Handmade Christmas ornaments are fun to make for home decorating, or to give away as gifts. I'm always on the lookout for unique Christmas ornaments that fit into my home's country decorating theme. These easy-to-make country ornaments are perfect!
I recently found a whole bag of Styrofoam balls of various sizes at a garage sale for $1. As I was paying for them, I was thinking about what I'd make with them. These handmade patchwork Christmas ornaments came to mind. With just a Styrofoam ball, scraps of cotton fabric, some glue, and a few embellishments, you can easily create some for yourself to keep or give away as gifts!
If you like a more modern decorating touch, change the fabrics you use to make these handmade Christmas ornaments. By using brighter colors and shiny fabrics you will have a modern look. Use laces for a romantic Victorian look. Use your imagination to come up with your desired decorating style.
Materials for handmade patchwork Christmas ornaments:
Styrofoam balls - any size can be used
Scraps of cotton fabric
8" Cord, ribbon, or twine for hanger
White craft glue
Fingernail file
Scissors
Embellishments of artificial pine bough, berries, etc. if desired.
Directions for handmade patchwork Christmas ornaments:
When you make these handmade patchwork Christmas ornament, think about how patchwork quilts look, especially crazy quilts. Choose a variety of lightweight cotton fabrics to work with to create an ornament. Cut out a few squares of fabric. The size of the squares are determined by the size of your Styrofoam balls. I cut out a couple of 1 x 2" squares and a couple at 2 x 2" to start making my ornaments.
Lay a fabric square on top of a Styrofoam ball. Imagine that you have a "seam allowance" of ¼" all the way around each fabric piece. Using a fingernail file, push the fabric along those imaginary seam allowance lines into the Styrofoam ball. Work gently so that you don't cut into the Styrofoam ball any more than you need to. Push the second fabric piece's edge into the Styrofoam ball in the grove made by the first piece of fabric. Continue working fabric around the ball.
As you add fabric, the shapes needed to fill in an area will be different. Some of mine are rectangles, some are squares, and some are triangles. To figure out the size and shape you need, it's easiest to do by laying a larger than needed piece of fabric on top of the ball. Eyeball it and cut, adding the ¼" seam allowance all the way around the shape. I put white craft glue into the Styrofoam along the "seam line" as I add the fabric pieces. This just helps to hold everything in place. You don't need to do it with every piece of fabric.
Finish by adding a piece of ribbon, cord, yarn, or twine hanger to the top using a corsage pin. Put a dab of glue on the ornament's top, lay the hanger into it and then put the corsage pin down into the Styrofoam ball. Add embellishments of artificial pine boughs, berries, etc. to the top for even more character to each ornament.
Source:
Personal experience
