Making Felt Christmas Ornaments

Craft Project: Pinecone Christmas Ornaments

Approximate Time: 1 hr. for each

Supplies:

• collection of pinecones
• felt
• ribbon - hangers and scarf
• 2 pom poms - ear muffs
• pipe cleaner - ear muff band
• beads - facial features, buttons (penguin), and angel embellishment
• dried straw grasses or raffia
• doll hair or yarn
• wire
• scrap of red material or felt
• thin cardboard - cereal box
• paint - I almost always use acrylic paint, particularly Apple Barrel and Folk Art brands.
• blush for cheeks - optional
• clear nail polish - optional
• glitter and glitter glue
• glue - I used E6000, it is a very good craft glue.
• small garden snippers

Instructions:

1. Cut scales off pinecones. Collect several since some scales will not be useful or may break when you cut them off. I used small garden snippers to cut mine which worked very well.

   Tip: I purchased them at a Dollar Tree and they are one of the best I have used.

2. Make a small pile of cut scales to begin with and just cut more as needed.

3. Use empty cereal boxes and such for the cardboard. You will cut a body also from cardboard slightly smaller than the pattern piece. This will be inserted between both body pieces to make ornament stiffer and hold it's shape better.

4. I wanted my ornaments to shine so I brushed clear nail polish on the scales after the paint and glitter was dry.

   Tip: Clear nail polish works great in small projects. It dries quickly and gives a high shine.

Santa:

1. Cut face pieces from white felt.

2. Cut one slightly smaller from cardboard.

3. Cut hat pieces from red felt or material and hat band from white felt. (This just needs to be a small strip long enough to encircle the base of the hat).

4. Sew eyes and nose onto one face piece.

5. Place cardboard piece in between and stitch face pieces together.

6. Sew hat together, leaving bottom edge open. Insert head into hat (dotted line shows placement) and stitch bottom edge closed.

7. Sew or glue hat band on. Sew or glue pom pom on tip of hat.

8. Rub blush on cheeks, if desired.

9. Sew ribbon loop on back to hang.

10. Arrange scales on for beard to get a rough idea of how many you will need. Trim edges neatly and to fit area where needed. Glue each on to form beard.

11. Take one scale and snip it in half length wise for mustache. Glue into place.

12. When dry, paint beard white. Sprinkle on silver glitter while paint is wet, if desired.

Angel:

1. Cut head and body pieces from white felt.

2. Take one face piece and sew on beads for eyes.

3. Rub blush on cheeks, if desired.

4. Take 2 pieces of wire approximately 10 inches long and twist them together. Make a loop about the size of a nickel at one end and twist the end to secure closed. Bend the loop down so it forms a halo.

5. Lay this between the 2 head pieces so the halo sits just above the face and stitch head closed. Be sure to make an extra stitch or two around the wire at the top and at the neck to help secure.

6. Put cardboard piece in between the body pieces and lay the wire extending from the neck on top of the cardboard. You can lay a piece of tape over the wire to help hold it still while stitching.

7. Stitch body pieces together, meeting the top of the body to the bottom of the head so no wire is showing there.

8. Slide a bead on to the end of the wire at the bottom of the body and twist ends to secure.

9. Cut small pieces of doll hair or yarn and stitch to top of head.

10. Cut pieces of straw or raffia for wings and tie in the center of bundle. Lay bundle on back of angel and cut a small square from some felt large enough to put over the bundle. Stitch edges of square to secure wings on back.

11. Sew ribbon on back for loop.

12. Cut and trim scales to cover body. Start with bottom layer and work your way up.

13. Glue into place and paint white. Use glitter glue on edges of scales, if desired.

14. Make a small bow from ribbon and glue at neck.

Penguin

1. Cut body from cardboard. Cut body pieces from black felt. The wings and feet are also cut from felt. Stitch body together, inserting wings and feet in place as you go (dotted lines show placement).

2. Stitch ribbon on back for hanger.

3. Cut and trim scales for tummy. Glue into place.

4. Take 2 scales that are similar in size and glue onto face at a slight angle (see photo). You may have to trim these a little to fit.

5. Paint all scales white.

6. Make 2 dots with black paint for eyes.

7. When dry, take a small strip of material and tie around neck for scarf.

8. Cut a small beak from felt or foam and glue on to face.

Snowman

1. Cut cardboard and body pieces.

2. Take one body piece and sew on beads for eyes and buttons.

3. Insert cardboard and sew body pieces together.

4. Sew ribbon on back for hanger.

5. Bend a piece of pipe cleaner for ear muff band. Bend back end slightly and sew onto sides of head.

6. Glue on pom poms.

7. Use a small strip of material or ribbon and tie on for scarf.

8. Cut and shape scales for coat. Arrange at a slight angle on each side so the center of the snowman shows (see photo).

9. Choose color and paint scales. I made mine in midnight blue and trimmed each edge with blue glitter glue.

10. Cut a piece of scale in shape for carrot and glue to face. Paint orange.

11. Glue a mitten on each side (see photo).

By Mary from Palm Coast, FL

Craft Project: Jar Ring Ornaments

Approximate Time: 20 minutes

Supplies:

• 1 jar ring
• clear firm plastic
• hot glue
• artificial Styro snow
• acrylic paint - red, black, white, and orange
• black, white, and red felt
• red 1/8" ribbon
• small paint brush
• paper plate
• bowl of water

Instructions:

1. Using the patterns trace the circle for regular size jar rings onto your plastic. We used a container strawberries came in, the rippled sides work also and make a cute beard look for Santa.

