Hear ye, hear ye! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! Yep, it’s just a few short weeks away!
How are you going with your preparations? All ready to celebrate? Or are you like me and tend to wait until the start of December to start shopping/ baking/ sewing/ crafting/panicking?
And why is it that?!?
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
Why is it, that we all know that Christmas is coming, that every single year we will be celebrating that there is usually plenty of planning involved, and yet so many of us cram everything in to the last couple of days, er weeks? It’s not like we’ve had 12 months warning or anything … 😉
You know what these last weeks before Christmas and New Year are like. Not only do you need to organise things for your own family (like I said, baking, planning what you and your guests might want to eat, buying that oh-so-perfect present etc) but also fill up the calendar with the fun parties for each and every club that each and every family member belongs to.
Office Christmas party? Yep! School class Christmas party? Yep! Sports Team Christmas party? Yep! Youth Group Christmas party? Yep! Neighbourhood Christmas party? Yep! Christmas drinks with your girlfriends? Yep! And don’t forget about helping out at class baking day at school…
No wonder so many people call it the Silly Season!
The point I am trying to make is that the Christmas season can be full of laughs and joy and fun with those you surround yourself with, but it can also be stressful.
The Greatest Idea- More Sewing!
So, naturally this year I chose the most obvious response of any level-headed Mum of 3 kids. I decided to take on yet another project: sewing with children. Not only my children but a whole swarm of 2ndgraders at my daughters’ school! Yes, my Hubby did ask “Don’t you have enough to do already?!?” Ahh, er, well, yes, I do. But…
You see, due to the craziness system of German school hours (eg some days class is over just after 11 am) my 2 girls spend a couple of hours afterwards in after school care with many of their classmates. Here they can do their homework or just play, craft, run about and have fun.
I thought that maybe I could add a little Christmas cheer by playing the Elf from the North Pole Department of Sewing!
✨ And after you’ve worked through this project, be sure to see the huge list of other cute 🎄 Christmas projects I’ve got for you at the bottom of this blog post! 👇
Kids Can Sew Too
A year ago one of the teachers at the after school care offered to sew beanies and scarves with any children who were interested and was overwhelmed when every single child brought along fabric and wanted to sew. The kids were all so excited to use a sewing machine and produce something of their own that they could wear and show off to others. I figured, why not see if the children there could be inspired to tackle another project.
I love seeing kids develop new skills and a sense of pride and mastery (Hey! I like developing new skills and feeling proud!) The knowing smiles on their faces. The twinkle in their eyes. Their excited jumping around and telling everyone on repeat what they have done. And clearly not every house has a sewing machine to experiment on. I also imagine that not too many boys are exposed to or encouraged to try sewing. It’s not like I expect that any of these children is going to grow up to be the next Yves Saint-Laurent (or maybe someone will???…hmm…). But doing something new and creative is always fun, right?!? And who knows, maybe one of them may just discover a new hobby!
Sure, sewing with younger children means providing assistance and supervision, but for kids who are interested, it can be a lot of fun for everyone!
The Free Pattern & Sewing Guide
As I already said, Christmas is coming, so I have come up with some FREE sewing projects for adults and kids alike! These projects are ideal for anyone, regardless of whether you have been sewing for years or just discovering your sewing talents or whether you are 8 or 80. They are cute and perfectly-sized for hanging on your tree. You could also use them as decorations elsewhere in your house, or use them as home-made gifts for family and friends. And because you choose the fabric you use, each one is an individual as you are!
I have sketched out a few easy-peasy patterns that you can print out/receive by email here. The beauty of these small ornaments is that they can be sewn using your sewing machine or hand-sewn. Personally sewing by hand, is NOT a talent of mine. But a machine I can handle 😉
For each ornament you will need:
- Fabric of your choice (you can either use the 1 fabric for both sides or jazz it up by having different fabrics front and back)
- Polyester Stuffing
- Narrow ribbon or band (for hanging up your ornament)
- Some basic sewing supplies (thread, scissors, pins)
- Sewing machine or needle for hand-sewing
- And last but not least, the PDF pattern here.
Let’s get sewing! Here are the steps to make these lovely little ornaments. Each ornament will be approximately 10- 12 cm (4 – 4.5in ) tall when complete.
Step 1:
Print out my PDF pattern of the 5 Christmas ornaments and cut out the ornament pattern you wish to sew.
Step 2:
You will need to cut out 2 pieces of fabric (one for the front and one for the back) each 12cm (5in.) square. Remember: you can use the same fabric front and back or 2 different fabrics.
Step 3:
Cut a length of ribbon/band for hanging up your ornament. I found 15cm (6in.) was a good length
Step 4:
Pin the pattern to your 2 fabrics and cut to size. For this you can use either regular straight-edge scissors or pinking shears for a zig-zag trim effect.
Step 5:
Remove the pattern and re-pin your 2 pieces of fabric together, with the patterned sides facing outwards.
Step 6:
Sew around your decoration, about ½ cm (1/4 in.) from the edge. Important! Don’t forget to leave a gap which you will need for putting the stuffing inside!
Step 7:
Stuff a small amount inside your decoration. You’ll only need a few pinches of stuffing, but you can choose how “puffy” (or not) you want it to be.
Step 8:
Fold the band in half and place the ends inside the decoration. Use a few pins to secure the band in place and close the opening.
Step 9:
Sew closed. Trim threads and edges as needed.
Decoration finished and a job well done! Nice!
And what about those kids at school? Well, we made dozens!! I sewed these ornaments with many of the kids and all of them made at least 2 each. Some made 4. Some made 6. Two of them even begged me to come back next year and make 20 with each them. Boys. Girls. 7 year olds. 8 year olds. Even a couple of 9 year olds. And yes, there was a lot of pride, jumping around and big grins on each and every one of them 😊. That’s the Christmas spirit!
I wish you lots of fun sewing these cute Christmas ornaments and of course a very Merry Christmas!
How did your ornaments turn out? Are you new to sewing? Or have you been sewing for a long time? What other Christmas decorations do you like to sew? I would love to hear from you!
✨ Psst! Those other Christmas projects I promised you? Here you go…
🎄Simple Holiday Decor to Sew for your Home
🎄 Reindeer Milk Carton Decorations
🎄 Easy Cinnamon Christmas Candles
🎄 Make, Bake & Sew Christmas Projects
🎄 Pretty Paper Christmas Stars
