Simple Felt Reindeer Ornaments
Last year we had fun with a “basic shapes” Felt Penguin Ornament… I thought I would replicate this and make another circle based ornament for the Christmas Tree.. this time: Simple Felt Reindeer Ornaments. Making Handmade Christmas Ornaments is one of my favourite things. They are great for kids too, as they are great Christmas Gifts for Kids to make.
We also made these little reindeer ornamens in order to join in with the annual Christmas Sew a Softie challenge! Crafters getting together to encourage “the world” to sew more! We love sewing. Woohoo!
For those who know my blog well…. you will know, that I have made a felt reindeer before – how cute is this little guy?! So you have a choice which reindeer to make today:
To make these Simple Reindeer Ornaments – you will need:
- felt in the desired colours, I used white, pink, brown and black*
- ribbon for hanging
- needle & thread
- scissors
- paper & pencil for template making
- something round to trace (in our case a tin can)
- glue/ hot glue gun (for the eyes and spots – alternatives below if you do not wish to use glue)
*for the eyes and the spots on the reindeer – you can have a look around what you have at home. Alternative ways to add these:
- Mini spilt pins (like our penguin ornaments)
- Have a go at French Knots (this could be adorable!)
- A little acrylic paint (certainly less fiddly than cutting tiny pieces of felt)
- buttons
Just experiment and work with what you have!
A printable pattern and worksheet instructions are now available in my Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s Store. You can also get a deal on the Penguin AND the Reindeer Patterns.
How to make a felt reindeer ornament
You can watch our handy Video Tutorial or…
..do check out the step by step process photos and written instructions.
Circle Reindeer Ornaments – Step by Step Instructions
Making your reindeer template
Begin by making your reindeer template! Trace TWO circles with your tin can/ glass.
Keep one circle “whole”.
Take the second circle and add “wings” – similar to ones you would add to an owl.
Add ears and draw some antlers.
- Cut out the whole circle.
- Cut one wing (you only need one as you will use it twice).
- Cut out the ear (but leave a little extra for sewing into the ornament).
- And cut out the antler (again, leave a litte extra)
Yes that is, you are MAINLY using 4 basic shapes. Later we will cut a tiny heart and some spots too, but you don’t need a template for this.
Cut out your reindeer shapes
Now use your homemade templates to cut:
- 2 white circles (you can make the back of the head pink if you wish. I made it white…. it is your call).
- 1 pink circle – use the wing template to cute out the sides of the face.
- 2 ears – use the “pink wings” you cut out for the ears, there should be enough felt for this
- 2 antlers
- 1 small brown heart nose
- 2 small black eyes
- 6 white spots (varying sizes).
Sewing on the face of your reindeer
Take one ear and the pink face and place in position on your white felt. The white circle, then the ear and then the pink face.
Sew along from the bottom of the ear, down to the nose.
Then sew back up from the nsoe to the second ear.
Use a simple running stitch to do this.
Sewing the head together
Now postition the antler next to ear and sew the ear and antler in place (using a running stitch).
Knot the ribbon and sew in place.
Add the second antler and sew the antler and the second ear in place.
Sew all the way around the outside of the face. Leaving a small gap.
Add stuffing to the gap.
Sew shut.
Final features to your felt reindeer ornament
Using a hot glue gun, glue the felt features in place. As they are small and fiddly, I found it easier to put the glue straight onto the reindeer’s head and then placing the details on top.
The felt reindeer ornaments are finished! Enjoy.
Looking for more free sewing projects for kids? Take a look at these: