Easy sewing Christmas decorations
Creating fabric Christmas decorations can be easy even for sewing novices! And what fun it is to make these original, naive decorations yourself...
a fun-looking Santa Claus head and soft candy canes that lend themselves well to being decorated with ribbons and mini decorations in felt or with wooden subjects.
Hanging Santa head
The supplies are simply recycled: a pink or off-white cotton jersey T-shirt, two flat gold buttons, red fabric for the cap and white felt for the beard and moustache.
Cut 2 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm ovals from the T-shirt for the nose. Assemble, leaving a 2 cm gap. Turn over and fill with foam padding. Sew to close the nose.
Santa Claus's head is made from 2 circles, each about 25 cm in diameter, cut from Jersey fabric. The top of the head will be hidden by the hat, the bottom by the beard, so there's no need to be too precise...
Sew the circles together about 1 cm from the edge, leaving 3-4 cm free at the bottom of the head.
Sew the nose in the middle of the head (through the inside). Sew the two buttons for the eyes. Fill the head with foam padding through the small opening, then sew (it will be hidden by the beard).
Sew the nose in the middle of the head (through the inside). Sew the two buttons for the eyes. Fill the head with foam padding through the small opening, then sew (it will be hidden by the beard).
Measure the width of the forehead.
From the red fabric, cut a double triangle whose base is the width of the forehead "L" + 2 times the distance with the stitches. The height of the triangle must be at least equal to this width "L". Sew the sides of the triangle, turn over and thread onto Santa's head. Cut a headband from the felt, length "L" and about 6 cm wide. Fold over the full length of the felt edges and sew the band to the red fabric on both sides.
From the red fabric, cut a double triangle whose base is the width of the forehead "L" + 2 times the distance with the stitches. The height of the triangle must be at least equal to this width "L". Sew the sides of the triangle, turn over and thread onto Santa's head. Cut a headband from the felt, length "L" and about 6 cm wide. Fold over the full length of the felt edges and sew the band to the red fabric on both sides.
Cut a piece from the white felt, 25 to 30 cm long, in the shape of a point, to cover the head "from ear to ear" (and flush with the nose), and place it on the head with pins. Place it on the head with pins.
Cut a piece as wide but about 3 cm shorter. Place it over the first piece, then sew them together at ear level. Trim the 2 layers of beard, making rounded points in the direction of the beard (!).
Cut and sew a proud moustache.
Making fabric candy canes
Another symbol of Christmas: the candy cane (which is to Santa Claus what the crosier is to Saint Nicholas...).
Easy to make, these candy canes can then be decorated according to your imagination. Draw your candy cane template on a sheet of paper. Its finished width must be at least 2 cm (3 cm for easier stuffing), plus the sewing margins, i.e. a good 1 cm.
Cut out the paper template, place it on the fabric and go around it with a pencil, cut out the fabric... and repeat for the other side. Assemble the 2 pieces (take care if your fabric is reverse-stitched), leaving the opening at the bottom. Use a round wooden spoon to push the foam all the way in, so that the candy can be filled. Close the opening.
Decorate by wrapping a ribbon (in a very "candy cane" look) or small Christmas decorations, here in felt.
Two candy canes can also be the main ornaments of a Christmas wreath.
