September 2026~ Gift Sewalong: burlap ornaments

 Wow, can you believe it is September already??

Pretty soon  the holiday season will be here, and if you have been following along with all these gift posts since January you should have a pretty nice pile of presents and decor ready to go!

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This month I decided to share another ornament idea...but of course I always try and make these ideas open-ended, so feel free to use these for gift tags, garlands, or whatever else you can imagine ;). And you can of course use ANY die that you like ( although I do have a word of warning for you~more on that in a bit). 

By the way, I should mention that I saw this idea on JediCraftGirl's blogpost years ago and I changed the process a bit!

This is what I made for this month's gift idea:

And here is what you will need to get started:

*fabric scraps

*jute/burlap ( tightly woven is easier to work with)

*stuffing

*ribbon or twine

*pins and scissors

*fusible web ( if using a "layered" die)

*simple die shapes ( try to use those that are "complete", not those that you have to "build")

*sewing machine

These are the steps I took:

1) Prep your fabric by giving it a good press. Some starch is pretty helpful for this project if you have some on hand. Apply fusible web to any pieces that need to be layered on top of your chosen shape.

2) Cut your scrap large enough to cover your die ( making sure the selvage can be placed on the die correctly(=facing the sticker side) and run it through your machine. If you are using some "buildable shapes", run the fused fabric through as well.

3) Apply your fused fabric where you need it ( mine is just on the little clapper part of the bells).

4) Cut your burlap slightly larger than your fabric shapes and pin your shapes all around, leaving a small opening at the top.

5) Using whatever thread and stitch you desire, stitch around your shapes leaving the top section open. 

( I used brown thread in my bobbin to match the burlap, and matched my top thread to my fabric. Then I used a small zig zag stitch on all shapes, except for the bells where I used a smaller straight stitch).

6) After sewing around your shapes, stuff  a little bit of batting inside ( less is better) and manipulate it around to spread it a little bit. It does not need to go in all the nooks and crannies, just a bit in the center of the shapes.

7) Now add your hanger ( ribbon/twine) and make sure to push it well inside so that your finishing stitches will catch it. Pin in place and finish stitching around the rest of your shape.

8) Grab some sharp scissors ( these are my absolute favorite: I own 4 pair! Click here ) and trim around your fabric so that a small edge of burlap shows ( don't cut your hanger!!)

                                                                               ( back)

9) Repeat this process for all your shapes.

These are pretty cute, but you can embellish them if you like! You can add buttons, bows, jingle bells, and whatever else you can think of. Either stitch or glue these on with some hot glue. I decided to embellish half of mine:

( a little bow and button)

                                     ( some jingle bells)

( A little button eye. I stitched all mine by hand. The burlap hides the stitching very well and you can hardly see where I stitched)

And there you have 6 completed ornaments! 

These were so quick and easy and took just a few hours to put together. You can make these to decorate your tree, or attach them to a gift. 

Imagine getting together with your friends and having a little "make&take" afternoon. Or, if you are a teacher or (grand)parent you can use this idea with only paper as well. Use your imagination ;).

Here are some of the dies I used:

Jolly Medley die ( click)

Gingerbread Cookie die ( click)

Cardinal die ( click)

There are tons of other dies that would well also, such as the Christmas tree, deer head, and bear, just to name a few: https://tidd.ly/3JNYVuH (click)

I would suggest staying away from shapes that need to be "built" because they are going to be more complicated to work with, but you can of course do what you are comfortable with!

If you wanted to make these into gift tags, check out my tutorial on printing labels with your computer. Rather than labels, you can type up names and then fasten those for a fun and unique gift tag ( click here to see that post: https://myfarmhousequilts.blogspot.com/2026/07/making-simple-quilt-labels-using-your.html. 

I hope you have fun making some ornaments and of course ask questions if something is not clear.

Happy creating!

Monique