2. Cut them out and paint your face on, make sure to start your eyes half way down from one edge so they show when you glue on the hat.

3. Set these aside to dry while you paint the bottom half of the rings white.

4. While these are drying trace and cut out your hats.

5. Cut a strip of ribbon 12 inches long and tie the ends in a knot. Lay this ribbon at the peak of Santa's hat and at the top of the snowman hat to catch in the glue.

6. For the Santa hat center one of the triangles on the rectangles with the bottom edges even and glue together. Put glue up the two sides and up the red point but not on the bottom edge as it will slip over the ring.

7. For the snowman glue the sides and top together leaving the bottom open.

8. To assemble the ornament put a line of hot glue along the edge where the rim of a jar goes and quickly press your painted face into the glue with the painted face side up so when you seal your ornament it will be on the inside.

9. Put a tablespoon plus a little more of the snow in the lid and pat it down. Don't over fill or it will stick to your glue gun.

10. Run another line of glue just inside the rim of the lid and push another painted face circle with the painted side down toward the snow and make sure it is sealed all the way around containing the snow.

11. Run another line of glue around the edge of the plastic circle to ensure it stays in place.

12. Slip the hat over the top of your ring and put a line of glue on the ring gluing the hat on, turn over and repeat.

By Ann from Loup City, NE

Felt Stars of Wonder

What's more, making felt stars is so easy all the family; both young and old alike can join in with the activity. So put on some music, sit down together and have lots of holiday fun!

Approximate Time: 20 minutes for each star

Supplies:

• piece of card stock or cardboard
• pencil or tailor's chalk
• scissors
• needle and sewing thread
• scraps of felt
• embellishments; sequins, fabric, beads, yarn, etc.

Instructions:

1. Draw a star shape on a piece of card, or trace a star silhouette out of a book or magazine. Cut out your star to make a card template.

2. Place the template on a piece of felt. Trace round the edge of the card silhouette with a pencil or tailor's chalk.

3. Carefully cut out your felt star and remember, never let young children use sharp scissors without adult supervision.

4. Add further interest to the surface of your star by stitching fancy yarns and scraps of fabric to the felt.

5. Fold your star in half, snip into the fold at intervals and thread a thin strip of felt through the slits. Attach sequins or beads along the strip of felt, or let children add self-adhesive alphabet letters instead, to personalize their star.

6. Stitch a hanger to the back of your star. It is now ready to hang on the tree, or for a different effect, peg several stars onto a long piece of yarn or raffia and make a garland to hang in the window.

By Anne from United Kingdom

Making Paper and Felt Ornaments

Red Riding Hood Ornaments

Materials and Equipment:

• a large plastic bag or several sheets of newspaper
• a hazelnut
• a small wooden ball, about a 1/2 inch in diameter
• a square of red felt, about 6 x 6 inches
• a piece of red embroidery floss, about 10 inches long
• craft glue
• super glue
• a lid from a used plastic container (such as a yogurt container)
• a glue spreader or Q-tip
• fabric or pinking shears

Instructions:

1. Before starting, clear the table and cover it with newspaper or a large garbage bag to avoid getting glue on the table.

2. Glue the wooden ball to the top of the hazelnut. Make sure the ball is not directly on the nut tip, but is placed forward, so it looks like a head slightly nodding down (see photo). Hold in place until glue is dry and the ball is firmly stuck. If the ball is not sticking properly, you may need to use super glue.

3. Take out the red felt. Cut out a semicircle with your fabric or pinking shears. This is going to become the head kerchief. If using pinking shears, the flat edge of the semicircle should not be pinked. The flat edge should be about 4 inches long, but you will have to determine the correct size for your wooden ball, as sizes will vary. Before applying glue, do a test by placing the semicircle over the wooden ball/hazelnut form like a head kerchief (see photo). Pinch the felt around the 'neck' where the ball and the nut meet. Cut the felt to size if it is too large or cut a new piece if it is too small.

4. When you have the size is correct, pour a small puddle of craft glue onto the plastic container lid. Spread craft glue on the wooden ball where the head kerchief will sit. Don't place any glue on the hazelnut. Place the felt on the wooden ball and press it down against the glue until it is firmly stuck.

5. Take the piece of red embroidery floss and tie it around the 'neck' of the figure, cinching the head kerchief in as you do so. Make sure there are two even ends of floss left hanging, and tie a secure not. Turn the knot to the back of the figure.

6. Tie a knot at the top of the two loose ends, creating a loop to hang the figure on the tree.

7. Place your Red Riding Hood ornament on the tree and watch for wolves!

By Christine Weber