After years of saving pictures of beautiful embroidered ornaments on my Pinterest board, I decided that this year would be the year I would finally try to make my own.
I didn’t use a tutorial and improvised most of it but it turned out so good (in my very unbiased opinion) that I wanted to share it with you as well. It was also much easier than I had anticipated and definitely achievable if your needlework experience is limited.
You will need some fabric, threads and needles, an embroidery hoop, a fabric pen, ribbons and tassels. I initially wanted to use felt for the fabric but when I was in the store I saw a beautiful burgundy velvet fabric and knew this would be the one.
I started by preparing some templates to make sure I could easily replicate the shapes on the fabric. I went with a heart and a moon but you could also do stars, suns or anything else that sparks your creativity. Once the shapes were drawn on the fabric, I embroidered each one using warm-coloured thread, taking care not to stitch too close to the edges for a clean look.
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I decided to embroider the same pattern on each side but you could also easily design two different patterns for a unique, double-sided effect.
Once that was done, I cut out the shapes and ribbons. At this point, you should have two identical shapes, a ribbon, and a tassel for each ornament.
The next part is probably the trickiest one because you need to start sewing the two sides together while adding the ribbon and the tassel at the top and bottom of the shape. I glued both the tassel and the ribbon to the inside of one of the shapes to make it easier to sew them in place.
Once you have sewn it about halfway through, I would recommend to start gradually adding the filling. I have used old thread scraps from past embroidery projects to fill in my shapes but you could also use some cotton balls or fabric scraps, or anything else you have on hand.
And TADAAA you should now have a beautiful handcrafted ornament.
I have loved doing these so much and I love the idea of making a couple of DIY ornaments each year and gradually adding them to the Christmas tree year after year. I have also gifted a few to some friends and family and it has been an instant success.
I hope this has inspired you to get creative.
Love,
