Felt craft is a fun way to express yourself, whether cutting the felt by hand or on a laser like we’re doing today. If you saw our previous barn quilt paint by number, you’ll recognize this design because we’re reimagining it in felt!

A whole world of possibilities for felt craft opened up when we discovered that we could cut felt with a laser – which resulted in this awesome diy abstract art.

We actually found a pair of oak doors at the curb in our neighbourhood, so we’re using the second one for this project. We love to upcycle kitchen cabinet doors; the old ones are solid wood and we hate to see them go to landfill!

In this post, we’re spilling the beans on what I taught at the Laser Craft Fest in September 2024. We’ll teach you the details of how to draw our barn quilt pattern in Illustrator. Then we’ll show you how to separate the colour pieces for laser cutting felt! We’re using some of the colours you see below.

This project starts the same way as our easy paint by numbers. So if you would rather paint than laser cut felt, be sure to check out that project.

Creative Craft Hop

It’s time for another Creative Craft blog hop! So if you are visiting from Donna at Modern on Monticello, welcome! Wasn’t her faux-flocking technique amazing? A big thank-you to Donna for co-hosting with me! At the very bottom of this post, we’ll be directing you to the next stop on this venture. But don’t forget to check out the other stops because you’ll find plenty more ideas. Be sure to drop back in throughout the week to visit them all!

[If you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered (disclosure): The blue links in this post may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from qualifying purchases which we proudly donate to Alzheimer’s research. But don’t worry, you don’t pay a cent more! Thanks for helping to support our fundraiser!]

Supply List

• Felt
• Electronic Calipers
• xTool P2 Co2 Laser (see coupon below for discount*) – U.S. and Canada
• Honeycomb panel – U.S. and Canada:  
• 6” Inline Fan – U.S.:  / Canada
• Rotary Cutter
• 12” Wood Artist’s Panel
• x-Acto Knife
• Tape measure
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue

🎯 Exclusive Coupon Codes (U.S. & Canada – choose one):

• BoF100 (save $100 on orders (over $1699 US / over $1500 CA); or
• SDA80 (save $80 on orders over $999).

Design the Barn Quilt

Not to worry if you don’t have a laser. Although we’re designing our barn quilt in Illustrator, you can use graph paper and draw out the barn quilt design with a pencil the old fashioned way. Geometric patterns are easy; if you can draw a square, rectangle and triangle, you’re golden!

Illustrator Instructions

Skip ahead to assembly if you choose to draw the barn quilt and cut your felt by hand.

Watch this beginner’s masterclass on YouTube if you want to follow along and learn how to create the SVG and laser cut felt!

Start by opening a new file and saving it as Barn Quilt Source. Then draw 3 rectangles for the top and bottom using the rectangle tool – 3″, 4″ and 3″ wide respectively and 3″ high.

Move them together in a row so that they intersection and overlap (more about overlapping lines later). Copy the row to the very bottom.

Now work on the middle section, creating 3 rectangles. This time make them 4″ high.

Connect the corners as shown using the line segment tool.

Finish the rectangle. Then group all four lines together.

Copy and paste the rectangle, then reflect it. Move it in place on the right side of the barn quilt.

Create Triangles for Barn Quilt

Now copy the corner square and divide it in half – again, using the line segment from corner to corner, making sure the line intersects the path.

Select all, then go to the pathfinder and click on divide. Ungroup and you’ll be able to separate the triangle. Scale the triangle so it fits into the centre as shown.

Then copy and rotate it three more times to complete the centre section.

Remove lines of Barn Quilt

Now that the drawing is complete, we’re going to remove some lines; specifically the short sections of lines shown by the red ‘x’s’ below.

Click on the line with the white arrow tool, then use the scissor tool to click on the intersections. You’ll be able to select a line and delete it. With the lines gone, it will look like the image shown below.

How to Delete Overlapping Lines in Illustrator

If you’re just printing this as a quilt pattern, you’re pretty much done. However, overlapping lines will cause a problem if you’re cutting, or scoring, this pattern on a laser.

First, select everything and make sure it’s ungrouped. Then change the stroke width to 10 pts. Next, bring down the opacity to 40%. Now you can see the darker lines – which represent the overlapping lines you want to delete.

Split Paths

Now, follow these steps:

1. With everything selected, click Select > Object > Direction Handles.

2. Edit > Cut

3. Delete the anchor points that are left.

4. Edit> Paste in Place.

Use the white arrow key to select the overlapping segments and hit the delete key to remove them. If you accidentally delete a line that isn’t overlapping, click Ctrl + Z on the keyboard to undo.

Once all overlapping lines are deleted, here’s how your pattern will look. Now, reverse engineer what you did at the beginning: return the opacity to 100% and the line weight to 1 pt.

Felt Craft Barn Quilt

Separate Pieces in to Colours

Now you’re ready to colour and separate the pieces into their respective colours of felt.

