This DIY post is specifically for a purchased craft kit that you can find on my Etsy shop.
If you have seen my Etsy shop or have made your way over to my shop on this site here, you have seen the wide variety of felt banners that I sell.
I love making them and watching customers at craft shows pick them out in person. It is a good way to get a look into their personality.
Alpaca Banner DIY Craft Kit
Step One: Purchase Your Craft Kit
You will first need to purchase your DIY Kit from my Etsy Shop HERE
There are also other craft kits in my Etsy shop with instructions here at unplannedwhimsy.com if you would like to see other whimsical crafts to try.
You purchase the kit, alpaca all you need. Get it? (That joke is funnier if you read it out loud.)
Step Two: Gather Your Supplies
In this purchased kit you will receive:
- Precut Felt Tan Banner (eyes and mouth are pre-attached)
- Precut Felt Tan Ears
- Precut Felt Pink Fluffy Hair
- Prepared Felt Golden Unicorn Horn (pre-glued for your ease of use)
- Precut Felt Pink Cheeks
- Pink and White Twine
- Dowel Rod
- Adhesive Not Included
Additional Information:
- Banner is about 8.5 x 5.8 inches in size
- Banner has precut holes to thread the wooden dowel through
- Dowel Rod is 6 inches in length and 0.25 inches in diameter
- Felt Ears have been stiffened to prevent them from becoming floppy
- Twine is 18 inches in length
- Additionally you will need adhesive to hold your project together. I recommend using a glue gun; however, if you would like to make this a more child-friendly project feel free to use felt glue.
- A glue gun provides a shorter waiting time for drying, allowing your project to be finished sooner.
- Felt glue will work fine, but there will be delayed crafting as you wait for the glue to dry.
- It is up to you, so long as you do this craft safely and have fun.
Step Three: Attach the Dowel to Your Banner
Take your tan banner and flip it so that the face is facing down.
Insert your dowel into the top right hole in the banner from the back
Once the dowel is in the hole, twist and wiggle it while pushing so that it will reach the second hole. You can flip the banner face up to get a better visual on the dowel as you move it from one side to the other.
Thread the dowel through the front of your banner and into the second hole
When the dowel is all the way through, center it so that it looks like the photos below.
The front should look like this 
The back should look like this
Step Four: Attach the Fluffy Hair
Position the hair where you would like it
Lift up pieces of the hair in small sections toward the bottom rim of the hair line to add glue. Glueing it in small sections this way allows you to hold the hair in the position you have laid it without moving the hair as you glue the piece.
Lift the hair from under the dowel and add glue in small sections to hold it in place 
Lift the top of the hair to glue it down
You do not want to smooth the hair over the dowel from the front of the banner, because doing so will leave a large dent in you hair and will look odd. So, as you glue down the hair, only glue the hair to the felt below the dowel and gently on the dowel itself.
Why do we do this? You will see in the next step…
Add glue to the dowel and the hair under it 
See how the hair is leaning forward? That is good for now
Step Five: Secure the Dowel in the Back
Lift the extra felt above the banner 
Add glue to the felt above the dowel
Pinch the extra felt around the dowel
Doing this will allow you to secure the banner to the wooden dowel without leaving a crease or mark from the dowel on the front of the banner. You don’t want an Alpaca with a crazy line through its forehead… Unless you do, then that’s okay you do you.
Step Six: Attach the Ears
If you would like to strive for perfection or are having a hard time getting the ears straight you can use a ruler to help straighten them.
If you have trouble laying down the ears straight feel free to use a ruler 
Once you have the ears in place glue them down
Step Seven: Attach the Cheeks
Lay the cheeks in place to get a visual 
Glue them down
Step Eight: Add the Twine
Attaching the Twine:
First you want to flip the alpaca face down to be able to attach the twine to the back of the banner.
Grab your twine 
Thread the twine under the dowel rod
Tie the twine to your dowel 
I suggest using a double knot so that it is secure
Repeat the knot on the other side of your dowel.
You can trim the excess twine if you desire
Is your twine longer that you wanted it?
Shortening the Twine After Making Your Knots:
Yes, you can fight with your knot and undo it or possibly ruin your twine by cutting it off and redoing you knot… or you could just shorten it the easy way.
Wrap the twine around the dowel 
Wrap wrap wrap
Once you have wrapped the twine around the dowel, push the wrapped twine toward the banner for a more secure hold. See how close together those wraps are in the second photo above?
Step Nine: Enjoy!
No matter the angle… 
your banner will be BEAUTIFUL
Your banner looks amazing!
If you purchase this product or create something inspired by this DIY please share your photos either in the comments below or on Unplanned Whimsy’s Facebook Page HERE
