Fun with felt

Get crafting this Christmas and whip up a few of these little no-fray felt ornaments – use them to decorate your tree, adorn gifts or form a lovely wreath.

Gather your supplies

23 x 30cm ivory felt; moss green felt scrap; doublesided tape; water-soluble marking pen; straight pins; pinking shears; largeeye needle; stranded embroidery cotton: red, light green and ivory; polyester fibrefill; jingle bell

Here’s how

Step 1 Enlarge and trace diagrams onto white paper and cut out. Trace 2 bells, 2 wreaths and 2 trees onto ivory felt; cut out, about 1.5cm outside traced lines. Trace 4 leaves onto green felt; cut out (without adding seam allowance).

Step 2 Tape ornament patterns to a light box or a sunny windowpane. Tape 1 ivory felt piece over each pattern and trace dots and lines for ornament front.

Step 3 Pin together each set of pieces (except leaves), wrong sides together. Cut along edges using pinking shears. Use straight-edged scissors to cut centre of wreath. Remove traced outlines with a damp paper towel; unpin the pieces.

Step 4 Stitch a French knot with 4 strands of red embroidery cotton at each dot. Straight stitch star on bell ornament with 4 strands of red cotton.

Step 5 Pin each front of embroidered ornament to its matching back, wrong sides together. Whipstitch around inner circle of wreath, using ivory thread.

Step 6 Use running stitch and red or ivory thread to sew together each ornament just inside pinked edges, leaving a 4cm opening along 1 edge.

Step 7 Stuff each ornament with polyester fibrefill; stitch opening closed.

Step 8 Stitch together leaf pieces in pairs, using running stitch and light green thread. Stitch leaves to top of wreath.

Step 9 Using all 6 strands of red thread, stitch through top of each ornament; trim thread to desired length for hanging loop and tie ends in a knot.

Step 10 Stitch a jingle bell to bottom of bell ornament, using ivory thread.