect shade for dusty miller!
How to Cut Out Felt Leaves
There are 3 larger leaves and 3 smaller leaves on the pattern page. I found that the dusty miller looks best either in groups of 3 or as a single stem.
If you have a Cricut machine, you can use the SVG files to cut out the leaves.
Otherwise, print out the PDF pattern at 100%. Cut out the paper leaves, then pin them to the felt and cut around with small scissors.
Yes, it is a bit tedious and fussy, but it can be done! If you prefer, you can use clear scotch tape to stick the paper to the felt. Cut through the tape and felt simultaneously. The pattern will easily peel off the felt afterwards.
Another option is to use Quilter’s Freezer Paper. It comes in 8.5″ x 11″ sheets so it will fit in a regular printer. Simply print the pattern on the non-sticky/shiny side of the paper. Iron it gently onto the felt and don’t use steam. Cut through the paper and felt simultaneously. The paper will easily peel off the felt.
(Pictured below are petals from this headband tutorial, but it shows how the freezer paper works. Turns out I didn’t have enough paper to use for the dusty miller. Don’t worry, I’ve now ordered more!)
How to Make DIY Felt Dusty Miller
Here’s a video explanation of how to make these super easy dusty miller stems. A photo tutorial follows if you keep scrolling. 🙂
Making these DIY dusty miller stems couldn’t be easier. The hardest part is cutting out the leaves!
After you’ve cut out all the leaves, take a piece of regular white chalk (I think I got mine at the Dollar Store) and rub it all over the leaf. I kind of did some blurry lines along each leg of the leaf.
I find that the chalk detailing really gives this leaf it’s ‘dusty’ quality. It gives it dimension and movement and a little fuzziness, just like a real dusty miller!
Next you’ll put a thin line of hot glue down the middle of the leaf.
I’m not sure why I stopped halfway with the glue in this picture, but you should do the whole line at once.
Lay the wire in the line of glue and fold the leaf in half around the wire. Hold it closed until the glue sets.
This is what the underside of the leaf will look like.
Now you can gently finger press the leaf open. Bend the wire into a gentle curve to give it a lovely shape.
If you prefer a 3-leaf sprig, you can either twist 3 wires together like I did here, or use floral tape to join the wires.
That’s it! Now you can add this beautiful foliage to a bouquet of felt Sweet Peas, pictured below, or make a whole pile of them to twist into a wreath or other decor piece.
(The free pattern comes bundled together with the free Sweet Pea pattern, so you only need to sign up once to get both patterns!)
Both the Sweet Pea and Dusty Miller have been designed to complement this gorgeous felt flower bouquet set that includes the Zinnia, Peony and Daisy flowers as well at a discounted price!
Sign up here to have your free patterns sent right to your inbox.
Enjoy! And stay tuned for more felt flower and foliage tutorials!
Happy crafting,
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