Well, I can’t believe that my little dove’s first birthday is this Saturday. The past year has gone by much too quickly. I finished the last little details on his birthday present today. As a non-sewer, or at least, not a very good one, this felt playhouse might have been a little ambitious. It’s definitely not perfect, but I am so proud of the work that I did and I hope that birthday boy likes it!

reminiscing on our felt playhouse

I am sitting in my office late at night, editing this post in February 2025. The little boy I first made this felt playhouse for as a present on his first birthday is sleeping in his room, only a few months away from his 15th birthday. Some of his younger siblings–he has six of them now–were just playing with this same felt playhouse yesterday. The windows are a bit stretched out, and some of the flowers are missing. But it is still a source of joy and screen-free fun. In fact, I’ve included some updated pictures in this blog post for you.

Originally this blog post had a link to what used to be one of my favorite DIY blogs–Homemade By Jill. Hers was a blog that inspired me to start my own in those early days as a new mom who needed a creative outlet. Unfortunately, and as so often happens these days, her blog is now dark. Not many bloggers who were blogging in 2010 are still blogging today. And it’s sad, because these early bloggers were like Pioneers–setting the path for all of us and making us realize we could do it too.

So, unfortunately, I can’t direct you to Jill’s blog with her much nicer pictures and clearer tutorial. What I can do is encourage you–I am not a talented seamstress. My sewing skills are limited to straight lines. That means, that if I can make my children a felt playhouse that has lasted for nearly 14 years and is still going strong, you can too!

how to make a DIY felt playhouse

I made my son’s homemade felt playhouse with four different sides that would all be interactive in some way. I knew that would give him the ability for the more creative and imaginative play!

On the front side of his felt playhouse is the front of the house. I included a mailbox slot so he could pretend to send letters. I even included a hole on the door handle that his play keys can fit into. That way he can lock up when he leaves. Safety first, right?

On the back side is an orchard, there’s also another entrance and exit on this side. After all, every little boy needs a secret escape hatch. The interactive feature of his felt orchard is his ability to stick fruit to the trees with velcro. I made apples, oranges, and lemons that he can grow and harvest on repeat.

After my little dove picks his fruit, he can stock the market that’s on one of the short sides of his playhouse. I also included velcro to felt fruit bins here so he can always make sure his market is full of good things to eat. We affectionately named the market after his grandfather, who actually used to own some grocery stores many years ago!

The last side of his felt playhouse is a window with a window box. I made some felt flowers that have pipe cleaners in the stems so they can stand up straight and tall, adding some serious curb appeal to his little home! The felt flowers can slip in and out of the window box easily.

You can find more fun DIY projects on my Pinterest boards!