How to Make Fabric Christmas Ornaments

These batting-filled ornaments can be made in any size or shape; they're a wonderful way to use up your scrap fabric. Make Christmas bells, hearts, stars, Santas, gingerbread people ' any holiday shapes you like.

Things You'll Need

• Buttons
• Ribbons
• Christmas Coloring Books
• Beads
• Cording
• Dressmaker Pins
• Fabric Glue
• Fabric Paints
• Fabric-marking Pens
• Fabrics
• Felt
• Glitter
• Glues
• Polyester Batting
• Sewing Machine
• Sewing Needles
• Thimbles
• Threads
• Holiday Cookie Cutters
• Scissors
• Wooden Chopsticks
• Christmas Magazines
• Internet Access
• Heavy Cardboard Or Notebook Papers
• Pencils Or Pens

Instructions

1. Decide on the shape or shapes you want for your ornaments. Find suitable shapes on the Internet or in Christmas coloring books and magazines. Medium to large cookie cutters can also be used as sources for your ornament shapes.

2. Trace your chosen ornament shapes onto heavy paper or cardboard. Be sure to add 1/2 inch all around the outline of your shape for a seam allowance. Make one template, or pattern, for each ornament shape.

3. Use scissors to cut out each template from the heavy paper or cardboard.

4. Choose fabrics and decorative materials for your ornaments. You will need fabric for the body of each ornament and any decorative materials you prefer. You can use fabric paint, glitter, felt cutouts, buttons, beads, ribbons or any other trimmings to decorate your ornaments.

5. Place your template on the wrong side of the ornament fabric and trace around it with a fabric-marking pen. You will need two identical fabric pieces for each ornament. Use scissors to cut out the fabric pieces.

6. Decorate the fabric pieces as desired. Use glued-on buttons and beads to make eyes for Santa, snowmen and gingerbread shapes. Use felt cutouts or fabric paint to add faces and other decorative accents. Be creative! Allow any glued or painted areas to dry thoroughly before you continue.

7. Place two identical fabric pieces right sides together and pin so that edges match up evenly. Use a sewing machine to sew a 1/2-inch seam all around the shape. Leave a 2-inch opening at the top center of your ornament.

8. Turn the ornament right side out and fill with polyester batting. Use a wooden chopstick or the eraser-end of a pencil to push batting into narrow areas.

9. Hand or machine stitch the top opening closed. To make an ornament hanger, take a folded length of ribbon or cording and place the ends inside the top opening before stitching it closed. Make sure that cording or ribbon is centered and stitched securely.

Tips & Warnings

• Use shapes that incorporate gentle curves rather than sharp points. The former will be easier to turn right side out after you have sewn the ornament.

• Draw your shapes freehand if you are comfortable with your ability to do so. Use a copy machine to enlarge or decrease the size of your ornament shapes before tracing them out onto the template material.

• Use fabrics that will complement your ornament shape. For example, if you use a gingerbread shape for your ornament, choose a brown fabric for the body. Similarly, white fabric can be used for a snowman shape.

• Decorate one or both sides of your ornament.

• Leave the 1/2-inch seam allowance undecorated. You'll need to sew through this area and your sewing machine needle will not be able to penetrate beads and buttons.

• Use personalized fabric ornaments to mark place settings at your holiday table. Use fabric paint to write each guest's name on an ornament before sewing.