Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere to share the ups and downs of starting a craft business, with plenty of tips, mishaps and the odd glass of wine!

Monday 18 November 2013

DIY Tutorial - How to Make Christmas Felt Gift Tags

Today I'm taking part in a Christmas Tutorial Link Up, hosted by the lovely Laura of the fab Bugs & Fishes blog.

Perfect timing as I was just about to create a new tutorial for you guys after the wonderful response I had to the Pirate Sword Tutorial and the Pirate Eye Patch Tutorial from September.

I decided to make a tutorial with plenty of scope for imagination and alterations, so I've gone for reusable felt gift tags for your Christmas presents. The one I'm sharing the step-by-step photos for could also be a Christmas Tree decoration and would look very tasty nestled amongst the greenery and twinkling lights!



To make 1 Gingerbread Man Felt Gift Tag

You will need:

- 2 pieces of pale brown felt 10cm x 15cm (4" x 6")
- 1 piece of white felt approx. 9cm x 5cm (3.5" x 2")
- 1 piece of ribbon 30cm long (12")
- 3 buttons or sequins
- 2 strand thickness of each of the following embroidery threads: Black, Pale Brown & Green
- Small length of white thread (for sewing on white felt name piece)
- Water Soluble Vanishing Fabric Marker Pen
- Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter
- Needle, scissors, pins


Directions

Step 1: Draw round your gingerbread cookie cutter onto one of the pieces of pale brown felt using the water soluble pen. Pin both pieces of pale brown felt together and cut out two gingerbread men


Step 2: Take the top gingerbread man and draw a smile and two eyes using the vanishing pen and embroider using your black embroidery thread. For the smile using a simple back stitch and for the eyes a double french knot for each eye should make them in proportion with the head. (For instructions on how to do a French Knot - click here)


Then embroider the front of this gingerbread man piece with the three buttons or sequins:


Step 3:

Cut your piece of white felt so that it will fit comfortably onto the back piece of your gingerbread man:


Then, using your water soluble pen, write out the name you want to embroider onto the white felt:


Then using your green thread, sew over the writing working from left to right, don't worry if the purple writing is still visible underneath the thread, it will fade and completely disappear within a few hours.


Step 4:

Sew the white name piece onto the back piece of your gingerbread man, using the white thread and a simple running stitch:


Step 5:

Fold the ribbon in half and sew the folded part to the inside back piece of your gingerbread man, using the pale brown embroidery thread:


Then pin the front and back pieces of the gingerbread man together and using a blanket stitch, sew all the way round your gingerbread man, until he look like this:


Well done!!

You can then tie your gift tag to a present, if you are using ribbon round the gift... or if not, you can use scotch tape or washi tape on the ribbon, which will be easily removed after the gift has been opened, so the tag can be hung on the Christmas Tree and then reused next year:




I've also made up a couple of other gift tags, all using different cookie cutters as the templates:



I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial - these are such fun little personalised touches that will make your Christmas gifts stand out. I'd love to see any that you make - I'm just putting together a post with the various Pirate Swords pics that have been sent to me by lovely readers and would be really pleased to be able to include some handmade gift tags too.

There will be another Christmas Tutorial coming your way, but through the Uniquely UK website, so keep your eyes peeled there, although I will of course link it from here.

Please feel to make as many of these as you like for personal use, but I would ask that you don't sell the finished items. Please do not reproduce any or all of the tutorial, without linking back to here.

To find the rest of the amazing tutorials that have been shared through this link up, click here.

12 comments:

  1. What a brilliant idea to make Christmas presents that bit more special. I love the idea of tags that appear every year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Wendy - I think it'll definitely become a tradition in our house :-)

      Delete
  2. aww these are gorgeous! a fantastic idea, i'm tempted to have a go at some of these for my pressies this year :) x

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely idea and so cute too! will keep my granddaughter busy making these.
    something special to make her gifts sparkle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a clever idea! I plan on making some for my little grandson's Christmas package. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fabulous idea, I can imagine they'll be very popular.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great tutorial. Each year you could create something new to add to the collection xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. all cute!!!!
    thank you for sharing, xxxxx Ale

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cute tutorial... thank you for sharing!
    Sara x
    www.CraftsofTexture.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your gingerbread men are adorable Simmi! His little smile made me smile, I don't care how corny that may sound. Such a cute project for a gift tag. Deffo going to make one for my niece this year!

    xx A

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow what a nice post i am really so inspired here keep conitnue sharing.
    Thanks



    Bands Improve

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow nice article about how to create homemade christmas presents, i will definitely use it for gifting my kid,

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate all comments made on the blog (it reminds me that I'm not talking to myself!) so just wanted to say thanks for adding your thoughts. Simmi x

Sharing Buttons