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Sunday, December 25, 2016

Handmade ornament for a gift exchange

I made this little quilted tree ornament for a gift exchange at our family Christmas on Christmas Day.  I found the top layer of the tree in my stash which I created at the same time as this one.  I finshed this one a little differently.  I added some batting which I machine stitched in place following the lines in the quilting.  I cut the same sized tree out of green felted wool and stitched it all the way around with green thread on the front and red thread in the bobbin.  I added a red rick rack garland and secured it with a few stitches where it touched the edges.  With the layers secured I used red floss to blanket stitch all the way around being sure to secure the garland on all the edges.  I found this white beaded trim in the bag with the tree so I decided to use it to trim the tree edges.  I simply stitched in into place along the edge using overhand stitches and white thread.  It softened the red outline which the blanket stitching had created which worked out better than I expected.  I stitched on some sequins - red, green and gold  - adding seed beads to keep them secure.  I stitched several beads in place on the garland to keep it in its place and add yet more sparkle.  I stitched on a rick rack hanger and added the layered sequin star which is secured by a little yellow crystal bead.  I added a drop of glue where the pearl beaded trim joined up to keep both ends aligned.  I added a tag on the back with my name and the year.  This ornament will be combined with a consumable gift which all has to fit in a shoe box and be wrapped in newsprint.  Looking forward to a great Christmas with my family!
Therese