World Dishes: African American Cuisine - Part 1: Cornbread

Cornbread, cornbread, cornbread! I truly have a love affair with this delicious treat, which is a highlight at most of my family’s celebrations. This unassuming yellow cake is not only mouthwatering but also a true staple in African American culture and cuisine. It is often served alongside other key dishes like mac and cheese and collard greens. My children adore cornbread, so I thought it would be fun to recreate this classic in felt form for them to play with. In this tutorial, I’m featuring cornbread in two ways.

For African Americans, cornbread is much more than just comfort food—it’s a symbol of our ancestors’ resilience, ingenuity, and strength in the face of enslavement and adversity. Enslaved people were given very few rations to cook with, often consisting of items undesirable to slaveowners, such as greens, animal parts, molasses, and grains like rice and cornmeal. Cornmeal became a vital means of survival, and they developed creative ways to stretch their ingredients to feed more individuals.

Traditionally, cornbread was baked by enslaved people in a cast iron skillet until browned, creating a crispy, dense bread perfect for sopping up thin stews. This humble dish represents both the hardship and resourcefulness of our history, carrying forward the spirit and strength of those who came before us.

Materials Used

• Felt – all felt used for this project is from The Felt Store
• Cornbread – Butterscotch or Yellow – Acrylic Craft Felt Assorted Sheets - Pastel (I am using this assorted pack for a variety of projects on the go!)
• Thread – pick thread colors to match your felt. I used a rust orange color I had on hand. It does not need to be an exact match.
• Pencil or felt pen, scissors, and ruler/tape measure
• Doll stuffing (or any fiber fill of your choice)
• Small baking tin for play kitchen (optional)

 

Measurements for each element:

Square Shaped Cornbread: 2.5 x 2.5 inches (1 inch deep)

You will need:

• 2 – 2.5 x 2.5 inch squares
• 4 – 2.5 inch high by 1 inch wide rectangles

Tin-shaped Cornbread: 

I’m unable to provide exact measurements, but for this tin of felt cornbread, you’ll need a 9x12-inch sheet of felt. You’ll also need a small tin to “bake” the cornbread in, which will serve as your guide for creating the necessary shapes. Simply use the tin to trace the top, bottom, and sides onto the felt, then cut out the pieces accordingly.

Instructions:

Square-shaped Cornbread

This creates ONE cornbread square – you can multiply to make as many as you like.

1. Measure out all of your pieces: 2 of the – 2.5 x 2.5 inch squares and 4 of the – 2.5 x 1 inch rectangles

2. Cut out all your pieces.

3. Thread your needle.

4. Take a rectangle and align it with the edge of one of the squares.

5. Using a blanket stitch, sew the two edges together.

6. Repeat this process with the remaining rectangles, aligning each one along the other three sides of the square.

7. Flip up each rectangle so the square becomes the base. Hold together two corners or edges of the rectangles and stitch them together.

8. Repeat this process for each corner. Once complete, you’ll have an open box with no lid.

9. Stuff the open box with a bit of doll stuffing—just enough to give it some firmness. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to add more later.

10. Place the remaining square on top of the open box, aligning the edges, and use a blanket stitch to attach it to the rest of the box.

11. Before stitching it completely closed, add any extra stuffing as needed to ensure the desired firmness. Once satisfied, finish stitching it up.

12. "Bake" your cornbread, drizzle some felt honey on top, and enjoy your creation!

Tin-shaped Cornbread

1. Using your chosen tin, create the felt shapes required to stitch together your cornbread loaf.

2. Trace the base of the tin onto your felt, and then repeat this process for the remaining sides. You will need a total of five pieces: one base and four sides.

3. Flip the tin over and lightly outline the top of the tin. (In my case, the top is much wider than the base, which is perfectly fine—I will trim it down later in the tutorial.)

4. Cut out all the pieces, which should total six: one base, four sides, and one top.

5. Start by stitching each of the four side pieces to the corresponding edge of the base using a blanket stitch.

6. Once you’ve attached a side piece to each of the four sides of the base, stitch the edges of the side pieces together to secure them.

7. Take some doll stuffing and add it to the container; it doesn't need to be overfilled, as we will add more stuffing before closing the top completely.

8. Attach the top piece by stitching through the top layer and the upper edge of the completed bottom and sides (please refer to the photo for guidance).

9. When you're nearly finished, add any additional doll stuffing as needed, then complete the stitch.

10. Since my top piece was quite oversized, you can now trim the top edges to create a crispy layer, giving your cornbread a more authentic look.

11. “Bake” your creation and enjoy the delightful felt cornbread!

I hope you find this project both enjoyable and easy to recreate! Not only is it a fun way to introduce or celebrate the beloved staple that is cornbread, but it also makes a delightful addition to any play kitchen. We’d love to see your versions of this Felt Cornbread, so please share them on social media by tagging @The_Felt_Store and @TheWaySheFelt_ on Instagram!

Also feel free to check out my other "World Dishes" tutorials: A Felt Food Series to Explore Diversity:

• World Dishes: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Cuisine - Part 1: Baklava
• World Dishes: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Cuisine - Part 2: Felt Dӧner/Shawarma
• World Dishes: German Cuisine (Christmas Cookies)

Happy Crafting!