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Chocolate covered strawberries — they’re a classic Valentine’s Day indulgence. And they’re also the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for any kid with a play kitchen! Laura of @sonicstitches has a two-for-one tutorial for making this delectable treat. If you want to skip the chocolate, you’ll also learn how to make plain strawberries!
Like all of my projects, the felt toys in this tutorial were tested by a four-year-old who just so happens to say that strawberries are her favorite food. And she loves them! They are sized for small hands and serious playtime.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 20 minutes per strawberry
Additional Supplies:
Chocolate Covered Strawberries Template (click to download)
The supplies listed will make 30 strawberries - 10 milk chocolate, 10 pink chocolate and 10 plain. Each 12x18 sheet of red-colored felt will make 10 strawberries.
Directions:
1. Print Chocolate Covered Strawberries template above onto freezer paper. Click here to learn how to transfer templates to felt using freezer paper. If you do not have freezer paper, print templates on printer paper. Use a disappearing ink pen to trace shapes directly onto felt, then cut out shapes.
2. Use Wonder Clips to secure one chocolate piece to one strawberry piece. Align templates on the straight line, centering the chocolate piece. Using a whip stitch, sew around curve of chocolate piece with thread that coordinates with chocolate color. Do not sew along straight edge of the templates.
3. Add seed details using three strands of DMC embroidery floss. Sew small straight lines on the strawberry piece only. Using a backstitch to make the seed details will make these stitches stronger and better able to withstand rough play.
4. Fold felt in half along the straight edge and clip in place. Using thread that coordinates with the chocolate color, backstitch along folded straight edge until you reach the end of chocolate piece, then knot off.
Next, switch to thread that coordinates with the strawberry color and continue backstitching until you reach end of the straight edge, then knot off. Do not stitch on curved edge.
5. Turn strawberry right side out. Use a chopstick or other blunt tool to push out the tip, if needed.
6. Using thread that coordinates with the strawberry color, sew a loose straight stitch as close to the top edge of strawberry as possible. When the stitch reaches the beginning of the straight stitch, do not knot it off yet.
7. Grab a small handful of Polyfil. The amount needed will be larger than the strawberry, as shown below.
8. Using a stuffing tool, gently squeeze the air out of the stuffing by holding it in your hand while spinning the stuffing tool. This helps to create an even look and feel to stuffed felt.
9. Use stuffing tool to gently push Polyfil into the strawberry. The Polyfil will begin to slightly puff up and fill with air again, but will still feel dense and even because of the technique in Step 8.
10. Gently pull end of the thread so top of the strawberry begins to gather and form a circle. Knot off with the thread taut so circle on the top of the strawberry remains as small as possible.
11. Make the circle as small as possible by passing the needle and thread through gathered felt several times in X shapes.
12. Pull thread taut and knot so the hole looks as closed as possible, as shown below.
13. Using thread that coordinates with the strawberry leaf, bring thread up from back of leaf before beginning to attach it to the strawberry.
14. Next, hold leaf over hole at the top of the strawberry. Begin to attach using straight stitches. Begin stitches at each point of leaf and end near the center. The picture below shows how your needle should move through the leaf.
15. To end the thread, bury it in the felt. To bury a thread, after passing needle through the final leaf point, bring it down through the strawberry.
16. Gently push fingers against the felt while pulling on the thread and knot off. Squeeze area around the knot until it pops back into felt. Once knot is in the strawberry, trim it as close to the felt as possible.
And you’re done! How many chocolate covered strawberries will you make?
If you would prefer to make plain strawberries with no chocolate covering, skip Step 2 and embroider seed details on the entire strawberry piece as shown below.
Follow all of the remaining steps in the tutorial, and you’ll have a plain strawberry!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy making this fun and easy gift - it’s sure to make any kid’s day special!
Thanks to Laura for designing and writing this tutorial! You can follow her on Instagram @sonicstitches or visit her website. Stay tuned for more tutorials!
