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Dresden Charm Ornament Tutorial

Dresden Charm Ornament Tutorial

Do you ever buy a new craft tool, make a few things that it was intended to make and then think, “Hmmm, that’s cool. Now what else can I make with this?”

That’s how these Dresden Charm Ornaments came about. After I bought a small Dresden quilt ruler I made a Dresden plate quilt block and then used it to frame my April Showers Embroidery Pattern which in turn became a pretty spring pillow cover.

The ruler sat on the shelf beside my sewing machine and every time I looked at it I thought, “Are making Dresden plate blocks all that ruler is good for?”

So I did some experimenting and after a couple of projects that looked so odd they ended up in the scrap bin and one other project that I’m still playing with, the Dresden Charm Ornament was created.

Dresden in the name is obvious and charm comes from the fact that they’re made using 5″ charm squares.

Want a downloadable copy of this tutorial complete with the patterns? The PDF can be purchased in my shop for $5.00.

Welcome to Day 6 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

Graphic for the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop

We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

If you haven’t had a chance to check out all the other DIY Christmas Ideas I’ve shared click the links below:

Day 1: How to Make a Christmas Wreath Kit featuring an adorable Hedgehog Wreath

Day 2: Quilted Hourglass Candle Mat Tutorial

Day 3: Ring in the Holly Days Advent Calendar Tutorial

Day 4: Christmas Button Lace Ornament Tutorial

Day 5: Delicious Mini Puff Pastry Cone Appetizers

Day 6: You are here. 🙂

Day 7: How to Make a Christmas Floral Arrangment

Day 8: How to Make a Mason Jar Embroidery Kit

Day 9: Christmas Furoshiki (Japanese Fabric Wrapping)

Day 10: Poke and Push Fabric Christmas Trees Tutorial

Day 11: Mini Spiced Orange Buttercream Bundt Cakes

Day 12: DIY Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas

 

It’s Day 6 and we are sharing DIY Ornament Ideas!


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Dresden Charm Ornament Tutorial

 

Materials needed to make one Dresden Charm Ornament:

You’ll also need an 8″ Dresden quilt ruler

 

 

Choose two squares from the charm pack or cut two 5″ squares from your stash.

Cut two 5″ squares of interfacing.

Two charm squares and interfacing for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of both fabric squares.

Fuse the interfacing to the charm square for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Place the Dresden ruler on the fabric square, lining up the 6″ mark at the bottom as pictured below and cut along both sides.

Cutting the Dresden blade for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Flip the fabric around and cut another Dresden blade.

Second Dresden blade being cut for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Repeat with the second square of fabric.

You’ll have 4 Dresden blades.

Four Dresden blades for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Fold the blades in half lengthwise. Sew the ends, sewing from the edge towards the fold using a ¼” seam allowance.

Sewing the ends of the Dresden blade for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Sew the other end in the same manner.

The blades will look like tiny boats.

Both ends of the Dresden blades sewn for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Trim the corners on the diagonal to reduce bulk.

Clipped end of the Dresden blade for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Finger press the seams opens.

Seam finger pressed open for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Turn the corners right side out. Use a point turner to create a nice sharp point on the Dresden blade.

Pointed end of a Dresden blade for the Dresden Charm Ornament

The Dresden blades should look like this.

Four half finished Dresden blades for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Fold in half and very lightly make a crease to use as a reference. This is just a light crease, not a sharp one.

Gently crease the Dresden blade in half

Line up the seam with the crease. Press well.

Making the point on the blade for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Repeat for all ends of the Dresden blades.

Flip them over and press on the right side to remove any trace of the crease that was made. You now have four double pointed Dresden blades.

Four finished Dresden blades for the Dresden Charm Ornaments

Pin two opposite color Dresden blades together and sew using a ¼” seam.

Pinning two of the Dresden blades together for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Repeat for the two remaining Dresden blades.

Sew those sets together. Press all seams open.

Four Dresden blades sewn together for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Pin right sides together and sew the fourth seam to form a tube.

To press that fourth seam open, roll up a facecloth or small rag and insert into the tube.

Pressing the Dresden blade tube for the Dresden Charm Ornament

The tube should look like the one pictured below.

