Easy Custom Embroidered Ornament

Do you like my super creative, non-descript title?




Christmas is the time for giving. (Yes, I know – soo cliche, but there are only so many ways to say it!) Tristin has already shared with us her idea for a yummy gift for friends as well as other precious gift ideas like her cameo bag. I guess it’s time to share some gift ideas that I have.

I made these custom embroidered ornaments for my friends with their last name initial in the center. They aren’t at all what they sound like, but it is incredibly difficult to describe these ornaments, and even worse to come up with a name for them. But that’s probably because they’re not a real thing yet. When they catch on, we’ll have a name for them. ;) There’s really no method to these ornaments… it’s just whatever you want it to be. You can put anything on these bad boys – beads, feathers, glitter, rocks… whatever you can think of. I hope you’re super duper inspired right now.



I started mine off with a scrapbook paper “flower” background. (Oh, did you know that I’m obsessed with scrapbook paper? Cause I am.) I got the inspiration from Amy Heller's Flower Embellishments from Scraps. The only variations I had were making the cardboard circle using a high-tech tea candle and hot gluing the strips of scrapbook paper right onto the circle.



Next, I cut a flower out of felt and added a fun edge with embroidery floss. Now is where I admit that I have tons and tons of embroidery floss, but no embroidery experience. While I was searching online how to do thick embroidery, I came across a technique called “chain stitching”. I’m sure all my crocheters recognize that term. No, it doesn’t mean the same thing in the embroidery world. And no, I didn’t attempt to learn how to do it. Instead, I chain stitched (the crochet way) two threads of embroidery floss together to create a nice thick chain. I then shaped this into whatever letter I wanted and attached it onto my felt flower with embroidery floss. Maybe someday I’ll learn how to embroider properly… but for now, the “Sharon stitch” will have to do.



Thoughts? Comments? Embroidery tips for me? All are greatly appreciated!