How to Make Miniature Cloth Christmas Ornaments Out of Yarn

Select red and green yarn for traditional Christmas ornaments.

Give your Christmas tree a custom feel with miniature yarn and cloth ornaments. Before you purchase supplies for the holiday ornaments, determine the size of your Christmas tree to estimate the number of ornaments you need. Stop by your local fabric store to select Christmas fabrics, ribbon and yarn to decorate the ornaments. Purchase small balloons at a local party supply store. Ornament hooks may be found in seasonal shops or at drugstores during the Christmas season. While you shop for supplies, look at Christmas tree decorations on display for inspiration making your own ornaments. Before you begin, prepare a work area with sufficient space for your ornaments to dry completely.

Things You'll Need

• Small balloons
• Cotton swab or paintbrush
• Fabric stiffener
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Needle
• Christmas ornament hooks
• Christmas fabrics
• Christmas-shaped templates or cookie cutters (optional)
• Ribbons
• Hot-glue gun

Instructions

1. Blow up a small balloon and tie off the end securely. The final ornaments will be roughly the balloon size. Adjust the balloon to the desired ornament size by releasing air from the balloon before tying off the end.

2. Apply fabric stiffener liberally all over the balloon, using a cotton swab or paintbrush. The fabric stiffener will create the ornament shape.

3. Hold the balloon by the knot and wrap yarn all around the balloon, beginning at the bottom. Cover the balloon completely with yarn, including the top of the balloon. Wrap the yarn around the balloon according to your taste. Lumps and imperfections add to the homemade charm of the ornaments.

4. Cut the yarn from the skein and tuck the end under the top layers of yarn once the balloon is covered entirely. Allow the fabric stiffener of the yarn-covered balloon to dry completely.

5. Push a needle gently into the ornament to pop the balloon inside the dry, stiff yarn.

6. Attach a Christmas ornament hook to the yarn ornament by looping one end of the hook through the yarn.

7. Cut out several shapes of small stars, Christmas trees, gingerbread men and candy canes from Christmas-themed fabrics. Draw the holiday shapes freehand or trace shapes from small cookie cutters.

8. Tie ribbons into small bows.

9. Decorate the ornament to your taste by gluing the fabric holiday shapes and bows to the yarn with a hot-glue gun.

References

• Kaboose: Yarn Ornaments
• MBFloyd: How to Tie a Balloon

Resources

• The Ornament Shop: A Social History of Christmas Ornaments