Autumn for us means lots of nature collecting and collecting acorn caps to make felted acorns is one of our favorite traditions that we’ve been doing since Elliot barely began walking. We’ll be using a wet felting method to create the acorns and then attaching them to the caps using glue. Wet felting is really simple and you only need a couple of things to get started. The process entails using warm soapy water to agitate the wool fibers which will cause them to bind together. The completed acorns can be added to nature tables, used for activities or added to your autumn decor!

Materials:

– wool roving or batting
– acorn caps (red oak / California black oak)
– dishwashing soap
– two bowls
– glue

Instructions to make wool felted acorns:

Step 1: How to wet felt

Fill two bowls with warm water and add a couple drops of dishwashing soap to one of the bowls. Grab a small handful of wool roving and separate the fibers. Roll the fibers together into a ball.

Dunk the ball into the soapy water bowl and begin lightly rolling the ball between your hands in a circular motion. As the fibers condense, you will feel the ball shrink in size and become more dense.

When you are happy with the shape of the ball and it feels dense, rinse out the remainder of the soap in the clean water bowl. Squeeze the water out and reshape. Set aside to dry for 12-24 hours.

Step 2: How to attach the felt balls to your acorn caps

Once your wool balls have dried thoroughly, attach them to the acorn caps (cleaned and thoroughly dried) using your choice of glue. Let the glue dry before using.