Christmas Ball Ornament

A simple Styrofoam ball is a craft supply item that forms the basis for many artistic projects. With your creativity and embroidery talent, you can transform those plain balls into magnificent ornaments, ready to grace many a Christmas tree.
The key ingredient for this beautiful ornament is one of the ornament “leaf” designs that Embroidery Library has created especially to fit a ball. The large size is for a 3″ ball and the small size is for a 2″ ball.

Make ornaments for gifts, match to them to a favorite color scheme, or create one for everyone in the family.

Used Designs :: 01 - 02 - 03

Supplies needed:
1/4 yard of each of 2 fabrics
18 white pearl-headed pins
2 Tidy pins
Sequin pins
1 yard of 1/4″ wide ribbon
3″ head pins from the jewelry findings aisle
Assorted beads for bottom tassel
4mm beads
3″ Styrofoam ball (can be found at any craft and hobby store)

Instructions:
On the first fabric, sew out three ornament embroideries for your ornament.
Placement: They should be embroidered so that the design is at a 45 degree angle to the grain of the fabric (in other words: on the bias).
Print out the ornament die line template that comes with the design.

 Cut out the ornament template and trace it onto tracing paper.
Place the tracing paper template over the embroideries. You can see from the photo that the embroidery can be seen through the tracing paper.
Center the embroidery within the template and mark the fabric around the outside edge of the of the template. Repeat for the other two embroideries.
Use the template as a pattern piece and cut out three pieces on the bias of the second fabric.

The 6 ornament pieces will be applied to cover the Styrofoam ball.
On each of the 6 ornament pieces, make five 1/4″ cuts on the curved edges. The cuts should be about 1/2″ apart.
The cuts will help the fabric to curve around the ball without puckering.

Pin one end of an unembroidered piece to the ball with a sequin pin, and stretch the piece slightly so that it reaches the opposite side of the ball. Pin the opposite end with another sequin pin.

Repeat with the remaining unembroidered pieces, so that the pieces are at equal intervals around the ball.

Remove as much stabilizer as possible from the back of the embroidery. (The fabric will be easier to stretch.)
In the same manner as the unembroidered pieces, pin and stretch the embroidered pieces so that the ball is completed covered with fabric.

Use a sequin pin to secure one end of the ribbon at one end of the ball, where the pieces meet.

Bring the ribbon around to the other end of the ball, laying the ribbon just to the inside of the outer edge of an embroidered piece.

While holding the ribbon in place with your fingers, slide the ribbon toward the edge of the embroidered piece until the ribbon just covers the raw edge. Pin the ribbon in place at the opposite end and repeat the process until you have all the raw edges covered with the ribbon.

To change direction, pin the ribbon into place, and fold the ribbon over to the angle needed for the next edge.

If you end at the top of the ornament, pin the ribbon into place and leave a 7″ tail on the ribbon.
If you end at the bottom, pin the ribbon to secure it into place, then trim the ribbon close to the pins. Cut a 7″ piece of ribbon to make the hanger for the ornament.

Make a circle with the 7″ ribbon by overlapping the ends by about 1″.
Secure the hanger into place by inserting a Tidy pin through both pieces of ribbon and into the top of the ball.

Use one pearl headed pin at the center of each ribbon to hold them in place around the ball.

Making the beaded dangles:
Stack pretty beads onto 3 head pins. Fatter beads should be toward the bottom of the dangle.

Use a needle-nosed pliers to bend an eye in the pin at the top of each dangle.

Thread the dangles onto a tidy pin, using the eyes that you just made, and insert the tidy pin into the bottom of the ball.

Put one 4mm bead on each of the remaining pearl headed pins, and insert around the top hanger and bottom dangles. Use 6 at the top and 6 at the bottom.

Now your ornament is ready to place on the Christmas tree, or to give as a beautiful, handmade gift.
Everyone is sure to love this unique ornament.