Homemade Mothers Day Gifts:
Bumble Bee Frame
If you have been looking for ideas for homemade mothers day gifts, we hope you will give this one a try. This felt frame is a nice way to show your mom how special she is and how much she means to you. It is a very inexpensive project and pretty easy to make, but will mean a lot to your mom! Most felt projects like this one are easy, and with a little help, would be a great gift for even a young child to give to their mother.
This felt frame also is a great project for giving old frames a new look. If you have any frame that's outdated or you just no longer like, this project will give it a new look. If you don't have any old frames, try searching a dollar store for a cheap frame to use.
Materials for Homemade Mothers Day Gifts: Bumble Bee Frame
What you will need:
Felt in colors of your choice + white and yellow
Embroidery thread (to match or contrast felt colors) + black and light blue
Straight pins and needle
Scissors
Paper hole punch
Paper and pencil
Frame
Note: The frame should have a flat border that is at least 1" wide. Anything narrower will be a little too small to sew on decorations. We used a frame with a 1½” border for this project, but wider will also work.
Instructions for Homemade Mothers Day Gifts: Bumble Bee Frame
Step 1:
Lay your frame (without glass or backing) on your felt that is going to cover your frame.
Now measure and draw a line around the outside and inside of the frame that is at least 1" away from the edge. If the border of your frame is wider than 1", draw your line even farther away from the frame's edge. You want to be sure that there will be enough felt on the outside and inside of the frame so when wrapped around the frame, they can be sewn together. See Photo E to see what we are talking about. Then cut the felt along your drawn line. See Photo A.
Step 2:
Now that you know where the frame will be, cut out a notch on the outside corners, and make a diagonal cut to the inside corners. See Photo A. This is done so you can later easily wrap the felt around the frame.
Step 3:
Next you will make a guide so you can sew the decorative dashed border around the frame. To make this guide, trace around the inside and outside of your frame on a piece of paper. Since this stitching should not be on the absolute edge of your frame, measure in anywhere from an 1/8” to 1/4” on all sides of your paper guide, so it is now thinner than the actual frame. Center this guide onto the felt and pin it on. See photo B. This guide will help you to make these stitches straight and even. After this border is sewn on, it will also be easier to know where the other decorations should be placed.
Sew the border stitches on the inside and outside of the guide, using a simple running stitch. Again, see photo B.
Step 4:
Print the flower and bumble bee template provided (PDF file), and select the size flowers and bumble bee that will best fit your frame. Cut the flowers out of the felt colors of your choice. For the bee, cut out the wings in white and the body and head in one piece of yellow felt. The stripes and other details will be sewn on with thread. To make the small circles that are the center of the flowers, we just used a paper hole punch. This does a pretty good job of punching through the felt, but you may have to trim the circles a little if it didn't punch all the way.
Step 5:
A good place to start sewing is in the bottom corner with the flowers. See photo C for suggested layout design. The flowers and their center circle are simply attached to the frame by a single French knot in the center of the circle.
Place the yellow cut-out of the bee in the upper right corner of the frame. He will be sewn down by sewing on the stripes. Using black embroidery thread, start stitching on the stripe around his neck. We basically just stitched around and around, with our stitches running perpendicular to the bee’s head.
Do the same thing for his bottom stripe. The stinger was just a series of several stitches with a really long one in the center. The thin stripe around his middle was made with the back stitch, as were his antennas. His eye was made with a French knot, and the dots on the ends of each antenna were also French knots. Once all that is completed, place the two wings where you would like them. These are then anchored with a back stitch around the border, using light blue thread. Be sure to start with the wing that you want to be behind the other. See photo D for an up-close picture of the bee.
Step 6:
The last detailing to put on the frame is the dashed trail from the bee to the flowers. This is done using a simple running stitch. We started at the bee and worked towards the flowers, but you can sew it any way you like. We decided white thread would show up well, but you could also use black if you prefer. The trail can look however you like, but we added some loops for cuteness! Now that this is done, you are ready to attach the felt to the frame.
Step 7:
Line your frame up on the felt and wrap the inside and outside edges around the frame. Start stitching the two edges together using a whip stitch. See Photo E. While you're sewing, check the front every so often to make sure it's lined up properly along the frame. You may have to cut some small holes in the felt, depending on the types of flaps on your frame that hold the glass and photo in. Once the back is finished and tied off, your frame is all done and ready for a lovely photo to give to your mom.
For more cute homemade Mothers Day gifts and ideas, please click the link below.
Return to Mothers Day Crafts from Homemade Mothers Day Gifts:
Bumble Bee Frame
sabrina Says:
i love this idea
enas Says:
amazing idea
meha Says:
i really like this .i want to make this for my mother.
Nashrah Says:
It's so hard to understand but nice too.today is mother's day so i will give it to my mother...
Dee Says:
i really loved it but it's too hard!!
londan Says:
This look off the hook, kid ur mom must luv this 'Mother's Day,'gift and that's a garanted.
maheen Says:
this is very hard but its amazing
Sophie Says:
I havent tried it yet but its perfect because my nicknames bumble bee so thats a bonus! :)
lola Says:
i love it but its really hard for kids if u wanna surprise your mom it has to be easy Aisyah Says:
Cute idea! I've linked this to my blog. Thanks! Dawn Says:
I've been looking for a cute gift idea for my mom and this is perfect! I'm going to try making this, I hope it turns out! Anonymous Says:
great idea
Homemade Mothers Day Gifts: Bumble Bee Frame
