Keepsake Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make - Free Sewing Pattern
Have a fun family craft night with these keepsake Christmas ornaments kids can make! You sew the simple fabric ornaments ahead of time using my free sewing pattern, and then let the kids decorate them to give as gifts!
These DIY keepsake Christmas ornaments are a fun project you can make with the kids! You can sew the ornaments quickly and easily from duck cloth or canvas, and then let the kids add all the color and sparkle! And when you’re done, you’ve got sweet handmade gifts to give to the grandparents and other loved ones.
These ornaments are super fast and easy to sew, so you can make a bunch of them for the kids to decorate. No turning, no clipping corners required. Just trace the ornament on to the canvas, sew it, trim it, and add the hanger. It takes just a few minutes to make each one!
If you love a handmade Christmas as much as I do, be sure to check out this round-up of Christmas sewing projects that are totally giftable. From accessories to home décor, there’s plenty of Christmas sewing ideas to get your holiday sewing started!
The fabric ornaments are made from a natural canvas or duck cloth, with a simple bauble shape drawn on with paint marker or fabric marker.
My free pattern includes 6 different vintage-inspired designs for the ornaments. Or, for kids who want to draw all their own designs, there’s also just a simple ornament outline pattern.
The ornaments are finished with ribbon clamps for toppers. I hadn't ever tried this before, but I love the look it gives! The metal clamps look like the toppers on glass ornaments, and the hole at the top is the perfect place to thread a ribbon for a hanging loop. The clamps are easy to install with a little glue and a pair of jewelry pliers.
Once you’ve got them made, let the kids add the color and sparkle! You can just put out the supplies and let them to go to town.
Give the kids paint markers or fabric markers to draw on the fabric ornaments. I think paint markers give better coverage, but the fabric markers have a wider range of colors and may be easier for younger kids to manage. It’s totally up to you.
Sequins or flat back plastic gems are a fun way to add some sparkle, but younger hands may have an easier time with mini pom poms. And also I just love the texture and vintage charm of the mini pom poms!
And while I designed this project as Christmas ornaments kids can make, they’re actually quite pretty just left plain. They’d be super pretty on a farmhouse style tree, especially one with a black and white color palette!
Make It a Craft Night Kit!
A craft kit with Christmas ornaments kids can make is also a great gift for families with young kids! Just sew a set of ornaments in a mix of designs, then put them in a bag with a selection of paint markers (or fabric markers) and embellishments for them to use to decorate them. And don’t forget the glue! You can find small bottles of sequin glue at the craft store.
I made a kit like this for my friend and her daughter to make. It included 8 ornaments ready to decorate, plus a set of paint markers, some red and white mini pom poms, sequins in 5 colors, and a tube of sequin glue.
I have to admit, I had a lot of fun putting together the kit for them! And look what her daughter was able to make! I love how she was able to make the designs her own!
If you’re looking for projects to make for kids, my felt board folio tutorial makes a great gift for a young child! And for the older kids, you can sew up an easy drawstring backpack in a cute fabric.
Supplies to sew the fabric ornaments:
Carbon paper or graphite paper
Paint pens or fabric markers
20 mm ribbon clamps (You can also use 18mm if you can’t find 20 mm.)
Flat nose pliers
1/8” ribbon
Free pattern – Keepsake Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make
Supplies to decorate the fabric ornaments:
Gem-Tac adhesive, sequin glue or tacky glue (I like to use the Michael’s sequin glue because it’s inexpensive and easier for young hands to squeeze than the Tacky Glue.)
Mini pom poms, sequins, etc. to embellish
Paint markers or fabric markers
How to sew the fabric ornament:
Use the carbon paper to transfer the ornament pattern to the canvas. Use a medium to heavy pressure when tracing with the pencil to make sure the lines get transferred to the textured surface of the canvas.
You can see from this photo that the lines will be faint. That’s okay, so long as they’re dark enough for you to see them.
On the canvas, trace over the lines you just transferred with a paint pen. Now you have an ornament design drawn on the canvas.
Loosely cut around the ornament, leaving at least ½” margin around the shape.
Layer the canvas on top of another piece of canvas cut to the same size, wrong sides together.
Starting at the top of the ornament, sew around the ornament stopping about 3 inches from the end. With the needle down in the fabric, lift the presser foot up.
Stuff the ornament lightly with the Poly Fil stuffing.
Place the presser foot back down and continue sewing around the ornament.
Trim around the outside of the ornament with a 1/8”seam allowance.
Place a line of Gem-Tac adhesive across the top of the ornament. Put the adhesive on the front AND the back.
Place the ribbon clamp across the end, then use the pliers to pinch it down around the edge of the fabric.
Cut a piece of ribbon 10” long. Thread it through the hole at the top of the ribbon clamp. The hole is small so you may need to trim the end of the ribbon to a point in order to get it through the hole. Tie the ends of the ribbon together to make a hanging loop.
Your keepsake fabric ornament is finished and ready to be decorated!
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I love these, the old-style baubles look great. Good tutorial too!