Don’t Eat That Delicious Looking Cake! It’s Made of Felt

What, you may ask, is one to do with a picture-perfect wedge of cake made entirely of felt? Who knows! But it sure is fun to look at.

Houston-based artist Huong Huynh has a way with felt that could throw off even the most detail-oriented: She creates foods from the material that look so realistic they’re practically begging to be eaten. But don’t, because that would be gross, and they probably don’t taste that good.

“The felt food I made in the beginning [was] much more simplistic than the ones I make today,” Huynh says in an interview with Atlas Obscura. “I am always learning.”

Inspired by Japanese felt foods, Huynh began working with the medium in 2010. She sells her fabric masterpieces in an Etsy shop named Milkfly. All together, her pieces look like my dream bakery display case come to life: a hand-sewn napoleon with an intricately dusted top; spongy tea sandwiches stuffed with egg salad; doughnuts of all ilks—powdered, glazed, showered with sprinkles.

People buy her work to display as art or to use as pincushions (intricate pincushion, indeed!). Others buy them as children’s presents. Surprisingly, she says that she’s not even a huge cook—her fascination with food is mainly visual. Which is too bad, because it sure looks like she could whip up a mean strawberry tart. The mossy texture of the felt really captures the flesh of the fruit and the custard beneath it seems to be calling my name. Must! Resist! Eating! Felt!

Have you ever dabbled in felt foods? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments below.