Did you know you can make felt into fun sushi pieces for a fun take on the real treat? Cheaper and everyone likes felt fish!  Fun for adults and children, this Waldorf style toy is sure to please.

Materials needed:

Scissors

Needle and White Thread or Sewing Machine

Felt in many colors. 

Hot Glue

Seed Beads

Small amount of polyfill for the puffier pieces like the Tomago

Estimated cost for a tray of play sushi: $5.00-$12.00 depending on what materials, tools you have on hand. The most expensive part are the glass beads for the “roe.”

Step 1: Form your bowl or box. In my case I used two pieces of felt to create the box for the sushi to sit in. I also sandwiched a thin piece of cardboard in the bottom to add extra strength and stiffness.  Using my sewing machine (You can also do this by hand!) I sewed the four corners up as shown to create the box.

You can then embellish the box with a few pieces of felt cut into flower shapes. Or maybe a cute fish shape, or cat or anything your imagination desires! I also glued a few matching seed beads in the center of the flowers for additional detail.  If you are making this for small children, you may consider skipping the seed beads all together and perhaps cut small round felt cut outs for the flower details.

Now its time to make the sushi! Cut long strips of black felt. Set those aside. Then cut long pieces of white felt set aside, and cut small strips of pink, salmon, red, green, and set aside. Begin in the middle by rolling up the colorful pieces, for example in the tuna roll, I started with a small piece of the red rolled, then I rolled up a bit of green and salmon. Using a dab of hot glue, I secured the rolls together so that they wouldn’t unroll.  Then you wrap the longer strip of white felt around the middle colorful felt rolls, adding a bit of glue here and there to help keep it secure as you go along. Finally, you take the longer strip of black felt and wrap around the white.  Close the roll with glue and you are all set!

For the Tomago and Shrimp sashimi, you will want to first make little “rice cake pillows” as a base. Cut two pieces of rectangular white felt fabric. Sew them together at the edges and leave one end open. Stuff the miniature “pillow” with a bit of poly fill. Then close the open seam.  For the Tomago, do the same thing with the yellow felt, place the Tomago on top of the rice pillow and wrap a slender black felt strip around, glue and you’re all set!

For the shrimp pieces, cut pink felt into a shrimp like shape and then cut out some salmon, white or darker pink to layer on top of the pink bottom to give the shrimp his stripes. Using your sewing machine, attach the stripes. Then layer the pink shrimp on top of your rice pillow. Wah La!

Dark red felt, can be used to make a little “tuna pillow” to go on top of a rice pillow and salmon color felt for salmon sashimi!

Lastly, don’t forget to embelish your rolls with “roe eggs” or “seed beads.” And cut out cute little “grass” shapes and ginger shapes! YUMMY!

You are only limited by your imagination. There are so many different sushi and sashimi styles to try! Go WILD!