Felt Ornaments Tutorial - Sewing with Kids

Since my oldest was 4 he has liked making Christmas ornaments and decorations with me, and to be honest, he is the reason I have come up with more ideas in this area.  Last year it was bells and beads.  This year, I saw Delia's post about her felt ornaments (requires a sewing machine), and I thought I could do something kid friendly and get my son into sewing by doing something he enjoyed.

I had plenty of ribbon for the hanging part, but I needed some felt with corresponding colored floss (the sewing part).

Off I went to Walmart to raid the craft section.

Materials

• Felt with or without design
• Tapestry needles (I used size 22)
• Cross Stitch Floss
• Ribbon for ornament hanger
• Stuffing - if you want a more dimensional ornament
• Embellishments - if desired (buttons, beads, etc.)

To my astonishment I found some really lovely felt (white and blue) with a beautiful curly, swirly, glittery design already on it, which meant the felt really didn't need any further decoration.  Score!

I picked out a few different colors of floss.

I found some tapestry needles that were not too big or too small, something that wouldn't be sharp enough to prick the finger but pointy enough to get through the felt.  I also wanted them to be small enough to pass through moderately small beads for embellishment if desired.

Now, we are ready to begin.  Find something round, like a spice jar and a pen of some sort (I used a fine point sharpy.). 

Start circling.

And keep going until you fill up 2 sheets or so, depending on how many kids you have.  For me, it was one for me and one for my 6-year-old, as my 2-year-old isn't ready for scissors.

Next, start cutting.  This prep didn't take too long, which was pleasant, because my son is one of those, "when do we get there?" types, which can drive a mom crazy.  :)

Find 2 cut circles that are similar enough.  Sew edges together, and when they are almost sewn closed, add your stuffing - bought or cloth scraps.  I bought a $5 dollar bag of stuffing from Walmart, that will likely take years to diminish.  

Now, my son's circles had a lot more character than mine, and so did his sewing, by which I mean, they were a lot more irregular, BUT I want to stress, he was free to make good mistakes - mistakes that I can't allow myself to make.  I think his ornaments are beautiful - sometimes more beautiful than mine because he isn't concerned with conformity and uniformity like I am.  Check out the comparison.

I was so inspired by his accidental teardrop shape that I purposefully made my own.  I love him.  He constantly amazes me with his creativity and elan.  He is perfect.  I try very hard not to criticize and to emphasize that everyone done things just a little different, because I don't want him to lose this individual spirit. 

Here is my circular and teardrop shape ornaments below.

These are mine, but I am not sure that they are any more beautiful.  Another thing that makes my 6-year-old's ornaments more beautiful is that his stitches are not as uniform as mine.  Being the OCD person that I am, I cannot settle for anything that is less than perfect, but I really value his difference.  I love it!  As I did with my teardrop shape, I added embellishments to the below ornaments.  You and your children can do so many things with a little felt, floss, and some ribbon.

The best part about these ornaments is that that are not very breakable - perfect for the bottom half of the tree, and they look fabulous too!

Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!  Or whatever!  Enjoy.

Kelley