Medieval Wall Frieze

Create a Medieval scene inspired by the Bayeux tapestry! Design and make your own version of this famous embroidered cloth with felt characters as a classroom or group project.

Medieval Wall Frieze

Skill Level

Beginner. Adult supervision needed

Time to Make

1 hour to make 1 x felt character

Adult Supervision Needed

Yes

How to Make

  1. To make the frieze background, cut off a 50cm piece of hessian from a roll. Or to make a longer frieze, use the whole 160cm length.
  2. To make the border, cut some strips from the length of an A3 felt sheet, 3-4cm wide. Stick double-sided tape to the reverse side of the strips, peel off the backing then press the felt along the edges of the hessian. Trim the ends.
  3. To work out the shape for a felt character, first draw a simple outline onto card then cut it out. Keep the outlines very simple, leaving off any details. Make more card shapes in the same way until you have the main elements for your scene with people, animals, buildings and scenery. Arrange the card shapes onto the background between the borders to decide the best layout. Check if the shapes need to be bigger or smaller. You may be able to repeat the same shape several times, for example the horse.
  4. Draw around the card shapes onto the backing paper of some self-adhesive felt sheets. Before cutting them out, check which way the shapes are facing. Once the felt has been turned over, they will face the opposite way round. Cut out the shapes then turn them over with the felt side facing up. Cut out some smaller pieces from self-adhesive felt for the details and patterns, or use ready-cut felt shapes. Peel off the backing paper from the small pieces and stick them onto the main shape.
  5. Peel off the backing from the main shapes and stick them onto the hessian background, or use strips of double-sided tape.
  6. Stick small felt strips and shapes as additional details on the borders. Stick on wiggle eyes to finish the characters.
Medieval Wall Frieze Medieval Wall Frieze Medieval Wall Frieze

Top Tip

A card template can be re-used several times to make matching felt shapes, or for repeating the same shape in different felt colours.

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