Do you need an easy handmade gift for the holidays? After watching a couple hours of youtube, I combined a couple of techniques and came up with something that only takes 10-20 minutes to make from start to finish. I did not create this idea or project.

Supplies:

2 Yards of contrasting fabric – makes 23 ornaments (light and dark work well)

1 round bowl to use as a template

Buttons

Lace (optional)

Thread

Ribbon or some sort of twine for the hanger

Scissors

Trace around your bowl to make the circles and then cut them out.

Baste stitch the trim or lace to the edges on the outside of either of the contrasting fabrics. This is optional if you like this look.

With right sides together, sew around the circle using 1/4″ seam allowance. Be sure to leave a 1″- 2″ hole for turning. Tip – if you have trouble remembering to leave a hole just make it with a washable marker or put a sewing pin in pointing a funny direction. I like to sew the two layers together on the same side that I did the basting stitches for my lace. Sewing it this way I know the stitches will not show.

If you give your project a good press with the iron before turning it makes it a lot easier to work the fabric through that little hole.

 

Pull your fabric through the little hole. Be sure to push out all the round edges with a chop stick, turning tool or by lightly pulling on the lace. Press it all flat again.

 

Time to push the raw edges back into the hole and top stitch around the entire circle. Doing this seals the hole and makes the ornament more decorative and durable.

Place the main color you would like to show prominently on top. Fold your round ornament in fourths by folding it in half and then in half again. Press hard to leave pressing lines. Set your machine to the button stitch or a stitch that makes a small bar tack in a back and forth pattern. Zig zag stitch on 0 stitch length and 3.5 width will work if you do not have a preset stitch on your machine.

Match up the first two pressing lines so your ornament is folded in half and do the bar tack stitch to just over the edge. Repeat on the other side, matching the two lines up and bar tacking just those two.

 

Now you have made a circle into a square. Flip and press your corners to the outside of the square.

Sew your button on in the middle to hide the bar tack stitches. Sew your hanger on a corner. I did this all with my machine by carefully using that bar tack stitch.

A new ornament! They go faster once you get the first one finished. You can even set up a little factory line making them even faster.

Christmas fabric was purchased at the local shop, Crafters Lodge fabric shop in Bellbrook, Ohio.

Behind the scenes,

 

Next week is my year and review and what a year it was! Going through all of my pictures it was hard to believe!

Here’s a couple of the things I’ve made for Christmas.

Thank you for reading,

Tracy McElfresh

Dream it! Sew it!

 

Tracy McElfresh
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