We’re all about the cactus this month. The last cactus we made out of felt was this cute bunny ear cactus. And today we have a new one for you! Designed by Krista, our felt barrel cactus is a great intermediate project and includes the pattern to make three different sizes of cacti.

Ready to start crafting? Scroll down to see our supplies list, then download our pattern and photo tutorial at the end of the post.

Cactus Makes Perfect

The more you practice your hand-sewing and stitching, the easier it will get! Of course we have all kinds of projects at varying levels to help you improve your skills. If you’re a beginner, we highly recommend checking out our embroidery guide for step-by-step photo tutorials and project examples before trying out this felt barrel cactus.

Along with showing you how to make the felt cactus, our tutorial also shows you how to make the tiny felt flowers at the top. You can decide how many flowers to make for each cactus size and in what colors. When you’ve finished assembling your cactus, you can run a u-shaped wire through the bottom and stake it into foam or pebbles in a pot.

Skill level: Intermediate. If you’ve made our felt pumpkin, the construction of this felt barrel cactus is similar!

Embroidery stitches used: Whip and blanket stitch. Need some extra guidance? Check out our free embroidery guide.

Crafting tip: You can stick all three sizes of cacti into a larger pot (approx. 5-6″) so they are clustered together. Or you can put each felt barrel cactus into its own pot like we did.

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Tools

• Cricut Maker or Silhouette Cameo 4 (recommended)
• Detail Scissors 
• Embroidery Needles
• Clover Applique Sewing Pins
• Stuffing Tool or Chopstick
• Needle Threader (optional)

Materials

• Lia Griffith’s Wool Blend Felt — Shady Grove and Rose Quartz
• Embroidery Floss — DMC Green Gray (3053), ECRU, and Topaz (725)
• Polyester Fiber Fill — Lia Griffith Stuffie Puff
• Tacky Glue
• Art Marker – Blick Studio Peach (064)
• Fabric Pen — Dritz Disappearing Ink
• 24-Gauge Green Paper-Covered Wire or White Paper-Covered Wire
• Floral Wire – 18-Gauge Paper Covered Green
• Small Pots — assorted sizes

How to Make a Felt Barrel Cactus

1. Gather your craft tools and materials. Then download the pattern below.
2. Cut out felt according to template using a cutting machine with a rotary blade (recommended) or scissors.
3. The photo tutorial shows how to make the larger sized cactus. Pin two side pieces together, with edges matched up. Whip stitch together along the inner curve using 2 strands of matching embroidery floss. This will be the inside of the cactus.
4. Repeat this step to make 7 sewn pairs.

Full tutorial available for members to download below.

Explore More

Love this DIY idea? See what other kinds of cacti you can make. Or take a look at all of our felt plants.