FELT HAMANTASCHEN

If your kiddos already have some basic sewing skills, this is a great Purim craft! When I first saw this idea on Moms and Crafters, I immediately fell in love with it — especially since the steps are so close to making real hamantaschen! You start with a felt circle (this is the “dough”); then you cut a triangle (this is the “filling”) to fit in the circle. Next you pinch three sides (just like you do with real hamantaschen dough!) and make three or four whip stitches to hold the pinched sides in place. The end result looks like the real thing, and it’s so cute, I can hardly stand it! Your Purim celebration surely will be extra joyful with this sweet little craft!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

-Felt in whatever colors you like
-Embroidery thread (you can have it match the color of your “dough” or not - either way is fun)
-Sewing needle with a bigger eye so that it’s easier to thread the embroidery thread
-Optional, but super helpful: a needle threader
-Scissors
-Pins to keep the sides pinched together while you sew them

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

(1) Decide how many felt hamantaschen you’d like to make, and cut out that number of felt circles. You can decide what size you want the circles to be. I used the top of a drinking glass to trace mine. These circles will be the “dough.” (2) Next, cut felt triangles, which will be the “filling,” making sure that the triangles fit inside the circles. (3) I thought it was also helpful to cut off a small part of each triangle tip. It makes the pinching and sewing part easier because there is a bit less “filling” felt in the corners. (4) Pinch three sides of the “dough” felt together, just like you would when making real hamantaschen, and pin those pinched sides together (see photo). Alternatively, you could just hold one pinched side together at a time while you make the whip stiches. (5) Make three or four whip stiches on each of the corners, but not right at the end. The effect is better if you make your stitches a little in from the end (see photo). After you make three or four stitches, do one final stitch that you loop through to make a knot. (6) Trim off any “tails” of embroidery thread. (7) Now you have colorful play hamantaschen that you can pretend to eat! It will only be a matter of time before you feel like you must make the real thing!