Instructions

Making the Circular Backgrounds

1. Using your favorite transfer method, transfer the Four Season designs to the front of the white fabric. Leave 1⁄2" (1.3 cm) of extra fabric around each circle, for seam allowances. Don’t cut out the circles yet.
2. Place the fabric with the circles on a soft surface, such as a piece of fabric folded into several layers. Working on the right side of the fabric, lightly color inside each circle with the crayons. Use more than one color to blend an area from light to dark. Use light orange and yellow for the sun; green, light green, light pink, and salmon for the flower; and light orange and red orange for the leaf. The fabric for the snowflake design has only one color, light blue, which fades out from the center. Leave the central star of the snowflake white. Don’t press too hard with the crayons. You can add more color after step 3, if you want darker motifs.

Setting the Color

3. Place the colored fabric between the pieces of paper and press with a very hot iron. This sets the color. Any extra wax from the crayons will bleed into the paper. If you want the color to be darker, lightly color over the areas again when the fabric has cooled, and then press again.

Embroidering the Designs

4. Embroider the designs. Don’t embroider the outer circles yet.
5. Use pinking shears to cut out each circle 1⁄2" (1.3 cm) away from the outermost circular design line for each ornament.

Finishing Touches

6. Cut a 5" (12.7 cm) length of ribbon for each ornament. Pull each length of ribbon through four of the pony beads. Using white sewing thread, sew both ends of a ribbon to the top of each ornament, on the back of the white fabric.
7. Line up the plain or patterned or color fabric circle against each embroidered circle with right sides facing out. Pin each pair together.
8. Using Straight Stitches and the color noted on each design, join the back and front of a pair by sewing three-quarters of the way around, 1⁄2" (1.3 cm) from the matched edges. Don’t end the stitching. Tuck a small amount of polyester fiberfill inside and then finish sewing the circles together. You can start and end your floss with knots, hiding them between the two layers of fabric so that they don’t show.