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Introduction to Machine Embroidered Gingerbread Ornaments
The Birch Cottage takes you through a beginner-friendly, in-the-hoop felt ornament that’s festive and customizable. You’ll see a gingerbread body stitched on tan felt, a white felt name tag personalized with embroidery, and a secure ribbon loop for hanging. The result is an adorable keepsake you can replicate for family and friends.
Why choose embroidered felt ornaments?
- They’re lightweight and durable—great for trees, garlands, and gift wrapping.
- They stitch up fast, so you can make a whole set for the holidays.
- They’re personal: the name tag turns each ornament into a treasured token.
Overview of the project
- Hooped stabilizer establishes a stable base for clean stitching.
- A dieline shows you where to center your felt for accurate edges.
- A tackdown secures the felt; then decorative elements and lettering follow.
- A second felt square and ribbon form the back and hanger before you trim.
Pro tip Spray adhesive sparingly. A light, even mist holds felt flat without overspray buildup.
Gather Your Supplies and Embroidery Designs
Here’s what you’ll need on your worktable before you start.
Essential tools for success
- Embroidery machine with hoop
- Embroidery scissors and a pair of larger scissors
- Rotary cutter, acrylic ruler, self-healing mat for neat felt squares
- Spray adhesive (temporary fabric adhesive)
Felt, stabilizer, and thread choices
- Tan felt (front and back pieces)
- White felt for the name tag
- Cut-away stabilizer (hooped; later torn or trimmed close to the stitch line as shown)
- Embroidery thread in the colors called for by your design (or your own palette)
Where to find the designs and fonts
- Gingerbread ornament designs are available from Embroidery Library (the tutorial mentions a family pack and individual designs, including brother, sister, mother, father, dog, and cat options).
- The Tall Tale font for the names is from Designs by JuJu.
Watch out Prepare two 4-inch tan felt squares per ornament. Consistency here makes placement and trimming predictable.
Quick check Before stitching, confirm your file choices are loaded: the gingerbread ornament design and the name font, sized appropriately for your tag. embroidery machine for beginners
Step-by-Step Embroidery Process
Hooping and dielines: the foundation 1) Hoop your cut-away stabilizer so it’s smooth and taut in the frame.
2) Load the gingerbread design into your machine. Start the first pass to stitch the placement dieline on the stabilizer.
Why the dieline matters: It’s your exact placement guide for the felt, helping you nail symmetrical edges and a professional finish.
Attaching felt pieces with precision 3) Lightly spray the back of a 4-inch tan felt square with adhesive.
4) Center the felt over the stitched dieline and press it down well; flip to the back of the hoop to check alignment if needed.
5) Re-load the hoop and run the tackdown step to secure the felt and outline the gingerbread shape.
Pro tip Don’t pre-cut the ornament shape before stitching—it’s tougher to align precisely. Sticking with the 4-inch square makes centering simple.
Watch out If your stabilizer sags, your outlines can wander. Re-hoop until the stabilizer is drum-tight.
Quick check Follow your color change sheet. When it’s time to stitch the name tag dieline, switch to the thread color you want for that outline.
From the comments No public questions or answers were available to summarize at the time of writing. If you have a question, consider leaving a comment on the original video so others can benefit from the reply.
Personalizing Your Gingerbread Ornament
Embroidering names with the Tall Tale font
- The tutorial uses the Tall Tale font from Designs by JuJu for personalization.
- After stitching the name tag dieline on the tan felt, remove the hoop and lightly spray the white felt for the tag.
- Place the white felt square over the rectangular dieline and press to adhere.
- Re-load the hoop and run the tackdown for the tag, then stitch the name itself.
Pro tip Trim jump threads as you go. Clearing them early helps prevent accidental lock-in under subsequent stitches and keeps lettering crisp.
Adding festive details - Continue through your design’s color changes. This tutorial shows white outline accents and characteristic gingerbread details being added.
- The machine display may show multiple steps; simply follow through each color change and element.
Quick check Confirm you’ve completed all decorative passes before attaching the back felt and ribbon.
