It has become somewhat of a tradition here at NomadeCrafts: here is this year’s Christmas ornaments collection! Whereas last year’s collection was centered around different baubles designs, this time we bring you a variety of shapes. Star, icicle, diamond or teardrop…choose your own adventure and adorn your Christmas tree with style and craftsmanship!
Ready to begin? Let’s dive into the materials you’ll need and the steps for creating each ornament!
Most initial steps to make each ornament are identical, thus we will use one of the options (namely option 2) as an example but the process will be the same for the other ornaments.
Since each ornament is stitched and assembled differently the stitching procedure for each one will be explained separately.
Print out the pattern corresponding to the option that you will be working on.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Securing the pieces of the pattern to the leather
Roughly cut around the shape(s) of the pattern and use masking tape to secure it to your piece of leather.
Punching the stitching holes
Use a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces.
Use a 3mm hole punch to punch the hole that will accommodate the swivel rivet.
Cutting-out the pieces of the project
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the ornament.
Skiving the pieces
Skive the areas marked on the pattern(s) in order to reduce the thickness of the leather to facilitate the final assembly.
No need to go too thin, aim to reduce the thickness by half.
Bevelling the pieces
For the diamond and the star (option 1 and 4), bevel all the edges on the rough side of each piece. This is also done to facilitate the assembly.
Creasing the pieces
Again for the diamond and the star (option 1 and 4), we need to create a crease in the middle of each piece and fold them at an angle.
Dip all the pieces (except the two small stars) in water.
Then use a creaser and a ruler to crease the center of each piece.
Finally fold each piece in half and open it at roughly 90 degrees angle for the diamond and 45 degrees for the star.
Dry thoroughly before progressing to the next step.
Painting the leather
Use the method of your choice to decorate your ornaments.
I used Angelus metallic leather paints. The diamond is painted with Rose Gold, the elongated oval with Sterling Silver and Silver alternatively (although the two colours ended up being indistinguishable), the teardrop with Pearlescent Gold and Gold alternatively and the star with Pearlescent Gold.
Assembly procedure for each ornament
Option 1 – Diamond
Start by stitching the the long edges of the 8 pieces making-up the top-half of the diamond together using a cross-stitch.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
I received feedback from some customers indicating that depending on the thickness or softness of the leather, screwing the swivel rivet directly on top could prove difficult. Thus, I added an optional piece that can be stitched on top and onto which the rivet can easily be set-up.
Stitch the bottom-half of the diamond just as you did for the top.
Then stitch the two halves together along their short edges.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 2 – Elongated Oval
Start by stitching the 6 slices of the ornament to the small disc that will accommodate the swivel-rivet using a regular saddle-stitch.
The rounded tips are stitched to the disc, not the pointy ones.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
Join the 6 pairs of opposite edges of the ornament together with a cross-stitch.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 6 faces at the end of the ornament in order to ensure a well shaped tip.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 3 – Teardrop
Start by stitching the 8 slices of the ornament to the small disc that will accommodate the swivel-rivet using a regular saddle-stitch.
The rounded tips are stitched to the disc, not the pointy ones.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
Join the 8 pairs of opposite edges of the ornament together with a cross-stitch.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 6 faces at the end of the ornament in order to ensure a well shaped tip.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 4 – Star
Start by stitching 5 of the wet-formed pieces to each other and to the small star at the center using a cross-stitch.
Repeat the process with the other side in order to obtain the two halves of the star ornament.
Stitch the two opposite halves together – again using a cross-stitch.
For one of the points of the star, go through the last chain’s link with your thread in order to secure it to the star.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 4 faces forming each points of the star in order to ensure a well-shaped point.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project:
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Tutorial
Making Christmas ornaments with leather
4 hours/ornament
Intermediate
Common for leathercraft
It has become somewhat of a tradition here at NomadeCrafts: here is this year’s Christmas ornaments collection! Whereas last year’s collection was centered around different baubles designs, this time we bring you a variety of shapes. Star, icicle, diamond or teardrop…choose your own adventure and adorn your Christmas tree with style and craftsmanship!
Ready to begin? Let’s dive into the materials you’ll need and the steps for creating each ornament!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
4 Hanging Leather Ornaments Patterns Pack
Walk-through
Most initial steps to make each ornament are identical, thus we will use one of the options (namely option 2) as an example but the process will be the same for the other ornaments.
Since each ornament is stitched and assembled differently the stitching procedure for each one will be explained separately.
Printing-out the pattern
You can get the patterns here if you haven’t already.
Print out the pattern corresponding to the option that you will be working on.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Securing the pieces of the pattern to the leather
Roughly cut around the shape(s) of the pattern and use masking tape to secure it to your piece of leather.
Punching the stitching holes
Use a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces.
Use a 3mm hole punch to punch the hole that will accommodate the swivel rivet.
Cutting-out the pieces of the project
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the ornament.
Skiving the pieces
Skive the areas marked on the pattern(s) in order to reduce the thickness of the leather to facilitate the final assembly.
No need to go too thin, aim to reduce the thickness by half.
Bevelling the pieces
For the diamond and the star (option 1 and 4), bevel all the edges on the rough side of each piece. This is also done to facilitate the assembly.
Creasing the pieces
Again for the diamond and the star (option 1 and 4), we need to create a crease in the middle of each piece and fold them at an angle.
Dip all the pieces (except the two small stars) in water.
Then use a creaser and a ruler to crease the center of each piece.
Finally fold each piece in half and open it at roughly 90 degrees angle for the diamond and 45 degrees for the star.
Dry thoroughly before progressing to the next step.
Painting the leather
Use the method of your choice to decorate your ornaments.
I used Angelus metallic leather paints. The diamond is painted with Rose Gold, the elongated oval with Sterling Silver and Silver alternatively (although the two colours ended up being indistinguishable), the teardrop with Pearlescent Gold and Gold alternatively and the star with Pearlescent Gold.
Assembly procedure for each ornament
Option 1 – Diamond
Start by stitching the the long edges of the 8 pieces making-up the top-half of the diamond together using a cross-stitch.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
I received feedback from some customers indicating that depending on the thickness or softness of the leather, screwing the swivel rivet directly on top could prove difficult. Thus, I added an optional piece that can be stitched on top and onto which the rivet can easily be set-up.
Stitch the bottom-half of the diamond just as you did for the top.
Then stitch the two halves together along their short edges.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 2 – Elongated Oval
Start by stitching the 6 slices of the ornament to the small disc that will accommodate the swivel-rivet using a regular saddle-stitch.
The rounded tips are stitched to the disc, not the pointy ones.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
Join the 6 pairs of opposite edges of the ornament together with a cross-stitch.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 6 faces at the end of the ornament in order to ensure a well shaped tip.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 3 – Teardrop
Start by stitching the 8 slices of the ornament to the small disc that will accommodate the swivel-rivet using a regular saddle-stitch.
The rounded tips are stitched to the disc, not the pointy ones.
Screw-on the swivel rivet.
Join the 8 pairs of opposite edges of the ornament together with a cross-stitch.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 6 faces at the end of the ornament in order to ensure a well shaped tip.
Finally add the hanging chain or cord to the swivel rivet’s O-ring.
Option 4 – Star
Start by stitching 5 of the wet-formed pieces to each other and to the small star at the center using a cross-stitch.
Repeat the process with the other side in order to obtain the two halves of the star ornament.
Stitch the two opposite halves together – again using a cross-stitch.
For one of the points of the star, go through the last chain’s link with your thread in order to secure it to the star.
Use a bit of contact cement inside the 4 faces forming each points of the star in order to ensure a well-shaped point.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project: