It’s time for the Merry Christmas Sew-Along ~ Ornament #7! As I mentioned before, I’ve partnered with my friend Monique of Farm House Quilts to bring y’all 10 ornament patterns we designed over the next 5 months – all for FREE! We know what the “theme” is each month, but we haven’t seen each others designs. That means we get to be surprised too when it’s not our turn to post! Okay, let’s get to the merry ornament making!
Make sure you read all the way to the bottom to see who won the first fat quarter bundle from last month’s give away! : D
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Ornament #7 ~> Wonky Tree
This month’s ornament theme is “tree”. I made a little wonky tree! You can cut the pieces individually and make it as wonky as you like. Or you can cut out the whole tree as one piece – which still has a little wonky shape.
I’ll show you the typical ornament & give you a few tips. Then I’ll show you how to use the pattern to make a Christmas card. First, I want to tell you a little about my family’s Christmas tree traditions when I was growing up.
Every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving {or there abouts}, my family & I would head to the Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree. We would all wear Christmas shirts!
My mother always looked at every tree it seemed because it had to be perfect – almost. It needed to have a “hole” so my brother & I could hide our little angel ornaments in the center of the tree. At one point we lived in a house with 10 foot ceilings & when we moved my mother would still try to get the tallest tree possible. This required my dad to bring along the tape measure!
Once we got back to the house, my parents would set up the tree & wrap it with lights. Then my brother & I would help decorate it. The whole time Christmas music would be playing in the background. We also drank eggnog!
When I tell this story to people, they always say it sounds like I had an awesome childhood & I did. But just like my wonky tree, life always has lumps & bumps, which can make it seem imperfect. It’s good to see the perfection in the wonkiness of life. That’s what this tree represents to me – perfectly imperfect! : )
Wonky Tree
This pattern only has one sheet with the placement guide & pattern pieces on the same sheet. There is still a sheet with the pattern reversed as well. I did this so you could use the method you prefer to cut out the pieces without having to worry about reversing things.
Special Notes:
- The pieces are ordered from “A” to “E”, which is the order to place them.
- I didn’t give matching marks for these pieces because as long as there is some overlap the placement is up to you! It’s a wonky tree, after all! ; )
[bctt tweet=”Join the Merry Christmas Sew-Along for some merry ornament making! #merrychristmassal2017″ username=”@teadoddles”]
Cut-Out Ornament Instructions
These pieces are large enough to list some basic sizes to cut from ~>
- A ~ 3″ x 2 1/2″ {trunk}
- B ~ 5″ x 2″ {tree body}
- C ~ 5″ x 2″ {tree body}
- D ~ 3 1/2″ x 2″ {tree body}
- E ~ 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ {tree body}
I did a couple of things differently than the first few ornaments. I sewed the pieces onto the batting only. Once this was done, I attached the ornament to the backing material with a zigzag stitch. Then I carefully cut around the ornament making sure to avoid cutting the stitches. I went around the ornament a second time with the zigzag stitch.
You may find this easier than the method shown for the first ornament because of the tree points.
Wonky Tree Card
I wanted to show how the layout pattern could be used as a template for a whole tree. To do this, just cut out the layout pattern minus the tree trunk. You’ll need a piece of fabric about 5″ x 5 1/2″ for the whole tree shape.
Since my tree is all one color, I decided to do some stitching to resemble the leaves & limbs of a pine tree. It’s a very abstract version! I just sewed between the levels & turned back the other way when I reached one side.
I decided to make this into a Christmas card. To do this, you will need a piece of mid weight card stock folded in half about 1/4″ larger than the fabric panel. I used a glue stick to hold it in place while stitching.
I set my stitch length to the longest length & sewed around the edges. The bottom left is a little wrinkly. This happened because the fabric was not quite flat after all the tree stitching!
I decided to add a few metallic beads after I sewed it to the card. If you have any sense, you’ll do it before you sew it to the card. Much easier that way! ; D
Now I have a Christmas card ready & another new ornament for the tree!
Okay, now on the winner of the fabric bundle!
Merry Christmas SAL Giveaway Winner!
I picked this name the same way my family used to draw names for Christmas gifts. Everyone that entered had their name put in a bowl, I shook it up, closed my eyes, & picked a winner. And the winner is…
Terri Goldin
Yay! Terri, I will be sending you an email for mailing info soon. Congratulations! Y’all head over to the Facebook group to see her awesome ornaments.
Now, Monique will pick which bundle you get, since she has the bundles. She will announce the winner she chose when her next ornament posts. Here’s a picture of the bundles ~>
You’ll be able to find all the links to the ornament posts & other social things on the page for the SAL. I can’t wait to see how everyone’s ornaments for this month!
Pin it for later!
