Easy Handmade Ornaments Tutorial from Victoriana Quilt Designs

Easy Handmade Ornaments

For a tip about printing this page, click here.

For quilt pattern notices & more quilty fun through your Facebook, click the 'Follow' button...Thanks!

Any instructions with [brackets], refers you to the Technique Page in the Library of this site for printable free how-tos.

~Easy Handmade Ornaments~

Easy Handmade Ornaments Tutorial from Victoriana Quilt Designs

If you've been receiving my newsletter over the past few years, you will know about my Quilting Design of the Month. These designs continue to be free to members.

I've taken a group of these motifs and with this tutorial will share how you can make them into easy handmade ornaments!

I'm offering the collection of these motifs for this tutorial, in one file as a special Thank You for Visiting Victoriana Quilt Designs.

Request the Easy Handmade Ornament Templates here

~You Will Need for Each Ornament~

What You Need to Make Each Ornament

Fabric for the front & back (see Keepsake* option)
8" of Matching Ribbon
Matching Embroidery Floss
Scrap Squares of Cotton Batting (use two layers for double thickness)
2 Matching Buttons with holes (not shanks) - Not shown

1. Make templates [Cardboard Templates] for the different ornament shapes.
Tip: Repurpose cereal & cracker boxes as template cardboard.

Make Templates

2. Draw the outline of the shapes onto the right side of each of the front fabrics with a chalk pencil.
Place two layers of thin batting between the front and back fabric of each ornament (see also Keepsake* option).
Pin together.

Draw Shape onto Layered Fabric

3. Stitch [Stitches-#3b] around the chalk outline, with 6 strands of matching embroidery floss.
Tip: Stab stitch up and down, if you wish the stitching on the back of the ornament to look the same as the front. It is helpful to trace the reverse of the ornament on the backing fabric, aligning the designs up before pinning together, to use as a stitching guide on the back (see Keepsake* option).

Stitch around the chalk outline

*Keepsake Option

Keepsake Ornament & Gift Tag Option

Place plain muslin on the backside of the design.
With a fabric marker, print the name & date.
You can use it as a gift tag for this year, and then in can be kept as an keepsake ornament for every year after.

Stitching Done

4. Trim each ornament just beyond the stitching (less than ¼"), using pinking shears.

Ornaments Trimmed

5. Attach the matching ribbon with the pair of buttons, as follows:

Trim the ends of the ribbon, to match the design & button (straight across, at an angle or with a point - there are several examples in the pictures below).

Fold the ribbon in half, placing one end at the top of the front of the ornament, and the other end along the back of the ornament. Holding these in place, add a button under your the thumb & finger holding the ribbon ends.
Place a pin through the layers, from the front to the back, through one of the holes of the button - being sure it also goes through the same hole on the backside.
Now place a second pin from the back to the front, through all the layers, through the second button holes.

Pin Ribbon & Buttons in place.

With 4 strands of matching embroidery floss, come up from the back (hiding the knot between the ornament & the ribbon), through one of the holes of the front button.
Go back down, through all of the layers, beginning at the second hole, and then back up again, through all of the layers & buttons to the front.
Tip: Leaving the pins in place until you are done tacking the buttons down, is helpful in holding everything together until stitched.
Make one more round.

Bring the last stitch down and out, between the layers of batting.

Ending the Stitching