Very Hungry Caterpillar Felt Board

1,109 Replies

I’ve been quiet here on the blog while working on a large sewing project, though I’ve been posting regular updates on the Facebook page. I took a break from quiet book sewing to make a birthday present for one of Jax’s friends who was turning 2 years old. His friend adores all of Eric Carle’s books and was planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party.

I’ve been itching to try my hand at making a felt version of all the pretty food featured in that book, and I was excited to finally have the perfect reason to! I knew they would appreciate a handmade gift, so two weeks before the party, I started tackling the project.

The felt items were made using only s felt from my scrap bags (I sort all my felt scraps by color and store them in freezer bags) with the exception of the black background felt. I would have preferred to have a white background like the book, but I was purchasing  felt board to save time and money, and white wasn’t an option. (You could make your own felt board by covering a blank art canvas with flannel fabric.) I purchased this black felt board. It comes in green and purple, but I wanted to easily match the background to a felt color, so I chose black. The colors really pop on it!

Because so much detail went into each piece, they were all heavy and wouldn’t stick to the board without the help of Velcro. I used Snag-Free Velcro so they wouldn’t snag each other when tucked away together in their pocket. Each item was sew to a base piece of black felt, trimmed to size, then backed with another piece of black felt with some Velcro sewn to it. I sewed to backings on by hand with a back stitch, only going through the two black layers of felt so the stitches wouldn’t show on the front.

The Pattern
I’m afraid that I can’t post a pattern for this project here on my blog because I want to respect Eric Carle’s copyright. He does have a coloring sheet you could enlarge and use to make your own set. However, I have a PDF of all the sketches I did for my set, and I’d be happy to send it on to any of you lovely friends who would like to have it for your personal use. Please leave a comment below using the blog’s comment form (not the Facebook comment form – I don’t get notified of those!) In the email field, include the address you’d like me to send the PDF link to. I’ll do my best to send you an email within a day or two with the link.

Here is a quick run-down of how I made each item:

Fruits 1 – 5: For the sets of fruits the caterpillar starts out eating, I used rectangles of black felt as the background of each group instead of having tiny, separate fruits and numbers that would get lost. I sewed the fruits down to the background using back stitch and 2 strands of floss. For the stems, I used all 6 strands of floss: I made a knot in the end of my floss and came up from the back. I tied another knot flush against the felt to hold it in place, then made a knot at the end of the stem and cut of the rest. For some of the stems I went back down into the felt after the top knot to hold them in a certain position. Leaves were sewn down with a line of back stitch along the vein. For the strawberry tops, I made an x-shaped stitch in the center before doing the stem. The numbers are sewn on with back stitch down the center. I stitched little circles and open circles on the oranges to make the navels. I sewed all the rectangles to backing pieces with Velcro using the sewing machine to save time.

     

[img src=”http://www.imagineourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/oranges.jpg” w=”600″ h=”200″]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: I tackled this guy first, as he is the star of the show. The caterpillar and the butterfly were the only ones I used yellow felt as the background for sewing down all the details (I still used black for the back side with the Velcro.) I cut his segments out of various colors of green and blue. The color variations are more subtle in the book, but I was working with what I had. Each segment is back stitched down. You may need to trim them up to get them just right – different felt stretches different amounts – especially with little, tiny pieces. for the feet and antennae, I used 3 layers of felt to make them stiff and blanket stitched round the edges.

The fuzzy fringe along the caterpillar’s back was the most annoying part of the whole project, but I didn’t want to leave it out! I made each little fringe the same way I did the fruit stems, but without the knot at the end: knot the floss, go through the back of the caterpillar (the yellow piece only), make another knot, then cut off and repeat. I alternated red and aqua blue, then went back and spread out the strands and gave him a “hair cut” so they were all even. To finish him off, I sandwiched the feet and antennae between the front piece and the black back piece with Velcro and sewed them together.

Leaf: I back stitched around the outside and down the center vein, then made a stem and sewed on the backing.

