Felt Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments

Hello! I am excited to be sharing a fun little felt ornament today: Felt Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments.  

I am particularly excited about these ornaments because they are our family ornaments for 2013.  

You see, each year I like to stitch up little ornaments that capture what our family looks like at the time.  

Last year I made these cute little penguins, once again out of felt:

Adorable, right? Head on over to the post and grab the free template.

So, this year I wanted to make something equally as cute, but what?  

And then it hit me, gingerbread men (well, and women)!  

I love the idea of gingerbread men ornaments because they are simple (yay!) and they are easy to personalize, which is totally what I’m after.  

There are no crazy embroidery skills needed for making these little felt ornaments and it only takes about 15 minutes to stitch up each ornament.  

And so,

How to Create a Felt Gingerbread Christmas Ornament

But, before we get there, here is a little tip that will forever change the way you cut felt–and give you newfound confidence when you attempt to cut out detailed little pieces—USE PACKING TAPE.

Serious.

First, grab the FREE TEMPLATE, then cut it out and tape it down to the felt.

This is how I cut out all of my felt pieces for all of my projects.  

I cut out a piece of felt slighter bigger than the shape I want to cut.  

Then I place down my pattern and cover the entire thing with clear packing tape.  

I cut out a smaller piece of the felt because the packing tape will pull at the felt when you remove it, but the piece I want is protected by the pattern.  

So, with the pattern securely held in place by the tape, I cut out each piece perfectly!  

Tada!  

Is your life changed?

Once you have the bodies of your Gingerbread Men cut out, follow these steps to complete the ornaments.

1. Using the method described above and the FREE TEMPLATE, cut out 2 gingerbread man body pieces for each ornament you plan to make.
2. Then, use tiny circles of white felt and black thread to create the eyes.
3. Next, use dark brown thread and a split stitch to add a mouth
4. Add embellishment to each gingerbread man.  I used a strip of white felt on each limb, buttons and bits of felt for various clothing items.
5. Stitch down the buttons, or whatever will be added to the tummy first.
6. Then, using straight pins, place the second body piece behind the first.  Pin the white strips in place and add a ribbon for hanging that is sandwiched between the two body pieces.
7. Stitch around the entire perimeter with a running stitch, making sure to stitch down the white stripes and ribbon as you go.

Annnnnd, there you have it!

Here is a closer look at the FAMILY of gingerbread men I made:

My husband, wearing a dabber tie.

Me, wearing a button necklace…and carrying a little baby in my tummy.

Our Toddler, wearing a classic bow tie.

And, out sweet little baby girl, wearing a bow in her hair.

I love how they turned out, and I hope that you have just as much fun putting together ornaments for your family this year!

I wrote this post as part of Craft Lightning, Holiday Edition, hosted by Country Chic Cottage and 30 Minute Crafts.  For more great QUICK holiday craft project ideas, click on the button below

Thanks for being here,