Dresden tube for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Fold the larger points wrong sides together. Sew using a ladder stitch (aka invisible stitch.) Stitch towards the point.

Stitching the ends of the Dresden blades for the Dresden Charm Ornament

Make a small slip stitch in the point as shown.

Slip stitch in the end of the Dresden Charm Ornament

Fold the next blade point against the one just stitched and sew those two edges together.

Continuing to Sew the point of the Dresden Charm Ornament

Repeat until all edges are sewn together as shown below.

Bottom of the Dresden Charm Ornament

Stuff the Dresden Charm Ornament with polyester filling.

Stuffing the Dresden Charm Ornament

Sew the top in the same manner as the bottom.

When you get to the last seam, if the ornament needs more filling, add more before closing the seam.

Using surgical clamps to stuff the Dresden Charm Ornament

A surgical clamp makes it easier to add little bits of fill through that small opening.

Extra stuffing being put in top of the Dresden Charm Ornament

Sew the last seam.

To make the hanger for the ornament, cut three 15″ lengths of embroidery floss. For this ornament, I used white, red and green.

Braid the floss. Find the center point of the braided floss and attach it to the center top of the ornament with regular thread, sewing through the braid several times.

Attaching the braided floss to the top of the Dresden Charm Ornament

Tie a knot in the braid right at the top of the ornament. Then tie another knot to make a 3 to 4 inch hanging loop.

If desired, thread the end of the braided floss through a button and knot in back of the button. Add a small drop of hi tack glue and allow to dry. This will keep the knot from coming undone.

The Dresden Charm Ornament is ready to hang.

Green holly Dresden Charm Ornament

These Dresden Charm Ornaments are a great way to use up scraps of fabric. They could be made in so many different combinations of fabrics.

Red and Black Dresden Charm Ornament

I’m hoping to have time to make several more of these before Christmas to add to our collection of handmade ornaments and those of our children.

Two finished Dresden Charm Ornament

A green holly Dresden Charm Ornament and a black and red one

I hope you’ll give them a try. They really are fun to make!

If you make some of these Dresden Charm Ornaments, please do post about it somewhere on line and tag me so I can come see. I’m @supermomnocape on Instragram, @1SuperMomNoCape on Twitter and @1SuperMomNoCape on Facebook.

Please feel free to follow me on any or all of the above social media.

Want a downloadable copy of this tutorial complete with the patterns? The PDF can be purchased in my shop for $5.00.

Click the link below to add to your cart and then click checkout:

 

Scroll down for many more DIY Ornament Ideas for your holiday season!

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11 Comments

  • Erlene
    December 5, 2018 7:31 am

    I like these! I can see this being a great way to use up fabric scraps. I’m wondering if you pack the stuffing in if this could be used as a pin cushion too?

  • Susan Shaw
    December 2, 2018 10:23 pm

    What a great way to make an ornament! I had not seen anything like this at all. Thanks for a great tutorial!

  • Jenny
    December 2, 2018 9:46 am

    The fabric is very pretty & looks beautiful!

  • Wanda Simone
    December 1, 2018 11:25 am

    What a creative way to use a Dresden ruler 🙂 Your ornaments look so pretty!

  • lexi@that fit fam
    December 1, 2018 11:07 am

    these turned out so cute! great tutorial!

  • Beverly
    December 1, 2018 9:30 am

    These are so pretty and unique. The tutorial is great, too.

  • Leanna
    December 1, 2018 12:35 am

    Oh my, these are lovely and what a great tutorial. I was intrigued by the title as I had no idea what a Dresden was. You’re educating me, talented lady. Pinning to try

  • Marie InteriorFrugalista
    November 30, 2018 1:43 pm

    Oh wow! These are absolutely beautiful. Did you sew them on an old Singer sewing machine too?

  • Rachel
    November 30, 2018 11:57 am

    They are very sweet. And if you weighted them, they could become pattern weights or paperweights…!

  • Stephanie A. Drake
    November 30, 2018 11:09 am

    So cute, how about a small bell senw on the bottom?!

  • Mary
    November 30, 2018 10:12 am

    Those are really cute. There have been so many great ideas.

Comments are closed.