Weekend Project: Felt Christmas Ornaments

These are the free directions for a one felt color ornament, with added embellishments and blanket hand stitched edges. No sewing machine required. This is a low cost, one evening project which can be easily customized to match your personal taste or your home's décor. The ornaments can be bold and bright shouting out your holiday spirit, or quiet and elegant, it all depends on your choice of colors and embellishments. I didn't buy anything to make these ornaments, I already had the crafty supplies lying around my house and used up left over beads and sequins from ornament kits and other craft projects. I always encourage recycling and thriftiness!

What: Simple beaded felt Christmas ornaments

How Long: 1-2 hours per ornament

Supplies:
craft felt
needle
embroidery floss, yarn, or thread
clear thread
beads, sequins, buttons, etc.
polyester fiber fill
scrap paper
pins
scissors

1: Make your own pattern with scrap typing paper or newspaper. My patterns are approximately 3 1/2 by 3 1/2.

2: Pin the pattern to the felt and cut out 2, a front and back.

3: Experiment with your beads and decide where you want to sew them. I put beads on the front side only and used a symmetrical pattern.  To help with placement I did my bead layout on the back piece of felt and then moved one bead at a time as I sewed them onto the other piece of felt for the front. Helpful tip: take a quick picture of your layout in case your beads get bumped.

4: Sew the beads on. I chose clear thread so I can easily sew over the beads and sequins without distracting from my design. I also made knots on the back side of the beaded piece after stitching on every few beads for extra security.

5: Decide on your ornament hanger. Use yarn, ribbon, or braided embroidery floss. (For the braided version I started with 3 lengths 8 inches long.) Tie a knot on each end of the hanger. These will give you something more sturdy to sew through and help ensure your hanger doesn't pull out of the finished project. Bring the two ends together and sew them to the inside top of the front beaded side with clear thread.

6.Pin the front and back pieces together and blanket stitch around the outside edges. When you are 2 inches from completing the stitching, take the pins out and stuff in some polyester fiber fill. Don't forget to push some into the corners or smaller areas of your design. Pin the unsewn section closed and finish the blanket stitching.

Happy sewing.

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