If you are experiencing a holiday season for the first time this year without a loved one, a Clothing Memory Christmas Ornament is a great way to remember your loved one and bring a piece of their presence into your holiday celebrations.
My mother-in-law passed away almost three years ago, and moments like decorating a Christmas tree, her loss feels very near. In the final weeks of her life, I started researching ways to create things – whether physical or experiences that could help us remember her and keep her memory alive for our young children.
One of the things I saw over and over was to make Christmas ornaments out of your loved one’s clothing, specifically many uses for flannel shirts or blouses.
So, the year after she passed, I pulled some Christmas shirts from her closet and sewed ornaments for friends and family. Here, two Christmases later, they are still very special ornaments we see throughout the holiday season. And, because I didn’t wash them, they still carried a faint scent of her perfume.
While these directions mostly use a sewing machine, you could create them with a hot glue gun.
Plaid Shirt Memory Christmas Ornament
There are two methods to create this ornament. I’ll list directions for both below:
- Sew and Smash Felt
- Sew, Reverse and Stuff
SEW, AND SMASH FELT
- Supplies Needed: 2 circles of shirt fabric, one circle of felt, 5-inch length of ribbon (½ to 1 inch wide), thread, rick rack, hot glue gun, glue sticks, t-shirt paint
- Trace circle(s) on the backside (inside) of the shirt fabric. Choose a flat section of the shirt, avoiding seams, buttons, or snaps. I would suggest using a coaster or small bowl, but you want this to be about 4-5-inches.
- Cut out the circle using pinking shears. If you can cut two at a time, it will look better because the cut on the edges will line up.
- Trace one circle felt in coordinating color.
- Cut felt is just inside the traced line, so it is a tiny bit smaller than the edge of the fabric circle.
- Lay the fabrics like a sandwich – shirt fabric with “outside” facing down, felt, shirt fabric with “outside” facing up.
- Fold the ribbon in half with the ends together and tuck the ends between the bottom fabric and the felt. Pin it in place.
- Place 4 other pins in the edges of the fabrics to hold them in place while you sew.
- Pick a starting place and sew a straight stitch or slight zig-zag around the circle, placing the footer around the circle’s edge as you go.
- Make sure to do two stitches at the beginning and end of your circle to reinforce the stitch.
- Trim the threads
- Repeat for all the circles you cut.
- Using a hot glue gun, apply the rick rack in a circle on the “top” side of the ornament. (Note: yes, you could sew this on before you assemble the ornament; it’s just a personal preference to glue it).
- Add a phrase, name, monogram, design, or message on the top inside the circle using t-shirt paint.
- Set aside to air dry for at least 24 hours before doing anything else with the ornament.
- You can hang these on the tree or include them in your Christmas card for loved ones.
SEW, REVERSE, STUFF
The methods are simple. It is just a preference to “poofy” or quilted.
- Supplies Needed: 2 circles of shirt fabric, pillow batting/stuffing, 5-inch length of ribbon (½ to 1 inch wide), thread, rick rack, hot glue gun, glue sticks, t-shirt paint
- Trace circle(s) on the backside (inside) of the shirt fabric. Choose a flat section of the shirt, avoiding seams, buttons, or snaps. I suggest using a coaster or small bowl, but you want this to be about 4-5-inches.
- If you can cut two at a time, it will look better because the cut on the edges will line up. Since the edges will be on the inside when you flip them, it does not matter if you use pinking sheers or fabric scissors.
- If you want a design on the top/outside of your ornament, you should take the time right now and make those adornments before you do any sewing.
- Using a hot glue gun, apply the rick rack in a circle on the “top” side of the ornament. (Note: yes, you could sew this on before you assemble the ornament; it’s just a personal preference to glue it).
- Add a phrase, name, monogram, design, or message on the top inside the circle using t-shirt paint.
- Set aside to air dry for at least 24 hours before doing anything else with the ornament. If you are doing this before you start the sewing process, you may want to give it 48 hours to ensure it is completely dry before the “outside” of the fabrics are smashed together.
- Lay the fabric “face” (outside) together.
- Fold the ribbon in half with the ends together and tuck inside the circle with the loop in the middle and the “ends” caught with the circle’s edge.
- Pin it in place.
- Place 4 other pins in the edges of the fabrics to hold them in place while you sew.
- Pick a starting place, right before the pin in the ribbon (so you “catch” it early), and sew a straight stitch or slight zig-zag around the circle, placing the footer around the edge of the circle as you go.
- Leave a 1-inch (or so) hole before completing the circle so you have a place to stuff the fabric.
- Make sure to do two stitches at the beginning and end of your circle to reinforce the stitch.
- Trim the threads
- Repeat for all the circles you cut.
- NOW YOU HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE. – what do you want this to look like finished? If you want rick rack and words or a design on the top, consider doing that BEFORE you do any sewing. So that is already done and does not bleed through once you have the pieces sewn together.
- Reverse the fabric by pushing it through the hole to where all the insides are insides and the outside is outside. It would help if you run your finger around the seam on the inside and push it out flush to the edge. Some may find it easy to iron the fabric flat at this point, but that is optional.
- Pinch a small piece of batting and stuff it inside the opening. Repeat with other pieces until you get the “fluffiness” you desire.
- You can sew the opening closed or use a hot glue gun to close the opening.
- You can hang these on the tree or include them in your Christmas card for loved ones.
Alternative ideas:
- Instead of sewing the circle, hot glue it, backside to backside, and leave a small hole to add some stuffing. After you stuff it, hot glue the hole closed. You will want to use pinking sheers to cut the edges and a thicker fabric that will not fray.
- Like the reverse and stuff method, hot glue the edges together and leave an opening, then reverse it and follow the steps above.
- Use jeans instead of shirts. While this will make for a very stiff ornament, it will be durable, and you don’t have to worry as much about the edges fraying. Get creative with the options here: sew them with cut edges and fray them. Then wash them and watch the fringe form. I do not suggest sewing them and flipping them to stuff them. I just think it will be too thick, but you could try. Also, be prepared to get a needle made for sewing denim.
I hope you find these a sweet way to remember a loved one or share a gift for a friend during this holiday season.