The Beautiful Butterfly: I took liberties when translating the butterfly from the book to a felt design, so you could certainly “wing it”! In fact, I only used my computer sketch for the basic shape, and ended up cutting out most of the pieces by hand. (I later drew them on the computer, so they are included in my PDF sketches.) Everything is back stitched down except the tiny felt circles – I have French knots in the center of those.  I added two layers of yellow to his skinny body to add strength before sewing on the head. His face is satin stitched on and his legs and antennae are done the way I made the fruit stems. His arms are long stitches I added at the end. When he was all decorated,  I cut out a backing of black felt to match, added Velcro and back stitched it on, only going through the yellow layer.

All the junk food items are sewn down to black felt then trimmed to size. The backs are all done the same: I cut out black felt to fit the finished item, sewed on Velcro, then back stitched it to the front, only going through the two black layers.

Chocolate Cake: I sewed the top and layer on, plus some dark brown back stitch to show the corner of the cake. I made light brown stitches to add texture to the top and then sewed the cherry on.

Ice Cream: I back stitched a grid design on the cone, then sewed around the edge of the ice cream scoop.

Pickle: After sewing it down, I made lines of little dashed stitches to add the bumpy texture then added a stem.

Cheese: I sewed a strip of dark yellow down the side to match the book, then sewed around the edges, I didn’t bother to cut out the holes in the cheese in the black felt.

Salami: After sewing down the body of the salami and the pink ends, I sewed down little scraps and made white stitches to match the book. I stitched a bit of brown thread to the “tied” end and tied it in a knot.

Lollipop: I sewed down the middle of a long strip of brown felt to make the stick. I took a long strip of yellow with a point at one end and sewed it down to the blue circle (starting with the tapered end in the center) in a spiral, then sewed down the exposed edges of the blue circle.

Pie Slice: The pie crust is sewn down around the edges, except for the extra crust along the top-back of the slice. I made a basting stitch that I pulled tight to give it a little ruffle. The pie filling is sewn down with scrap circles in pinks and reds to make the cherries.

Sausage: The sausage is simply sewn down around the edges with little brown ties added on to each end like the salami.

Cupcake: I cut out the top of the cupcake liner using pinking shears to give it a zigzag. I sewed down the cupcake, then sewed down the cupcake liner using vertical lines of back stitch.

Watermelon Slice: The watermelon is sewn down around the edges. The seeds I cut by hand (very hard to do because they are so tiny. Use sharp, micro-tip scissors!) the sewn down with a few stitches running vertically down the middle.

   

Because this felt set is a gift and I went with a 12″ x 12″ travel size felt board, I wanted to sew a quick case for it. I had limited time – just a few hours on on Saturday – so I don’t have many photos to the process, but I’ll do my best to explain it.

I made the case so it could be zipped shut for travel or storage, opened flat or hung from a door knob at toddler height for play time. I used Eric Carle fabric in Very Hungry Caterpillar white/green and Grouchy Ladybug Grass green/lime. I already had a 36″ white separating zipper and clear vinyl. I purchased a pack of fusible fleece.

The finished size of the case when unfolded is 14″ wide by 28″ high (with the 12″ square felt board.) I cut rectangles out of both fabrics and the fusible fleece that were 15″ x 29″. I ironed the fusible fleece to the back of the green liner fabric according to the instructions. I cut a 14″ x 7″ rectangle of vinyl for the pocket. I sewed ribbon over the sharp upper edge of the vinyl, but it would be easiest to just use some bias tape. (I didn’t have any on hand.) I sewed the pocket down to the liner/fleece piece with a regular stitch followed by a zigzag to cover the sharp edges. I also divided it into a 4.5″ pocket and left the rest a large pocket for the book and bigger pieces.

 

I cut strips of the green fabric and lined them with the fusible fleece before making them into 1″ wide straps. There are a zillion ways to make straps. I started with a 2″ width, ironed .5″ edges in on each side, folded it in half and pressed, then sewed down each side and the ends.

For the felt board, I sewed down two 11″ strips of black elastic. (See the photo at the top for an example.) I folded the ends of mine under (towards the center of the case) and sewed them with a zigzag on the machine. It is probably easiest if you sew the elastic on by hand after finishing the zipper so you don’t have to deal with the elastic folding your fabric in.

