My quilting group decided to do Christmas in July for this month’s meeting.  We’ve made many, many quilts for missionaries and charity, but sometimes we just stop and do a little fun project for ourselves.  On Saturday we’ll be making these:

Since I was prepping what we’d need, I thought I’d share the steps with you.  Here is where you can find a pdf with the snowman ornament patterns.

You’ll need:

• scraps of white fabric for the snowmen (If I figured correctly, you’ll get about 10 snowmen from a single fat quarter.)
• scraps of fabric for the hat (2.5″ x 4″) and scarf (1″ x 9″)
• hand sewing needle and thread
• small amount of orange oven bake clay (Fimo, Sculpey) for nose
• small black beads or black oven bake clay for eyes and mouth
• hot glue
• tacky glue
• toothpick
• tweezers

From the white fabric cut one 4″ circle and one 3.5″ circle.

Thread a needle with white thread.  Turning under a 1/8″ inch seam allowance as you go, make large running stitches close to folded edge.

When you get back to where you started pull up gathers and flatten yo-yo so hole is in the center.  Tie off thread ends in a square knot and cut off excess thread.

Hint:  When tying your knot use a surgeon’s square knot, which simply means to make the first wrap (right over left) twice, then pull tight.  This holds everything in place while you make the second wrap (left over right.)

Repeat to make second yo-yo.

Make hat:

Fold 4″ x 2.5″ rectangle in half, meeting shorter edges.  Sew a 1/4″ seam along these edges, backstitching at beginning and end.

Finger press seam open and turn this tube right side out.

Turn one raw edge up 1/4″.

And turn up again 1/4″ to make hat brim.

Thread a needle with thread to match the hat fabric and gather remaining raw edge 1/4″ from edge.

Pull gathers tight and tie off.

Hot glue hat to small yo-yo and glue small yo-yo over large yo-yo.

Tie scarf around snowman’s neck, using a pin to fringe the ends.  Hot glue down the ends, if desired.

To make the carrot nose pinch off a piece of oven bake clay about the size of a small pea.  Roll it into a 1/4″ ball.

Using one finger, roll it on your work surface, applying more pressure to one side than the other.  This will shape it into a cone.

Use the side of a needle to mark your “carrot” to make it more realistic.

Bake according to manufacturer’s directions.  (Ten minutes at 250° F worked fine for me.) By the way, when using oven bake clay, never use utensils that you will be using with food.  Parchment paper here protects the baking sheet and keeps the clay from becoming shiny.

I made a bunch, figuring it’s easier to make more than I need now, rather than have to turn on the oven later to make just one. 

While the baking sheet with all these itty bitty carrots was cooling on the counter my huband saw them and thought they were something I’d picked from the garden.  Bwahahaha!

For the eyes and mouth you can use small black beads (mine are 3mm) or make small black balls out of oven bake clay.  You can also make french knots with embroidery floss, or just draw on the face with a marker.

If gluing on the eyes and mouth, I suggest you apply tiny dots of tacky glue with a toothpick, then use tweezers to place your beads exactly where you want them.

Use tacky glue to attach the nose.

Warning:  If you use hot glue to attach the nose, then decide you don’t like the gob of hot glue that oozed out and try to pick if off, you WILL break the nose.  Just sayin’.

Isn’t he cute?

Now you can add some twine or ribbon to make an ornament, glue on a bamboo stick or some wire to make a plant poke, add him to a card… whatever you want.

Just make sure to have fun!

Happy Christmas in July.  🙂

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