My last homemade Christmas post will be about the little embroidered ornaments that I made for our tree this year. I was inspired by Natalie at Cinderberry Stitches to create something a little different than a framed embroidery piece. I think her work is simply adorable.
I asked Breezy to write out a few words for me and then to draw some simple little swirls and flowers for me on an index card. I went over the designs with a darker pen and then picked some of the designs and transferred them onto a piece of muslin. I used a light box to transfer the design to the material, but I have used a window before with equal success. I wrote directly on the muslin with a fine-tip Zig pen. With it being fine-tip you can stitch right over the top of it and it won’t be seen.
I put a second layer of muslin behind the piece with the design so that there would be a double layer. This helps hide the threads that might show through from the back. The stitches I used were a straight stitch, daisy stitch, french knot and blanket stitch. You can find a nice stitch directory here.
After I stitched the front pieces, I cut out the square along with muslin for the back. I did a blanket stitch along the outside edge of all the layers, stuffing a small amount of fiber-fill inside before I completely closed it. A long piece of embroidery floss was used to make the hanging loop.
One of the funnest things about this homemade gift was that I was able to actually surprise Breezy and Emily Rose with them. As I worked on them they thought I was just working on the ones for our tree, ha, but I was faster than they thought.
I think that we are planning on putting the designs up on Emily Rose’s blog so that if anyone wants to use the patterns they can. When we do I will put the link there.
Thank you, Robyn for sharing this wonderful craft/gift idea with us, you can find more ideas from her family from their 'A Homemade Christmas' series..
Now I would love to hear what your great ideas are for homemade crafts, decor or gifts for Christmas--- or even something you have made in the past!
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7 comments:
Hi! One of my favorite homemade Christmas gifts that I have ever made is quilted pot holders. I just pieces together a few squares of fabric and then when I could, I layered them thickly with heavy batting and whip stitched them together. I also knew who I was giving them to by the color scheme I was using so I often prayed for the recipient while I hand sewed them. I often have trouble remembering my loved ones in prayer so this helped me and was kind of two gifts in one...first the actual potholder set and more importantly, the prayer for her!
They are so beautiful! you are so clever!
oxoxoxo
Beautiful and inspiring! Thanks for sharing, it is getting my creative juices flowing!
We received some favors at an event we attended this summer, it was a special memorable event and one my husband had been looking forward to sharing with the whole family. We wanted to do something special with the favors as a memory of the event, instead of letting them clutter up the house, or just throwing them away.
We ended up making Christmas ornaments with them! We used pictures from the event, placed them in small plastic frames (the kind with a magnet on the back), glued a ribbon loop on the back (for hanging), and glued the favor to the front!
you can see them at http://www.gabesbabes.com
This is an oldie but a goodie: We made air-dried dough ornaments out of cookie cutters and handprints and painted them. I did this 10 plus years ago with the oldest kids, and now it's time for the younger set to do it. We dated them and hung them with gold cord. Cute and fun for the little ones!
We also plan to make cinnamon ornaments out of applesauce, cinnamon, and a little glue. Mixed into a dough, cut out with cookie cutters, and embellished with paint, rick-rack, glitter, or sequins, they will add a delicious aroma to our tree.
Ladies,
What wonderful ideas! Thanks so much for inspiring us while sharing them!
Gabe,
What a great idea! It definitely makes you look at things lying around your home a bit differently! Thanks for the link.
Many blessings...
Very pretty!
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