The zipper is the hardest part to explain – especially without photos. You may need to search around for zipper tutorials before tackling it. I drew some sketches of the steps I took. I used a zipper foot when sewing the zipper on.

Here is the finished case when closed!

 

I hope you enjoyed reading about this project! I had so much fun doing it, and I was very proud to hand it off to its new owner. If you create a felt board case or Very Hungry Caterpillar felt set of your own, let me know! I’d love to see it…

1,109 thoughts on “Very Hungry Caterpillar Felt Board”

  2. Barbara

    Hi. I am a Very Hungry Caterpillar fan and retired elementary school librarian who read and used this book for lessons all the time. Some friends have a 2 year old and she would love this. Could you please send me the pdf? Your work is wonderful. Thanks.

    Reply ↓
  3. Michelle Waltz

    could you please send me the pattern for the very hungry caterpiller felt board!! Thanks

    Reply ↓
  4. Sheila Galbreath

    Hello, this is adorable! Can you please send me the pdf for everything? Thanks

    Reply ↓
  5. Inês Caldas

    Hello Stephanie,

    I follow your blog for a while now, everything you do is really beautiful! I already did the forest page and the pinguin and igloo page for my almost two years old dauther. For her two years aniversary I would like to give her the quiet book pages I can get done till then and a Very Hungry Caterpiller activity! I didn’t new you’ve done one and was really happy to find out. Do you think you could help me with your sketches?

    Reply ↓
  6. Ania

    Hi. My name is Ania, I’m from Poland. My sister is pregnant and I’d like to saw the catepilar for her liitle son as a gift. Could you send me the pdf of the scatch?

    Reply ↓
  7. Laura Hogarth

    Hello! I absolutely adore this! Stunning! Thanks for sharing! Please could you send me the pdf? My little boy would love this!

    Thanks so much!

    Reply ↓
  11. Sarah

    I would love to do this:) would you send it to me as well please 🙂
    Nicke Greets from Germany 🙂

    Reply ↓
  12. Benita

    Oh my greatness this is amazing.
    I’m a speech therapist in South Africa and The Hungry Caterpillar is obviously one of my most beloved books to do with my kids. This is so exquisite – you are very talented.

    Reply ↓
  13. Heidi

    You are really brilliant! I cannot wait to do it by myself. Thank you for sharing. Would you please send me the pdf to me?
    Thank you so much.????

    Reply ↓
  14. Deanna McQuade

    Could I get the PDF sent to me? This is the cutest felt story board! My son was the Hungry Caterpillar for his first Halloween weeks after he was born. I would love to make this for him for his first birthday.
    [email protected]

    Reply ↓
  15. Marion Moore

    Dear Stephanie,
    You are amazing. I spend hours looking at your amazing work. If you are able I would love the very hungry caterpilla templates. I have crochet a caterpilla for my grandchildren (not born yet) and would love to make this chart for them.
    Kind regards,
    Marion

    Reply ↓
  16. Kylie Gibbons

    Hello Stephanie,
    I adore this felt book, could I please have the PDF sent to me. My two daughters would love this.
    Thank you in advance,
    Kylie.

    Reply ↓
  18. Selina Nunez

    Could you please send me a copy of the Very Hungry Caterpillar template. Thank you so much.

    Reply ↓
  19. Lupe

    Please, can you send me the PDF pattern. I read this book to my grandson and would love to make it for him
    Thank you
    Lupe Dominguez

    Reply ↓
  20. Lupe

    Please send my a PDF of the pattern for The Hungry Catepillar. I read the book for my
    grandson and would love to do a set for him.
    Thank you,
    Lupe Dominguez

    Reply ↓
  21. Karen Stark

    May I have the PDF sent to me? I would like to make these pieces to decorate my grand child’s bedroom. I have made a Hungry Caterpillar quilt. Thank you so much. Your work is beautiful!
    Karen

    Reply ↓
  22. Sharon Hopkins

    Would love to make this for my granddaughter! Could I please have a chippy of your pdf? Your patterns are wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply ↓
  24. Ellen

    Wow! This is my first and only grandson’s favorite book. Your felt rendition is the best one I have seen anywhere. Could you please send me the pattern or would you be willing to sell me one? I appreciate your help with this. Thank you so much.

    Ellen

    Reply ↓
  25. Alexandra

    Hi Stephanie,

    Your work is wonderful! You must be so impressed with how your Very Hungry Caterpillar felt board story came to life!

    I am an early years teacher in Australia and I would very much like to make this felt board story for the children in my class. We are doing an author study on Eric Carle this term and your representation of the story is perfect!

    Could I please have a pdf copy of your pattern?

    Many thanks,
    Alexandra

    Reply ↓
  26. Miki

    I would love your sketches. I teach Kindergarten and use this book all the time. I would love to make it for my grandchildren! You did an amazing job!

    Reply ↓
  27. Rachel Stout

    I’m SO in love with this! I want to make a crib mobile for my little one due in September and would love a copy of your sketched patterns. This is my inspiration for the project! I’ve decorated the nursery in all Eric Carle decor. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply ↓
  29. Jackie

    Hello
    This is absolutely beautiful and I would love a PDF copy of all the sketches you did. I agree YOU are amazing for sharing your beautiful work!

    Reply ↓
  31. Renee Mourer

    I would love to make this book. Could you send me the sketches you used? I really appreciate it. Thank you, Renee

    Reply ↓
  33. Jane

    Hi Stephanie,
    I would like to have a copy of the very hungry caterpillar template! Thank you so much!

    Reply ↓
  34. Lisa

    Hi there! I love, love, love this! My son loves the hungry caterpillar and I would love to make this for him. Please could you send me the PDF of you are still sharing?

    Many thanks!

    Reply ↓
  35. Carolin

    Hello Stephanie, I just LOVE your quiet book patterns, they are adorable! And as the Hungry Caterpillar is my little daughter’s favorite book, I would love to make her such a felt board. Would you please send me your pdf link? I would really, really appreciate that. Thank you!!

    Reply ↓
  37. Laura Trellue

    I am a school librarian and would love to have a copy of your patterns for the Very Hungry Caterpillar. This would really make the story be so interactive for my students

    Reply ↓
  38. Suzanne M Black

    I absolutely love your very hungry catapillar and would love to make it for my grandchildren. Could you please send me your wonderful PDFs . Thank you for sharing your talent.
    Suzanne M Black

    Reply ↓
  39. Natalie Loosemore

    Could you please send me copy of the hungrey caterpillar patten would love to make for my kindy kids. Thanks

    Reply ↓
  40. Barbara

    Hi Stephanie, if the offer is still available I would love the PDF of your The Hungry Caterpillar. Love you site – you are a very special person for sharing so much. Thanks Barb

    Reply ↓
  42. Fiona Harch

    Could I please have a copy of the PDF for the pattern of the Hungry Caterpillar. Also I love your quiet book pages.

    Reply ↓
  43. Lola

    Hi, im an english teacher in Spain, your work is amazing. It would be great if you could send me the PDF and try it for my lessons. Thank u so much.xx

    Reply ↓
  44. Marcia

    Thank you for your kind offer to share your PDF for the Hungry Caterpillar project. You’ve done a stunning job on it and I would appreciate very much having it to try my hand on it. Thank you also for your generosity in allowing us to make it so much easier to make our own quiet book pages.

    Reply ↓
  47. Lizz

    i know this is an older post but can you please send me the template you used for this if you still have it? i’d really appreciate it! Thank you!

    Reply ↓
  48. Susan Dineen

    Hi…. I absolutely love your work. I have a 6 month old grandson, our first grandchild, and I’d love to make this for him. Please send me the PDF for this pattern. Thank you very much, I truly appreciate it.

    Reply ↓
  50. Tara

    This is SO stinking adorable. Could you please send me the pattern for the very hungry caterpillar sketches?

    Thank you SO much!

    Reply ↓

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