Cookie cutters are available in a wide number of shapes and are ideal for use as sewing templates. Great festive ornaments and decorations are easy to sew.

Hand sewing fragrant tree ornaments are pretty festive decorations and also make great gifts. These ornaments are made from two pieces of felt and are decorated with beads or other embroidery.

These decorations don´t need to be sewn in the traditional Christmas colors of green and red, they can be made in any variety of colors and used as drawer fresheners or to be hung in wardrobes.

By using cookie cutters as a template, there is no need for special patterns,. Clip art, however, can be found on the internet and this can be adjusted in size and used as a template.

These ornaments are sewn from felt which means that there is no hemming required and the stitching can be made a feature of the finished item.

The ornaments can be stuffed with dried lavender buds for a lavender smell, or with cotton wadding which has been sprinkled with essential or fragrance oils as required. Lovely winter and festive fragrances are orange, mulled wine, cinnamon and cloves.

Instructions

Hand sewn ornaments are simple to make and require little in the way of special equipment.

Materials

• Sheet of craft felt of any color
• Cotton wadding or other form of stuffing, for instance dried lavender buds
• Fragrance of essential oil
• Piece of ribbon
• Beads if required
• Embroidery threads

Equipment

• Cookie cutter as a template. Hearts, Gingerbread Men, Stars, etc. all make good templates.
• Sharp scissors or pinking shears for a fancy edge
• Pen or fabric marker
• Pins
• Needle and Thread

To Make

1. Fold the felt in two, pin to hold the two pieces together and draw around the cookie cutter.
2. Cut out the shape using sharp scissors or pinking shears
3. Decorate the felt with embroidery or sew beads onto the surface in a pattern.
4. From the top of the ornament, start sewing around the edge, using embroidery cotton or thread. The ornament will not be turned inside out, therefore the stitches will be shown. This is a good opportunity to practice some fancy stitches!
5. When there is a gap of about 2 inches, stuff the ornament with wadding that has been sprinkled with fragrance oils, or with lavender buds.
6. Finish sewing around the ornament; just before finishing, fold the ribbon into two and tuck the ends in between the two layers of felt and sew this into place.

Variations: Ribbons, threads and pieces of other material can be couched to the ornament to add further decoration.

Note: This is a good project for children, however ensure that youngsters are supervised at all times when using scissors. Young children can use blunt embroidery needles with felt effectively.

Further Reading:

How to Work With Felt

Simple Hand Sewing Stitches

Sewing Projects For Children