This is the set of ornaments below I have made so far for our Advent, which is part Jesse Tree, and part our own list. Sometime we do a variety, like one December we read about the life of
Jesus from the book of John. I made a new set of ornaments for that
theme and they were fun, especially some of the miracles and trying to
come up with a symbol for theological concepts. Who knew you could
do so much with felt? They turned out to be my favorite and a great teaching visual! But if you want to get started making felt ornaments on your own here is a little help. They are a tiny but satisfying little project and once you get going they can be done in maybe 20 minutes each. (So...one per episode of Curious George in Mom terms, right?)
Tutorial:
These can be done with as much as little detail as you want, but the details are what really make it. The basic
embroidery skills you would need are slip stitch, french knot, back
stitch, and stem stitch. I found a good tutorial for these stitches HERE. But there is a lot you can do with just a stem stitch or making x's.
To get started you need:
- a variety of felt sheets, definitely need: white, brown, green, grey, blue, black and then what ever other background or piece colors you choose.
- needle with a large eye
- embroidery floss; I recommend getting a variety pack of colors which should be the most cost effective way to go.
I do not use an embroidery hoop since this is such a small piece of fabric, though you could use a hoop and do your embroidery work, then cut your circle around it when done. It will take a little practice to master holding this between the fingers of one hand and using your needle with the other.
I start off with two 2 1/2" to 3" circles for each ornament. By some trial and error I cut out the shape I want and then trim it to fit the circle if needed. Making a paper pattern and cutting that out, then cutting the fabric out would work well but may take up too much time for something so small.
You could also make these solely with the embroidery floss and your background circles, outlining the pictures in embroidery instead of cutting them out of another color of felt, but I like the 3D effect of the layers. For the edging and most of my stitching I use all 6 strands of the embroidery floss, but they could be divided to create different effects (less strands to make thinner lines, for example).
When your design in complete on the top circle, line up the back circle and sew around the edge. This should make your work very neat by covering up the back of the stitches.
To sew the edge and loop:
First, cut a very long piece of floss to make it around the circle and for the hanging loop. You could blanket stitch around the edge or I usually whip stitch, starting at the top by making a knot and putting my needle in only through one layer. Then you can continue with the whip stitch instructions found
HERE. When I reach the top I hold out the length I want for the loop and make one more whip stitch, slipping my needle under the slip stitch until it tightens without affecting my loop. Lastly, slip your needle under the next 2 or 3 stitches and pull your thread through and cut your thread. Perfect edge with no knot!
Ideas for the first 8 days:
1) Creation- Adam & Eve, but I have also done a sun on black felt to represent the darkness.
2) The Fall in the Garden- notice the snake (optional). An apple or fruit would also be a simpler image.
3) Ark with Rainbow- I have done others with a lot more detail on the ark, lines in the wood.
4) Tower of Babel - I have done one w/o the ladder and with a curled staircase on the outside going up.
5) Abraham's Tent and sky full of stars, but some simple stars would suffice.
6) Isaac- lamb on the altar.
7) Jacob- ladder to heaven.
8) Joseph- coat of many colors. This one is fun because you could do much with colors, stripes, etc.
Please feel free to use my designs here and attach any pictures of your finished project. I would love to see them or any variations!
