Raw Edge Stuffie Ornaments

My favorite part of the holiday season isn't just getting together with friends and family; it's crafting offbeat decorations to share! Creating raw-edge stuffies is the perfect way to create these adorably quirky treats -- by taking any embroidery designs that suit your unique personality and making them into idiosyncratic holiday decorations. This tutorial will show you how easily it can be done!

First things first: Embroider your designs! I chose the 4 x 4" versions of the Gingerbread Skeleton, Holly Jolly Kitty, and Pirate Santa.

Note: I skipped the dieline and tackdown of the Gingerbread Skeleton design because I chose not to use the design as applique. You can do the same for any applique designs you intend to use by skipping the dieline and tackdown color changes on your machine.

 For the best stitchout; be sure to use a medium weight cutaway stabilizer, adhered to the back of your fabric with temporary spray adhesive, and hoop both layers taut.

Now that you've removed your design from the hoop, we are ready make a fun ornament!

Rather than use the same fabric for the back; I’m going to grab from my “remnants” stash. You might prefer to match your fabric -- that’s cool too!

First, line up your back fabric with your embroidered piece, right sides facing outward.

Pin the two fabrics so they don’t shift when cutting, then cut a 1/2 inch border around the design

Next, cut a piece of ribbon (between 5 to 8 inches) and pin it in between your fabric sandwich, near the top middle of your embroidery design. Leave at least a 1/4 inch seam allowance to make sure it gets stitched in nice and snug.

Now, it’s time to get your stitch on!

Switch out your embroidery foot on your machine for the sewing foot and get stitching!

Using a back tack, stitch a 0.125 inch border around the design, working your way along the grooves and curves of the embroidery. Be sure to leave a large enough opening at the bottom (or the flattest part of the design) so you can add stuffing.

Note: Keep your bobbin color in mind! If you are using the same fabric for the front and back, you may want to load the same color thread in your bobbin as your top thread.

Fill your ornament with stuffing (polyester fiber stuffing, or other fabric scraps that you don’t need).

For the tight areas you might want to use the back end of a pen or pencil to stuff your ornament.

Next, use a straight stitch with a back tack to close the opening at the bottom of your ornament.

Alternatively, you can carefully hand-stitch this as well.

Trim any loose strings, then use pinking shears to carefully cut a 1/4 inch (or less) border around the outer stitch line of your design. Make sure to NOT cut your ornament ribbon.

Now, you could stop here.... OR if you feel ambitious and want to make a small army of stuffies, you can turn these cute little ornaments into a fun garland!

It’s simple! Just take some ribbon thin rope, or in this case twine, and knot or tie your ornaments on with equal spacing between each ornament.

I used a simple loop technique to keep the knot minimal.

Cover your knots with a pretty bow if you'd like!

Celebrate your awesome work by stringing your festive creation along fireplace mantels, on walls, or on the tree!