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Felt Gingerbread Man Ornaments
by Anita Pendley
Description: Adorable gingerbread man ornaments you can make for your Christmas tree.
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Cookie Cutters are not just for cookies! Let me teach you how to make an adorable Christmas tree ornament with a Gingerbread man cookie cutter and a little felt. You can "bake" up a whole batch of these very quickly.
You will need:
- Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter – I use a metal one because they tend to have simpler designs.
- Tan rectangle of craft felt
- Red and White sequins
- Red and Clear Seed beads
- Permanent Marker
- Ink Pen
- Sharp scissors
- White, Red, and Tan Embroidery Floss
- Embroidery Needle
- Beading Needle
- 7” cording or very narrow ribbon
Lay cookie cutter onto a tan colored rectangle of felt. Trace around the cookie cutter with a Permanent Marker. Turn felt piece over, and trace a second time making sure not to overlap with first tracing on opposite side of felt. Cut both shapes out just inside the lines. Most likely there will be traces of marker on the shapes, but don’t worry about it. These will be inside the ornament.
Take one of the gingerbread men shapes, and lay him marker side down on a flat surface. Using a ball point pen lightly mark 2 dots for eyes and a faint curved line for his mouth. Also mark 3 or 4 dots down his middle for buttons.
Now embroider him all the way around the outside edge with 2 strands of white embroidery floss using an outline stitch. This creates the look that one would get by outlining a gingerbread cookie with icing. You will have to judge how far from the edge will look most pleasing based on how large your shape is. My cookie cutter was 4.75” tall x 4” across, and my outline is ¼” from the edge.
For his eyes you can sew on black seed beads or embroider them with black embroidery floss using either satin stitches or French knots. Embroider his smile with outline stitches using 2 red strands of floss.
Next give him jewels. Start with his buttons. Using 1 strand of red floss knotted on the end threaded through a beading needle, bring your needle from back to front through one of the button marks. Place a red sequin and a red seed bead onto the needle. Push the needle back through the sequin and through to the back of the felt at the same button mark as before. Continue in same manner with red sequins and beads creating his other buttons and 2 cheeks at the ends of his smile.
Use white floss, white sequins, and clear seed beads to jewel his hands and feet. Put them right on top of the white outline border that goes all the way around him. I use 2 on the bottom of each of his hands, and 3 on the bottoms of each of his feet.
Lay the front and back ornament shapes together matching edges. Make sure the marked edge of the back shape is to the inside. Tie a knot in both ends of a 7” piece of cord or narrow ribbon. Place the cord between the front and back of the ornament forming a loop at the top. Starting near the top of the ornament join the front and back together using an applique stitch with 1 strand of tan floss. Be sure to secure the loop hanger as you stitch.
Stuff with polyester fiberfill and close up the opening, continuing to use the applique stitch.
Anita writes DIY articles and tutorials for the arts and crafts industry. For more information about the felt applique kits she sells please visit her website.
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