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Christmas Ball Ornament

Christmas Ball Ornament

Visit your local craft or hobby shop to find Styrofoam balls. Then, use leaf-shaped embroidery designs and fabric panels to decorate the ball. You'll have a fun and festive look for the holidays!

The large size of the leaf designs are sized for 3 inch Styrofoam balls; the smaller size works well with 2 inch Styrofoam balls. Read on for full project instructions!

Supplies & Materials:

 

Supplies Needed
- 1/4 yard of two fabrics (we used solid quilter's cotton)
- Cutaway stabilizer (2.5 ounce)
- 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
- Styrofoam ball (can be found at craft and hobby stores)

 

The designs used in this tutorial include: 

The large size leaf designs are here , and work well with a 3 inch ball
The  small size leaf designs are here , and work well with a 2 inch ball


The design used in the demonstration below is  Joy Ornament design - large , with a 3 inch Styrofoam ball.



Hoop a piece of quilter's cotton with medium-weight (2.5 ounce) cutaway stabilizer. Hoop the fabric so that the design will be at a 45 degree angle to the grain of the fabric (in other words, on the bias).

Embroider three leaf-shaped designs. Trim the cutaway stabilizer away from the back side (this makes it easier to mold the fabric pieces around the ball).

White fabric with a small blue and silver embroidered design including the word "Joy" in cursive, two triangular beaded shapes above and below, and four blue star-like accents. To the left, pencil outlines of an oval and intersecting lines are visible.


Each leaf design has a "dieline" file. We'll use this as a template to cut the leaf shapes, and also to make the alternating "blank" panels.

Print the dieline file from embroidery software, then cut out the shape.

Position the leaf template over the embroidery. Mark the fabric; cut out the shape.

Use the template as a pattern piece and cut out three pieces on the bias of the second fabric.

Semi-transparent white fabric piece with embroidered word "Joy" in blue script, surrounded by small decorative stars, on a white textured background.


Next I'll use the six fabric pieces (three embroidered, three blank) 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.

Hands cutting embroidered white fabric pieces with the word "Joy" and blue decorative stitches; three similar blue fabric leaf shapes on a wooden surface below.


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.

Hands holding a white foam ball while wrapping a blue velvet fabric piece partially over its surface on a wooden table background.


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

Hand holding a white foam ball decorated with alternating blue felt triangles pinned around it on a brown wooden surface background.


In the same manner as the unembroidered pieces, pin and stretch the embroidered pieces so that the ball is completed covered with fabric

Hand holding a Christmas ball ornament featuring blue and white triangular fabric sections with embroidered blue swirls and beaded triangle designs.


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

Hands holding a fabric-covered ball ornament with blue and white patterned fabric, white ribbon, and blue satin ribbon on a wooden surface.


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.

Hands holding a white and blue fabric Christmas ball ornament with embroidered partial letters and a blue ribbon threaded through it.

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.

Hands hold a fabric Christmas ball ornament made of blue and white patterned fabric sections sewn together, with visible stitching.



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


Close-up of hands holding a handmade blue and white fabric ball ornament decorated with sequins, beads, and embroidered script or lettering.


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.

Hands wrapping a blue and white Christmas ball ornament with a thin blue ribbon on a wooden surface. The ornament features silver glitter and a partial word "Joy.


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.

Hands are threading a needle with blue ribbon through a white Christmas ball ornament decorated with blue swirls and patterns, on a wooden surface.


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

Hands holding a white fabric ball ornament with blue cursive embroidery and blue ribbon, threading a needle through the ribbon on a wooden surface.


Making the beaded dangles:

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

Close-up of hands threading a clear faceted bead between two small dark blue beads on a thin clear string over a wooden surface.


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

Close-up of hands using pliers to attach a small blue bead to the end of a beige thread or cord against a light background.



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.

Hands holding a round ornament decorated with blue and white fabric, embroidered with cursive writing and small star designs, with dangling beads.


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.

Hands holding a partially finished blue and white fabric Christmas ball ornament with beads and sequins being sewn on a wooden surface.


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.

Hand holding a blue and white fabric Christmas ornament with embroidered word "Joy" in blue thread, decorated with pearls and beads, hanging by blue ribbon.