Opulent Ornaments

Assemble your in-the-hoop ornament of choice according to the instructions.

We used silver metallic thread for an extra bit of sparkle.

When you add the ribbon loop to hang the ornament, you can also add other ribbon embellishments, such as beads or bells dangling from a ribbon.

If you're adding beads attached to a ribbon, make sure the ribbon is long enough that they can be taped out of the way of the embroidery hoop. Three-dimensional objects such as beads that are under the stabilizer or the hoop could cause the embroidery machine not to work properly.

Now that you've completed the ornament, it's time to "bling it up" with beads and crystals. Thread your beading needle with a length of beading thread. Tie a knot at the end and poke the needle from the back to the front, where you want to start beading, hiding the knot in an inconspicuous location.

Bead as desired. We created this "garland" of beads by stringing on a few beads, then taking a small stitch into the fabric ornament, then stringing on a few more beads.

These strings of beads dangling from the bottom of the ornament were made by stringing on a series of beads, then looping the thread around and stringing it back up through those beads. There must be at least one "anchor bead" at the bottom that the thread only goes through once. Repeat as many times as desired.

When you're done beading, tie off the thread. It's good to do as much beading as possible with a single length of thread, so you'll have fewer knots to deal with. If you want, you can dab a tiny bit of glue on the knot to help secure it. Use the needle to feed the "tail" through the back of the ornament, then cut off the excess thread.

Heat-set crystals are another fun way to add sparkle to your ornament.  You can also find adhesive crystals and gems online or at your local craft store.