Handmade ornaments are my favorite! Growing up, each of us kids had a box of our own handmade ornaments that we would get to decorate the tree with. It was such fun to look back and remember (or not and wonder if that was even your ornament) when that ornament was made.
Now that my husband and I have our own house and put up a tree every year, we need ornaments to fill it. You've probably heard me mention our ornament tradition, where we choose an ornament to represent the year. But the tree is still a little barren. And I refuse to let it be decorated in all of my husband's Seahawk football ornaments.
To add a little more love and handmade ornamentation to our tree, I'm slowing adding a few handmade ornaments. Luckily, an embroidered felt ornament is pretty easy to stitch together and something you could do in an evening.
Here's the materials you'll need to create an embroidered felt ornament:
Now let's make an embroidered felt ornament!
1. Start by choosing the Holiday Botanical peel stick and stitch pattern you want to stitch and thread colors. I chose the design with the bow and greenery.
2. Next, place the felt in the embroidery hoop. Then peel off the pattern backing and place the design sticky side down onto the felt.
3. Embroider the design. For my pattern, these are the stitches, number of strands of thread, and DMC thread colors I used.
Use 3 strands of DMC 3072 and the stem stitch the create the stem lines. Here's how to stitch the stem stitch:
The stem stitch creates a thin outline similar to a coiled rope that is great for plant stems and curved lines.
To start, bring the needle up through the fabric at the start of the line.
Go back down through the fabric about ¼ an inch away along the line. Do not tug the thread entirely flush with the fabric.
Next, bring the needle back up through the about halfway between the two stitches.
Then tug the thread flush with the fabric.
Now, repeat. Bring the needle back down through the fabric about ¼ and inch away along the line, come up between the two points, and tug the thread flush.
Use 3 strands of DMC 3817 and the leaf stitch to fill in half of the leaves along the stem lines. Use 3 strands of DMC 3816 and the leaf stitch to fill in the other half of leaves along the stem lines. Then use 4 strands of DMC 3347 and the leaf stitch to fill in the longer leaves. Here's how to stitch the leaf stitch:
The leaf stitch name pretty much gives away what this stitch is great for stitching.
To start, bring the needle up through the back of the fabric to the front at the top point of the leaf.
Then go back down through the fabric about 1/3 of the length of the leaf along the middle line of the leaf.
Next, bring the needle back up through the fabric along the outer edge of the leaf to the right of the first stitch.
Then bring the needle back down slightly below the last stitch along the middle line.
Repeat on the opposite side by bringing the needle up from the back to the front along the left outer edge of the leaf.
Then bring the needle back down slightly below the last stitch along the middle line.
Repeat until the leaf is completely filled in.
Fill in the ribbon by using 3 strands of DMC C816 and the long and short satin stitch. Here's how to stitch the long and short satin stitch:
The long and short satin stitch is a good filler stitch and creates a smooth appearance. The long and short satin stitch is a great way to fill in large areas with color or blend colors.
Take your needle and thread and create one stitch.
Bring the needle up again just next to the opposite side of the initial stitch and make one shorter or longer than the previous stitch.
Keep the stitches close to one another, and work in rows as required to fill the design.
4. When the pattern is completely stitched, remove the felt from the embroidery hoop and wash the pattern away with hot water. Lay the embroidered felt flat to air dry.
5. Once the felt is dry, use a pair of sharp scissors to trim the felt to about 1/4-1/2 an inch around the embroidery. Using a transfer pen, trace the cut out embroidery onto another piece of felt. Then cut out the traced felt.
6. Cut a length of ribbon or twine to ~7 inches. Fold the ribbon in half.
7. Next, make the ornament. Align the two felt pieces on top of one another. Slide the ribbon in between the two felt pieces at the top of the design so that one inch of the ribbon is inside the two felt pieces and the rest is a loop above. Pin everything together with sewing pins.
8. Using 2 strands of DMC embroidery thread that is similar in color to the felt and the buttonhole stitch to attach everything together.
Here's how to stitch the buttonhole stitch:
The buttonhole stitch can be used to create a fan-like shape, along edging, or to fill in a space.
Start at the point you would like the inside of the buttonhole design to begin.
Hold the thread off to the side of the fabric and bring the needle back down about 1/8 an inch away from the previous point, along the same line. This should make a loop of thread on the front of the fabric.
Next bring your needle up through the loop of thread on the front of the fabric, where you would like to outer edge of the buttonhole to be.
Hold the thread off to the side again and bring the needle back down through the fabric at the bottom point of the buttonhole.
Continue adding segments of the buttonhole until reaching the desired shape/size.
To end the buttonhole stitch, bring the needle back down through the fabric just to the right of the top of the last thread loop.
9. Finally, hang your ornament and enjoy it!
***Thanks for reviewing my tutorial and recommendations. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item listed, I may receive a small portion of the sale.***