Hoop Them Up! NeedlePaint’s DIY Christmas Ornaments

Written by Peggy Bond

It’s not basketball season, but time to start planning new decorations for Christmas. At NeedlePaint, our 12 Days of Christmas motifs have been resized to be 3-inch Christmas tree ornaments. And, embroidery hoops are a great way to finish them.

The designs are printed on an 18-point canvas of 2 columns and 6 rows. Each row can be cut and each row of 2 worked individually on a scroll frame or stretcher.  When stitching, cover the grey circular boarder to ensure that there will be no unstitched canvas.

Our previous blogs for the 12-Day blocks have suggestions for a variety of stitches that can be used but I found myself using the Continental stitch because of the small size of the ornaments. 

Supplies for finishing the ornaments are:

• 3-inch bamboo hoops which are available from several suppliers including JoAnn Fabrics, Etsy, and Amazon and in Europe Cloud Craft.

• Fabric for the back side, preferable felt or felted wool. It is best to use a fabric that does not ravel.

• Padding such as quilt batting or polyester stuffing (optional).

• Strung glitter sequins, ribbon, or similar for hanging the ornament.

• Fabric glue.

Once stitched, cut the ornaments apart leaving them as squares with at least 1 inch of unfinished canvas around each ornament.  It is tempting to trim the finished canvas into a circle, but having the long corners makes it easier to place  evenly around the inner hoop. 

Before hooping the canvas, use the inside of the inner hoop as a guide to cut padding. The padding will give the ornament some roundness and makes affixing the felt backing easier.

 Loosen the screw fastener of the outer hoop as far as possible. Position the canvas over the inner hoop. Then put the outer hoop in place and tighten. Turn over the ornament and fold in the edges of the canvas. I found that steaming the canvas helps make it more pliable when trying to get the edges turned to the backside of the hoop and once it dries, it will hold its shape. 

 If you are using padding, place it inside the inner hoop on top of the back of the stitched canvas. Then, trace the hoop on your felt backing and cut it out. Glue the felt backing to the outer hoop’s edge, following the instructions of the glue manufacturer. 

I used strung glitter sequins for hangers. I had originally purchased the sequins to glue to the outer hoop but decided that I like the look of the natural bamboo. One could also stain or paint the outer hoop. Many more options out there. Let your imaginations go wild!