If you've been eyeing a pile of fabric scraps and wondering what to do with them before Christmas, this is the tutorial for you. I show how to make beautiful tree ornaments from almost nothing — old tablecloth offcuts, ribbon ends, lace scraps, a handful of beads — using a hot glue gun and a beading needle. They look genuinely lovely on a tree, cost next to nothing if you have a stash, and package up beautifully as gifts for teachers, co-workers, or anyone who'd appreciate something handmade.
What we cover
This tutorial walks through making fabric scrap Christmas ornaments from start to finish — forming the orb, wrapping it in decorative fabric, tying a perfect bow, gluing on a button center, and finishing with bead dangles. I also show how to package them as gifts and touch on selling them at Christmas markets.
What you'll learn
How to form the ornament base from fabric scraps — no sewing, no measuring, no cutting to shape beforehand. You grab a handful of scraps (ribbon offcuts, fabric bits, yarn ends, anything), bundle them inside a square of white cotton or tablecloth fabric, then wrap and knot it into a roughly round orb. It doesn't need to be perfect — the outer layer takes care of the look.
Why white fabric works best as the base layer — if you're using a sheer, lacy, or open-weave outer fabric, the white shows through beautifully. A colored base can muddy the effect. If your outer fabric is fully opaque, the base color doesn't matter at all.
How to attach the hanging cord so the knot stays hidden — you find the natural resting position of the orb first (put it down and see where it settles — that's your top), then thread the cord loop through the gathered fabric and pull the tail back through so the knot sits tucked inside, invisible.
How to choose and apply the outer decorative fabric, including:
- Using a single sheer or lacy fabric over the white base
- Layering two fabrics for a more elaborate look
- Trimming the outer fabric shorter at the front and longer at the back for a cleaner, more finished shape
- Avoiding heavy fabrics that sag — light or stiff fabrics hold their shape; heavy ones droop
How to tie a bow that sits flat and symmetrical — the key is in the first knot: the right-hand ribbon has to go down, not up. Get that wrong and the bow goes wonky, with tails pointing in different directions. I also show how to handle patterned ribbon — turning one loop so the printed side faces outward on all four sections, so you're not showing the blank reverse side anywhere.
How to center and glue a shank button — and why orientation matters if you're adding a hanging chain. Glue the shank vertically so the chain sits centered rather than off to one side. A small thing, but it makes a real difference.
How to string bead dangles with a beading needle — threading plastic or metal-look beads onto fine thread, leaving a small gap between the beads and the button before tying off, so the dangles hang freely rather than bunching up against the center.
How to package the finished ornaments as gifts — a small box, tissue paper, a few loose beads or a bit of ribbon inside, and one to three ornaments nestled in. Something someone can put on their tree this year and every year after.
Tips & gotchas
Use white fabric for your base layer when you can. With sheer or lacy outer fabrics, the white shows through the gaps and lifts the whole look. A colored base underneath the same fabric gives a much duller result — I tested this with a red base under a sparkly material and the difference was immediate.
Watch the weight of your outer fabric. Light fabrics — anything feathery, sheer, or with a bit of stiffness — sit beautifully and hold their shape around the orb. Heavy fabrics sag, and once they're glued down there's not much you can do about it. When in doubt, go lighter.
Before you attach the hanging cord, put the orb down on your desk and let it settle naturally. Where it rests is where the top should be — attach the cord there and it'll hang straight. Attach it at the wrong point and it'll always tilt to the side.
Trim the outer fabric shorter at the front and longer at the back. This happened by accident on one of my early ones and it looked so much better than the evenly trimmed version. The slight asymmetry just works.
When tying the first knot of a bow, the right-hand ribbon needs to go down after crossing over. Up gives you a wonky bow every time. I still have to think about it each time — you're not alone if you do too.
For patterned ribbon, make the loop on one side, then turn that loop so the printed side faces outward before you pull it through. Both loops end up showing the right side, and both tails do too. It takes a second of fiddling but the finished bow looks completely different.
If your ribbon has been sitting in a box and come out kinky and curled, a hair straightener fixed it instantly — I keep an old one in my craft room specifically for this. Test on a small piece first if the fabric is very delicate.
Glue the shank button with the shank sitting vertically, not horizontally. If you've threaded a short length of chain through the shank before gluing, a vertical shank lets the chain hang centered. Horizontal and it'll drift to one side.
Leave a small gap between the beads and the button when you finish stringing the dangles. If you pull the thread tight all the way to the button, the beads bunch and can't move. A little breathing room and they hang and catch the light properly.
These are a good reason to finally use those things. Packaged in a small box with tissue paper, three ornaments make a gift that feels genuinely considered, and costs almost nothing if you already have a stash. I think they'd be wonderful at a Christmas market too — hung from a white branch display, they stop people in their tracks.
