Christmas Ornament Tutorial: Sew a Felt Reindeer Bauble

PLEASE NOTE: this project will be removed from my blog at the end of November, after which it will be available as part of a printable pattern from my shops. Please make a copy of the instructions and templates if you'd like to save a free copy before then! :)

My series of free Christmas ornament tutorials continues! Today, how to sew a reindeer ornament:

This reindeer bauble is part of a set of cute felt Christmas ornaments I designed for docrafts Creativity magazine last year.

I've already shared tutorials for the snowman bauble and the stripey stocking... the rest will be popping up on my blog over the next couple of weeks. 

 

To make the reindeer bauble, you will need:

- templates (see the bottom of this post)
- royal blue felt
- light brown felt
- small pieces of red and dark brown felt
- matching sewing threads
- black and white embroidery thread (floss)
- white narrow ribbon
- silver seed beads
- toy stuffing
- sewing scissors (I recommend using embroidery scissors to cut out the small felt shapes)
- sewing needles and pins

To make the reindeer bauble:

1. Use the templates provided to cut out the following felt pieces: two blue bauble shapes, one light brown body, one light brown head, two dark brown antlers (one left and one right) and one red nose.

2. Gradually build up the reindeer picture on one of the bauble shapes, sewing the pieces in position one by one and using the photos as a guide.

Start with the reindeer's body then add the head, then the antlers. Finally, add the red nose. Use whip stitch and matching sewing thread, holding or pinning the pieces in place as you sew.

Tip: you'll be sewing around the bauble later on so you can leave the bottom edge of the reindeer's body (where it follows the curve of the bauble) unstitched until then.

3. Add the embroidered details using half strands of embroidery thread (i.e. for six stranded thread use three strands), switching to a larger needle if needed.

Use black thread to backstitch the reindeer's smile, and to sew a few small stitches close together for each eye.

Tip: if you prefer, you could stitch a French knot for each eye or use black seed beads.

4. Fill in the background space around the reindeer with sparkly silver seed beads, sewing each bead in place with a double thickness of blue sewing thread.

5. Cut a 15cm (6 inch) length of narrow white ribbon. Fold the ribbon into a loop and sew the ends to the top of the undecorated bauble shape. Use whip stitch and blue sewing thread, sewing into the felt not through it.

6. Place the front and back bauble pieces together so the ends of the ribbon are sandwiched between the two layers and the loop sticks out the top above the reindeer.

Hold or pin the two bauble pieces together and blanket stitch around the edge, using half strands of white embroidery thread. Start at the top (where the ribbon loop sticks out), stitch most of the way round and leave a gap for stuffing..

7. Add small pieces of stuffing to gradually fill the bauble, stuffing it lightly so it's evenly filled but still very squishy. Then sew up the gap with more blanket stitches and finish your stitching neatly at the back. 

This tutorial is for personal use only: you can use it to stitch as many felt ornaments as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a photo or two if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to the original source, and do not reproduce my entire post or share the pattern itself on your site. Thanks!

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