Bring holiday cheer to your tree with a charming, needle-felted gingerbread house ornament. This easy DIY project is perfect for adding a handmade touch to your Christmas decorations. Follow these simple steps to craft your very own heirloom ornament this holiday season:
@hgtvcanada Tis the season for festive DIY ornaments 🤩✨🎄 @Courtney Naray #DIY #ornaments #christmas #holidays #festive #decoration
♬ We Wish You a Merry Christmas – Alexander Smith & Mark Fabian & Richard Kimmings
Materials Required:
- Wool roving in brown, white, green & red
- Felting needle
- Felting pad
- Scissors
- Silver thread
- Embroidery needle
- Ribbon
Step 1: Prepare the Base Shape
Start by shaping the main body of the gingerbread house. Take a handful of brown wool roving and form it into a rectangle. Place the shape on your felting pad and use your felting needle to repeatedly poke the wool, compressing the fibers until the rectangle becomes firm and holds its shape. Rotate the piece as you work to ensure even felting on all sides.
Step 2: Create the Roof
To make the roof, pull apart a smaller amount of brown wool roving and shape it into a triangle. Attach the triangle to the top of the rectangular base by layering the fibers together and felting them into place with your needle. Continue poking around the edges and surface to secure the roof and smooth out the connections.
Step 3: Add the Details
White details bring the gingerbread house to life! Take a small amount of white wool roving and gently form it into shapes for the doors and windows. Use your needle to secure the fibers and create defined shapes. Then, take some thin strips for the roof’s snow. Lay the strips along the edges of the roof and felt them down. For extra texture, you can add a few wavy lines to mimic icicles.
Step 4: Add More Details
Enhance the ornament’s charm by adding intricate details to the windows and doors. Use metallic embroidery thread and an embroidery needle to stitch outlines, frames or decorative patterns. This step adds sparkle and highlights to your gingerbread house.
Step 5: Make a Felted Wreath
Add a festive wreath to your gingerbread house. Use green wool roving to create a small circular shape. Felt it tightly to maintain its form, then use red wool roving to fashion a tiny bow. Attach the bow to the top of the wreath by felting it into place. Secure the wreath to the front of the house by felting it onto your desired spot.
Step 6: Attach the Hanging Loop
Cut a piece of ribbon approximately eight inches long. Use your embroidery thread to attach it to the top of the gingerbread house, just behind the roof’s peak.
Your needle-felted gingerbread house ornament is now complete! Hang it on your Christmas tree, gift it to a loved one or use it as a festive embellishment on holiday gifts.
