Christmas Gift Giving - HANDMADE FABRIC BAUBLE TUTORIAL

I was SEW surprised when back in September I received a comment on one of my Christmas Gift Giving Tutorials from last year from Madame Samm asking if I would love to join the Comfort and JOY themed tutorials for the month of December on the http://www.sewwequilt.com/ blog. I was surprised and excited and wasn't sure what I would share with you all. After my excitement of accepting our family got some heartbreaking news and went into a family crisis I sent off a quick email declining thinking I wouldn't have time with all that needed attention within my family. And then to my surprise a reminder popped up a couple of days ago and in the midst of doing Christmas Cards I decided yep this was comfort and JOY and i needed to share....so here is my little comfort and JOY handmade fabric bauble tutorial.

Inspired by my wonderful handmade ornaments that I received and blogged about in this post, and my tradition of hosting a Handmade Ornament swap for the past few years, but due to family commitments didn't host this year, when writing out my cards for the girls that regularly swap with me I couldn't not include a little something for these lovely ladies and so these little wonders came about!!!

They were so quick and easy within a little while you can whip up 8 just using the width of the fabric from a couple of scrap strips it's really easy!!!

Ingredients

• Simple Scraps - jelly roll left overs are great!! But for those of you that need a more realistic measurement you need
• one dark fabric strip measuring  2.5 x width of fabric
• one light fabric strip measuring 3 x width of fabric
• 1 x length of piping to match the width of fabric
• 1 x length of ricrac to match the width of fabric
• one light or dark fabric strip measuring 5 x width of fabric- this is your backing fabric
• strip of iron on pellon {wadding} measuring 5 x width of fabric
• Printed template from this link and traced onto cardboard or template plastic

extras - ribbon to hang and ruched ribbon to make the top of the bauble.

Method

• Sandwich and pin the piping between the dark 3 inch strip and the 2.5 inch light strip (right sides together)

• Sew this seam using the zipper foot helps to get your stitches nice and close to the piping.

• Open out and press this seam.
• Stitch with matching thread your row of ric rac about 1/2 inch from the piping join.

• Iron the Pelon to the wrong side of the 5 inch backing fabric.

• Sandwich and pin with right sides together the joined 5 inch piece and the backing piece. With either a sharp pencil or fabric pen trace around your template onto the wrong side of the fabric. leaving a small space between each ornament. Across the width of the fabric I get 8 ornaments.

• Using your pencil line as a guide sew inside these shapes leaving the neck open.

• Cut around each shape just inside your drawn lines.

• With the aid of a turning tool (aka my chop stick) gently turn and ease them shapes right side out.

• Turn the top of the neck back in 1/4 inch and Press.

• Cut lengths of your hanging ribbon and ruched ribbon
• Insert the hanging ribbon into the neck of each ornament and then use the ruched ribbon to wrap around each neck overlapping and pinning.
• Then using a zigzag stitch close your openings and create decorative finish to your ornaments.

Now will you be receiving one of these with your Christmas card ....bet your wishing your on my Christmas Card extra special List!!!

Thank you Madame Samm for inviting me and making me see more comfort and JOY in the art of giving and giving handmade.

See this post for a my Christmas Freebie, just print, paste to a folded card, write you message, slip in one of your handmade fabric baubles and post to that special friend and discover some of that comfort and JOY of giving handmade.

Too see more of my tutorials and all that I get up too please visit my blog {me} and my thoughts and click on the tutorials link.