For Fortune Cookie Day, I thought I’d make fabric fortune cookies filled with good luck phrases. Search the web and you’ll find lots of great traditional (and not so traditional) saying to put into your handmade fortune cookies. This is a great scrap busting project, since it uses just small pieces of fabric.
And, what a fun little project to celebrate Chinese New Year! There are several different ways to make fabric fortune cookies, from gluing wire, to using fabric stiffener, and thick interfacing and sewing. I decided to use the ‘glue & wire’ method for these Fabric Fortune Cookies.
How to Make Fabric Fortune Cookies
Easy and fun to make your own fabric fortune cookies. Make up your own fortunes for friends and family, print them and fill your little fabric fortune cookies with good luck!
Materials
- 2 fabrics, I picked two pieces of gorgeous Judy Robertson hand dyed fabrics from my stash*
- Double sided fusible web (I used Wonder Under)*
- Covered wire, like florist wire. You can use twist ties, too.
- Fabric glue or glue gun
- *Note: You can use felt instead of fusing fabric together. It is a bit thicker and harder to manipulate, but makes for a quick and easy project.
Tools
- Iron
- Something about 3-4" round to use as a template to cut out the fabric.
- Scissors
- Wire cutters, or craft scissors to cut the wire
Instructions
- Start by drawing 3-4" circles on one of your pieces of fabric. I used a ribbon spool as my template for my circles. Use a sharpie or permanent pen. You'll be cutting these out after you fuse the fabrics together. Draw as many circles as you'd like finished fortune cookies.
- Here are my two fabrics, one with the circles drawn. I drew the circles first so I knew how much fabric I wanted to fuse together and didn't make too much (or too little).
- Trim your fabric pieces to be the size you need so you don't end up fusing too much fabric. Cut a piece of your fusible the size of the fabric and first fuse to one of the pieces following the manufacturers directions.
When the fabric has cooled, take off the paper and fuse your second piece of fabric. - Cut out your circles that we will shape into fortune cookies. Here are the supplies I'l need now - wire, wire cutters (don't use your good sewing scissors to cut the wire) and the circles.
- Cut the wire into pieces that are about 1" smaller than the diameter of your circle. Example: If you have 4" circles of fabric, cut your wires about 3". They don't have to be exact.
Put a line of glue down the center of each circle to about 1/4" from the edge of your circle. This allows the glue to cover the end of your wires, so they don't stick out.
- Place one wire in the center of each of your fabric circles and glue them in place.
- Let the glue dry. I let them dry overnight.
When the glue is dry, carefully fold them in half and then give a little pinch at the bottom to give them that fortune cookie curve.
- The first one will be hard, but once you get it they are easy to fold into fortune cookies.
- Here are finished fortune cookies ready to fill with good fortune!
- And a bowl of good fortune to begin the new year! Or just to have some fun with family and friends!
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What kind of fabric makes good fortune cookie fabric?
I prefer working with 100% cotton fabrics since they work well with fusible web. Check out our article on everything you’d want to know about working with fusible web.
Make these fortune cookies and give as no-calorie gifts, or put them at each place setting for your Chinese New Year feast – or anytime you’d like to have some fun with your guests!
You can make these out of felt and skip fusing the two fabrics together.
What’s great about fortune cookies made out of fabric, they never go bad! You can use them over and over, just insert new fortunes for your next event!
Where can I find great ideas for fortunes cookie sayings?
Have some fun either coming up with your own ideas for fortune cookie fortunes for your guests or recipients, or do a web search to find some great ideas. This can be so much fun at a theme party or where you know your guests. Make the fortunes relevant to things going on in your lives, or current events!
Fortune cookies are to bring luck, fate and wisdom to you, so make sure that the messages can bring those traits to the recipient. And, that the messages are general enough that can be relevant to anyone who may receive it.
What does it mean when you get a cookie without a fortune?
Good news – it’s good luck! You get to pick your adventure! Seriously, folklore is that you have enough positive energy that you don’t need words to look forward to!
There are two beliefs for empty cookies – one is you are in control of your future and don’t need guidance with a message – you are ready to see the change you need. The other belief is that good fortune is about to come to you and, again, you don’t need a message for hope.
Are fortune cookies Japanese or Chinese?
In the United States we associate these cookies that are filled with hope with Chinese food, but they were originated in Japan!
Browse through more craft ideas and projects on Create Whimsy.