Sidebar thought This video doesn’t cover accessory alternatives, but some stitchers research different hooping systems across brands. If you’re exploring that topic separately, make sure you’re searching terms relevant to your machine (example: magnetic embroidery hoops). janome embroidery machine
Finishing Touches: Ribbon and Trimming
How to secure your hanger
- Remove the hoop from the machine.
- Fold an 8-inch length of 3/8-inch grosgrain ribbon in half; keep one tail slightly longer. This helps both ends engage the sprayed felt.
- Lightly spray the second tan felt square.
- Position the ribbon so both raw ends rest on the adhesive side that will face the back of the ornament.
- Carefully center and press the back felt (with ribbon ends) onto the back of the hooped design, aligning it with the front felt.
- Re-load the hoop and stitch the final outline. This final pass encloses the ribbon and secures the back felt to the ornament.
Achieving a professional edge - Remove the hoop and carefully tear away the excess stabilizer around the outline (as shown in the tutorial’s finish).
- With small embroidery scissors, trim the felt close to the stitching. Take small snips and angle the tips away from the thread line to avoid accidental cuts.
Watch out Cutting too close can nick your outline stitches; too far and the edge looks bulky. Aim for a neat, consistent reveal. embroidery hoop machine
Quick check Give the ribbon a gentle tug. It should feel fully enclosed by the final outline stitching.
Pro tip If your corners or tight curves feel tricky, rotate the ornament as you trim and use the very tips of your scissors. Patience shows in the final edge.
Displaying Your Adorable Handmade Creations
Creative ways to use your ornaments
- Dress up gift bags and wrapped presents with a personalized gingerbread tag.
- String a mini garland for a mantle or shelf.
- Mix and match “family pack” characters for a set—brother, sister, mother, father, plus pet designs like dog and cat.
Gift ideas for the holidays
- Make a yearly ornament with the recipient’s name.
- Create matching sets for households or siblings.
- Personalize teacher gifts with class or family names.
Final look Multiple finished ornaments show how consistently this method turns out tidy, cheerful results you’ll be proud to gift or hang.
From the maker’s table
- Designs: Embroidery Library (family and individual gingerbread designs)
- Font: Tall Tale by Designs by JuJu
- Materials summary: tan felt, white felt (name tag), cut-away stabilizer, embroidery thread, 3/8-inch grosgrain ribbon, spray adhesive
- Tools summary: embroidery machine and hoop, embroidery scissors, larger scissors, rotary cutter, acrylic ruler, self-healing mat, optional seam ripper
Notes on machine and setup The tutorial references a machine display indicating “Step 1 of 10,” and proceeds through color changes, tackdowns, decorative elements, and a final outline that encloses the ribbon loop. Keep your color change sheet handy and trim jump threads as you go for the cleanest finish. machine embroidery hoops
Troubleshooting checklist
- Felt edges misaligned: Re-hoop stabilizer, re-center the felt over the dieline, and ensure the adhesive is sufficient for a flat hold.
- Lettering off-center: Verify the white felt fully covers the name tag dieline and that the hoop hasn’t shifted.
- Ribbon not captured: Make sure both ribbon ends sit well below the top stitch line before running the final outline.
Beyond this project While the video keeps to felt, dielines, and a standard hoop workflow, many embroiderers later explore accessories that suit their own machines or preferences. If you’re researching separately from this tutorial, you might encounter terms such as magnetic hoops for embroidery machines or brand-focused queries like brother embroidery machine. This project doesn’t require those; they’re simply examples of what you may see in broader embroidery discussions.
Keep learning
- Practice with scrap felt to test color combinations and name sizing.
- Batch your process: cut all 4-inch squares, then stitch dielines for several hoops in a row to speed up production.
- Label your thread spools by step in the color change sheet to avoid mix-ups mid-stitch. embroidery sewing machine
Happy stitching—and may your holiday makes be sweet, simple, and full of cheer.
Resource note This article focuses on the exact approach shown in the tutorial. It doesn’t cover other hooping systems or machine-specific accessories. If you’re comparing equipment on your own time, search responsibly and verify compatibility before purchasing. magnetic embroidery hoop best embroidery machine for beginners