Christmas Charity Pattern ~ Advent Felt Christmas Decorations ~ Week 2

 

Welcome to week 2 of our #alittlehappysewalong to make a set of pretty felt Advent decorations using our Christmas Charity Pattern.  

Coronavirus has greatly impacted on ALL our lives this year and has without doubt effected us all in different ways, for many causing moments of anxiety and uncertainty.  For those already living with mental health problems, it has been a particularly difficult year.  With Christmas approaching, the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic will be ongoing.

I have always believed that having a needle and thread in my hands contributes enormously to my general well being.  With this in mind I have designed a pretty set of Christmas Advent Felt decorations.  On each of the four Sundays throughout Advent,  I will be sharing the instructions and templates on our blog (alittlehappyplace.blogspot.co.uk), to make 6 little decorations, 24 ornaments in total.  

The pattern is free, BUT if at all possible, on this occasion we are also asking you to make a small charity donation to MIND through our Just Giving page. So far we have raised an amazing £844... but please let's not stop, if you haven't donated already please give as much as you can... even £2 can make a difference! 

You can find the pattern for the first six decoration in last weeks post HERE, plus there is a list of supplies required and detailed instructions for how to stitch and finish the decorations.  So, without further ado, here's how I stitched this week's ornaments.  

LETS GETS STITCHING!

First, you will need to print off the week 2 template sheet, which you can do so HERE.

This week, we're going to make a bell, a little zinc house, a snowflake, a dala horse, a star and a bauble.  Below is a breakdown of the order in which I made each one, then complete, using the construction instructions from week 1.

BELL ~ First applique the bell shape.  Then, add in a contrasting colour little decorative Cross Stitches along the bottom.

ZINC HOUSE ~ First applique the house shape.  Then, add the windows, I added two decorative Straight Stitches in grey thread for the window panes. Finally add the heart and pop a little Cross Stitch in the centre.

SNOWFLAKE ~ Using the photo of the completed decoration as a guide, draw the lines on the snowflake circle using an erasable fabric marker (remember to do a test on some gash felt first).  Pin the circle to the background piece of felt.  Then rather than the usual Over Stitch to applique it to the background, instead stitch directly on top of the lines in a contrasting thread in a decorative stitch of choice, I used Fly Stitch.  Once appliqued, simply cut around the perimeter of the background felt of leaving a scant ¼” border of the background felt as normal, then, in addition carefully cut away the felt on the appliqued circle (not the background felt) either side of the stitches, taking care not to cut through the stitches. Complete the decoration as normal.

DALA HORSE ~ First applique the horse shape.  Then, add the mane and saddle.  Add the little heart on top of the saddle, with a decorative Cross Stitch at it's centre.  Followed by two long Straight Stitches for the bridle.  To complete add little Cross Stitches on each leg. 

STAR ~ First applique the main star shape, then add some decorative stitches in contrasting thread to the centre.  I made a a little star with Straight Stitches.

BAUBLE ~ First applique the bauble shape.  Then, add the heart to the centre.  I then added some decorative embroidery using a mix of Running Stitch and Cross Stitch.

That's it for week two, I hope that you enjoy stitching your second set of decorations.  Here's a recap of the schedule:

• Week 1 ~ Sunday 29th November 2020 CLICK HERE
• Week 2 ~ Sunday 6th December 2020
• Week 3 ~ Sunday 13th December 2020
• Week 4 ~ Sunday 20th December 2020

If you're sewing along and sharing on social media please use the hashtags:

#alittlehappysewalong or/and #prettyfabricsandtrims

Finally, please remember if you can, to make a donation, the smallest amount will make a huge to difference to someone in need.........

Very best wishes and happy stitches,

Sarah xo