Foam and Felt Binoculars

Recently, I was contacted by Jo-Ann (a fabric and craft supplier) about taking part in their Summer Craft Challenge.  After looking through their catalogue, I knew I needed to make foam and felt binoculars for my boys.  Their version is on the left, and mine is on the right.  

Didn't they turn out cute?  My boys absolutely love them.  Here's how I made them:

1) I cut two 6"x6" squares of blue foam.
2) I cut two 6"x6" squares of zebra felt.
3) I cut two 6" X 1 1/2" strips from the leftover blue foam, and I cut four 1" X 6" strips from the black felt.
4) Using hot glue, I glued the zebra felt to one side of each foam piece.
5) I glued the foam to the edge (on the end) of each of the square pieces.
6) I glued the black felt strips on top of the blue foam (near the edge) and on the opposite side from the foam and felt.
7) I rolled each square piece to create a cylinder, overlapping 1/2", and I glued it in place (using lots of hot glue).  Then, I used hot glue to attach the cylinders together.
8) I traced around each end of the cylinders on black felt to get 2 felt circles, secured them in place using hot glue, and cut out centres using sharp scissors.  
9) I used scissors to punch a small hole in the side of each cylinder, fed cording through the holes, and secured it with knots.

These binoculars turned out super-cute, but they take some time to construct given all the steps.  For a simpler version, you could just use plain foam squares and a couple of black felt strips at the top and bottom of the cylinders.  It just depends on how much time you want to spend on the project.  :-)

Would your little one love going on a backyard adventure with these adorable safari binoculars?

♥

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure:  I received free projects related to this post, but the opinions on this blog are my own.