Handmade Christmas decorations
Gingerbread Cookie House Christmas Tree Ornament made from recycled fabric
I don’t know how about you, but I prefer handmade Christmas decorations. And also, gifts. I like making them and receiving them too:)
And even better, if I can make these Christmas decorations from recycled materials!
This tutorial will show you how to embroider and sew a Christmas tree ornament that will be a great home decor accent and a wonderful gift for your loved ones.
Tools and materials
For this project, you will need:
- Printed pattern. Sign up for my newsletter and download a FREE printable design. Print it with your home printer, and cut out the shape;
- Scissors, pen, and paper;
- Brown felt fabric or some old knitwear (I used an old wool sweater, that’s why my gingerbread cookie is more like chocolate one 😂 );
- Some white yarn. Knitting yarn or pearl cotton will do. I made some samples with thick knitting yarn and would rather choose pearl cotton next time);
- Sharp needle for sewing, big enough to accommodate your chosen thread;
- Ribbon or cord for hanging ~30 cm (12 inches);
- Sharp big needle, big enough to accommodate a ribbon you chose;
- Toy stuffing (polyester filling or cotton wool);
- Wooden or plastic bead with a large hole, big enough to accommodate a ribbon.
Transferring the pattern
- Cut out the paper House shape from a printed pattern (if you didn’t do it yet – download the pattern HERE);
- Place the model on the felt material, pin it, and cut it out;
- Don’t trace the embroidery pattern as it will be almost impossible if you will use knitwear fabric. Draw the shapes by hand with a white marker or chalk. The forms are elementary, so it will be easy!
- If your material is light-colored – use a water-soluble pen.
Read more about tracing tools HERE.
Embroidery
For this project, you will use these stitches:
- Back stitch for outlining the door and a window. Watch a video tutorial of Back stitch HERE
- Chain stitch to embroider the wreath. Watch a video tutorial of Chain stitch HERE
- Fly stitch to make snow on the roof. Watch a video tutorial of Fly stitch HERE
- Straight stitch to make snowflakes
- Blanket stitch to sew pieces together. The tutorial of sewing with the Blanket stitch is HERE
Assembling the House
Remove the tracing marks from the embroidered shape. If you used a Friction pen, you would quickly remove the tracing with a hot hairdryer of an iron. Water-soluble pen marks will be canceled with a wet wipe. The chalk pen is cleaned rapidly with some rubbing.
Put both parts together and sew them with a Blanket stitch, using the white yarn (the same as you used for embroidery).
At the bottom, leave a hole for stuffing.
Stuff the toy stuffing (or cotton wool) in the gap until the decoration is just padded but not too firm.
Then, finish sewing and close the hole.
Thread a ribbon into the large sharp needle and pass it through the felt material at the top of the House.
Put a wooden bead on top.
Your gingerbread cookie house Christmas tree ornament is ready!
Make some more and decorate Your Christmas tree or attach them to the gifts you will make!
If you would like to make more Christmas ornaments or hoops for mantel décor or hanging on the tree – Check out the patterns and tutorials available on the Practical Embroidery Blog.