Follow these steps:

1. Ctrl + 8 to compound path
2. Hit K on the keyboard (or get the live paint bucket from the side panel).
3. Hover over the artwork and click.
4. Open the swatches and choose a colour. Fill each area with colour.
5. Once all is coloured, select all. Object >Expand. Then Object>Ungroup.
6. Using the move arrow, click on the lines and drag them away from the canvas.
7. Select the artwork and ungroup again. Click on one of the colours.
8. Select > Same> Fill Colour. Drag all selected pieces to another area of the canvas
9. Stack them together as you see below to save on felt.

Add Kerf to Felt Craft Pieces

In laser cutting, kerf is the amount of material burned away by the laser beam as it cuts through the material. For example, if the kerf is 0.2mm, the cut will be that much wider, so designs need to account for this by adding back along each cut to ensure the pieces fits back together accurately. The amount of kerf depends on the laser’s power, speed, and the type of material being cut, so you must always run a test on the material you intend to use.

To add kerf, follow these steps:

1. Select all and add a black stroke
2. Object > Path > Offset Path. Add the number that represents your kerf. How to calculate how much you need to enter in the offset path window is explained in detail in our diy abstract art post.
3. Before you click away, change the stroke colour to another colour, like yellow.
4. Now click on the black stroke on any piece. Using the same trick to select a bunch of like objects at once, Select > Same > Stroke. Delete all the black stroke pieces, leaving you with just your kerf!

Don’t forget to save the work in your source file.

Save Barn Quilt SVG

Select all the kerf pieces and copy it to another file. Write in the colour names. Type > Create Outlines. This will expand the text so the laser software can ‘see’ it.

Save as an SVG.

xTool XCS Software

Import the SVG into xTool Creative Space (XCS). Select each colour grouping (minus the text) and group it. Combine > Unite. Drag the now grouped element off to the side, one by one, leaving one last grouping to cut.

Connect the device. Select the grouping on the canvas and give it a cut function.

Then click anywhere else on the canvas and input the thickness (in this case .096). Click on material and enter the speed and power settings (you will have to experiment to determine what’s best to cut your felt for your laser).

Use the close view camera to position your element on the felt. Then click the green process button. Hit process again, then click the button on the xtool P2 laser to cut.

Once cut, drag that element off to the side, and bring back another grouping. Repeat for each colour.

Assembly

The xTool P2’s close view camera is amazing for getting close to previously cut areas to make the most of your felt! Separate all the colours.

Glue Felt Craft onto Backing

Use a colour reference and printed template to help assemble.

Figuring out the kerf really allows precision when it comes together!

Glue the barn quilt onto piece of thin wood veneer or cardboard. Or, as I prefer to do, glue each seam and weigh it down as it dries first, then glue to the backing.

Felt Craft Reveal

Display the barn quilt as desired. We painted the oak cabinet door you saw earlier and are using it as our frame.

Just like our previous barn quilt, you could lean your felt craft project.

Or hang it.

I love how colourful and cheerful our laser-cut felt barn quilt is – and the door perfectly frames it! For another creative use of laser cut felt, check out this tissue box cover.

Pin Felt Craft Barn Quilt

Pinning is always welcome and appreciated!

Creative Craft Hop

Now it’s time to check out How To Make An Easy Spring Throw from Terrie at Decorate and More with Tip. When you’re done, please remember to visit these other amazing talents for more crafty transformations:

• Egg-cellent Rustic Easter Garland Wreath
• Dress Up Flocked Bunnies
• Pretty Paper Easter Egg Craft with Free Template
• Decorative Foam Noodle Crystal Vase
• DIY Bunny Crafts With Dollar Tree Mini Foam Bunnies
• Felt Craft (that’s us!)
• How To Make An Easy Spring Throw
• How to Make the Prettiest DIY Air-Dry Clay Easter Eggs

Felt FAQs

What is the best felt for laser cutting?

The best felt for laser cutting is synthetic felt. Natural fibers, like wool, tend to scorch and leave burn marks that really can’t be removed.

What is the best tool to cut felt with?

A laser cutter is the ultimate tool for cutting felt—fast, efficient, and incredibly precise!

What machine cuts felt?

A laser cutter is an excellent tool for cutting felt. Synthetic felt works best, as natural wool felt is prone to scorching.

Can you cut felt with a laser?

Absolutely! Cutting felt with a laser is simple, and we’ve got a step-by-step tutorial to show you how to do it efficiently with an xTool P2 laser cutter. Don’t miss our video for all the tips and tricks – from file design to kerf adjustments to perfect cuts!

How many layers of fabric can a laser cutter cut?

We recommend cutting just one layer of felt at a time for the most precise results, but don’t hesitate to experiment with your own machine.

What is the laser setting for felt?

On the xTool P2 CO2 laser, we’ve had success with settings of 6 power / 10 speed with one pass. We’ve also tried 5 power / 20 speed with good results. However, the ideal settings can vary depending on your machine and factors like felt thickness and laser wattage, so a bit of experimentation may be needed to find what works best for you.