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Christmas decorations have always been special for me. My Christmas tree isn't the type that looks 'tidy'. Pretty much all of my decorations are completely unique, each have a special memory attached and handmade decorations are a must! They may remind me of the loved ones that bought or made them for me, or celebrate the wonderful life that I lead with my husband and fur babies, the holidays we've been on, our passions and the homes we've shared.
I also gift a bauble to each of my friends/family each year and as a crafter, the opportunity to make one never goes amiss! So, I created our bauble kits showcasing loved locations in the North East so you can do the same! Each of the bauble kits comes with written instructions as to how to finish your baubles but I wanted to provide more detailed instructions with photos for those who are more visual learners!
Let's get started!
1. Prep your materials!
(OPTIONAL) Wash your completed stitches - I washed one of mine as I had managed to get sun cream on it, but the others looked fine as they were! You can see how I wash my completed stitches HERE.
Get your kit back out and familiarise yourself with the remaining materials. This should include a piece of felt, three small hoops, three lengths of ribbon, your needle and some left over thread in each colour. The kit shown here is the Whitley Bay and Cullercoats Baubles Cross Stitch Kit.
Gather additional materials you may need including embroidery scissors, fabric scissors and a pencil.
Prep your felt backing circles by drawing around the outside of one of the inner embroidery hoops three times.
Using your fabric scissors, cut out your felt circles and put aside.
2. Prep your hoops!
Put your embroidery hoops on your stitches. Make sure the pictures are straight with the hoop adjustment on the top. Tighten the adjustment then pull the fabric gently all the way around to stretch the fabric, making sure that the design stays central and straight at all times. Tighten the adjustment mechanism again, then stretch again, and repeat until it's perfect!
Using your fabric scissors, cut the excess fabric from your bauble leaving approximately 2cm around the outside of the hoop.
Using running stitch, stitch around the outside of the hoop then pull to cinch. I would recommend using 3 strands of white thread (or any light coloured thread, as shown here) approximately 1m long for this stage.
(OPTIONAL) - For extra security and to ensure the back of the stitch remains flat, stitch back and forward across the back of the hoop and working all the way around as in the video below.
Fasten off your thread by creating a few stitches on top of each other then using your embroidery scissors to cut so the thread tail is approximately 1cm.
3. Back your hoops!
Using 3 strands of thread (I like to use the colour that matches the primary colour of the hoop design), knot the end of your thread and insert it into the back of the hoop stitching towards the hoop fastener.
Lay a felt circle on the back of your hoop then work blanket stitch around the edge of the hoop as shown below.
Finish your blanket stitch by running the thread through the first stitch to create a joined up look, then creating a few small stitches before pushing the needle up through the felt towards the centre of the back.
Using your precise embroidery scissors, snip the remaining thread as close to the felt as possible before using your needle to fluff the felt around the hole, thereby hiding the thread/hole in the felt.
4. Add your ribbons!
Fold one length of ribbon in half, thread the loop end through the hoop fastener, and then thread the ribbon tails through the ribbon loop.
Tie a knot or bow in the end of your ribbon.
And finally, sit back and marvel at your skills! Well done you should be super proud of what you've accomplished!
If you have any further questions, please send me a message
and I will be happy to help!
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