The other night my sister called and wondered what I was going to do about the bottom section of our Christmas tree - ????? As I drew a blank, she continued, "You know, with little c coming?" Holy cow! I hadn't even thought of that! Little c is an on the go, crawling, 11 month old - the bottom ornaments are doomed! We don't normally put anything breakable down there because of the cats (who all view ornaments as toys waiting to be freed from the tree). But I don't think any of our ornaments are baby safe. Sooooo .... I pondered what easy to sew design I could come up with. Remember the Halloween bag I made for little c with an apple and pumpkin? I cut down the pattern I used for those and tried a simple fabric ornament ball. It's not too bad - a bit squished looking, but maybe we can call that a bit of charm since there's no time to tinker around with the pattern!
Materials List:
*scraps of fabric
*fiberfill stuffing
*1/8" grosgrain ribbon (you could also use satin, but it unravels more easily)
Pattern here
1. Cut out six pattern pieces. The fabric I used is thin enough, I just kept doubling it over until I could pin the pattern on and just cut once. We're talking time here!
2. Put two right sides together and sew along one curved side in a small seam. Start and end slightly in from the points.
3. Sew two more pieces together and then the final two pieces. I found it easier to sew three groups of two and then put them together. Only sew the final seam about 2/3 of the way to leave room for stuffing.
4. Turn right side out ...
... and stuff - they look a little more round with less stuffing and a little more like squished lanterns with a lot of stuffing.
5. Turn the rest of the last seam under slightly and hand sew until you're about 1/4" from the top.
6. Cut a 6 inch piece of ribbon and double it over. Use a tool (like a little screwdriver) to push the ends into the ornament.
7. Finish sewing the seam, catching the ribbon in several times so it will be secure.
8. These would probably look prettier with ribbons, sequins, and/or beads - but then they wouldn't be baby safe. Since I was on a roll, I decided the cats needed a new toy to liven them up, so I made one without the ribbon from some scraps of giraffe print flannel. Marley was not impressed!
Happy Creating! Deborah
These are so cute! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSo cute and I love that last picture! I'll be linking.
ReplyDeleteVery cute idea! Throw a little cat nip in those and I know my cat would love them!
ReplyDeletegood idea love them
ReplyDeletegreat idea for scraps, catnip is a good idea also, lol,,,,,,tx
ReplyDeleteGreat ornaments. Bet they would look really good dressed up with beads...once the children are older.
ReplyDeleteHi - try using a leaf pattern (sizzix & spellbinders make one that will probably work) and a cuttle bug die cutter to cut your pattern - Sasha Frugone - Scrappy Senior Crafts
ReplyDeleteMarley wants you to put catnip inside! Also attaching some ribbon bits or pieces of yarn makes it more fun.
ReplyDeleteJulie in San Diego