Paper Pieced Santa Pattern

I was given this ornament as a gift and at the request of friends I have made a pattern so that he could be constructed using paper piecing. You can download or see it here.

If you are familiar with paper piecing the picture and the pattern should be all you need to build a Santa ornament of your own.

If not...

There is a nice tutorial about paper piecing at Quilter's Cache. And another at BellaOnline.

To download a pdf of the following instructions click here.

This Santa requires:

A - white fabric *
B - peach fabric
C - white fabric
D - red print
backing - same red print fabric
Two black beads for eyes
One red pompom for nose
Jingle bell

* One of my friends found that on her ornaments she could see a hint of the red background fabric through Santa's beard. Based on this she suggests that before you begin you lay your chosen white fabric on your background fabric. If the background colour shows through she suggests that you add some interfacing to your ornament. She applied iron on interfacing to the backside of Santa's beard.

Print pattern and trace it onto paper suitable for paper piecing.

1. Place white fabric to cover area A on backside of paper pattern. (Right side up.) Remember to leave some fabric above line for seam allowance.
2. Place peach fabric scrap right side down on top edge of white fabric and pin. (Or use tape.)
3. Flip over and machine sew, with tiny stitches, along line between A and B. Trim seam to 1/4 inch.
4. Fold peach fabric up. Press or finger press.
5. Place white fabric scrap right side down on peach fabric and pin.
6. Flip over and machine sew, with tiny stitches, along line between B and C. Trim seam to 1/4 inch.
7. Fold white fabric up. Press or finger press.
8. Place red fabric right side down on white fabric and pin.
9. Flip over and machine sew, with tiny stitches, along line between C and D. Trim seam to 1/4 inch.
10. Fold up red fabric. Press or finger press. Sew on bead eyes.
11. Place face down on right side of red fabric.
12. Following the dark outside line of pattern, cut through paper pattern and red fabric.
13. Sew around using seam line on paper pattern, leaving an opening of about one inch. Remove paper pattern.
14 Trim seams. Clip corners. Turn right side out. Press. Slip stitch to close one inch opening.
15. Attach jingle bell and nose.
16. Fold down hat and tack in place.
17. Attach cord for hanging.

Updates

Here is a photo of a "gang" of Jolly Old Elves that Khristina (aka Khris) has made from this pattern. Khris's Santa's have embroidered red noses.



Khris has a blog where she saves her favorite free online patterns, tutorials and ideas. Check it out at http://www.freebiesforcrafters.blogspot.com/

And here are some that that talented Teresa pieced and painted. How I wish that I had a better working relationship with paint and brush!



Teresa blog can be found at http://allthingsvintage-teresa.blogspot.com/

Someone has told me that they have seen similar Santa ornaments in a book. As they remember it long strips of red, white and peach fabric are sewn together, the backing fabric is placed on top and then the diamond shape is sewn through both layers. For someone making a large batch of these ornaments that would be much faster than paper piecing individual ornaments.


Pinwheel 2008