Finish what you stitched
A flat hanging ornament
Fold a stitched front onto felt, secure a ribbon loop inside and sew the edges into a flat decoration.
From stitches to a finished piece
Night Owl · 14 count Aida
A flat hanging ornament
Fold a stitched front onto felt, secure a ribbon loop inside and sew the edges into a flat decoration.
- Whole chart
- 2.86 × 3.43 inIncludes the empty chart squares.
- Working cloth
- 9.00 × 9.50 inStart with this larger piece while stitching.
- Finishing trim
- 4.11 × 4.68 inCut this only after stitching and all fit checks.
- Finished size
- 3.36 × 3.93 inThe visible finished object.
- Backing
- 3.36 × 3.93 inDry fit before attaching.
- There is room to sew both ribbon ends securely to the felt.
- The 9.00 × 9.50 in working cloth contains the entire finishing trim line.
- Visible border on every side
- 0.25 inBlank cloth between the chart and folded edge.
- Fold allowance on every side
- 0.38 inThis allowance turns to the back; it is not extra visible border.
- Hanging ribbon
- 6.00 in longFold in half and overlap each end 0.75 in inside. Approximate free loop length: 2.25 in.
Finishing supplies
- Completed Aida and felt backing
- Narrow ribbon, matching sewing thread and a sharp hand-sewing needle
- Ruler, scissors, removable marker and clips
These are measured-layout plans and original assembly diagrams. Fabric stretch, bulk, tape adhesion and the finished object have not been physically sample-tested. Make a paper dry fit and measure your actual supplies before cutting.
Diagrams are not full-size templates. Use the written dimensions and check any printer scale before tracing.
1. Mark the finished outline
Keep the full chart and 0.25 in of visible blank cloth on every side. Mark a finished rectangle 3.36 × 3.93 in. Add 0.38 in outside each edge for the fold allowance.
Check: The smaller rectangle is the finished edge; the outer rectangle is the cut line.
Mark the finished outline · schematic, not to scale 2. Cut front and backing separately
After securing tails, cut the Aida to 4.11 × 4.68 in and felt to 3.36 × 3.93 in. Leave the Aida corners intact. The felt uses the finished dimensions, without the Aida fold allowance.
Check: Both pieces are square; the Aida is larger than the felt.
Cut front and backing separately · schematic, not to scale 3. Fold the Aida edges inward
Place the stitched face down. Fold long edges to the back by 0.38 in, then short edges by the same amount. Clip instead of gluing so the folds can be adjusted.
Check: The visible border stays on the front and all raw Aida edges turn inside.
Fold the Aida edges inward · schematic, not to scale 4. Anchor the hanging loop
Fold a 6.00 in ribbon in half. Put both ends 0.75 in onto the inner face of the felt at the top centre. Sew through each end and felt several times, keeping the loop untwisted.
Check: Tug gently on the loop before adding the front. Reseat loose stitches; the outer edge seam alone should not hold the ribbon.
Anchor the hanging loop · schematic, not to scale 5. Sandwich the ribbon ends
Place the folded Aida front over the inner felt face, with the stitched face out. The ribbon ends and raw folds sit between the two layers; only the loop projects above the top. Clip the edges level.
Check: Check both faces and the top centre before stitching the seam.
Sandwich the ribbon ends · schematic, not to scale 6. Whip stitch the flat edge
Hide a knot between the layers. Pass the needle through the felt edge and folded Aida, around the edge and through both again about 3–4 mm ahead. Sew all four edges without stuffing. Add extra passes at the ribbon ends and bury the tail inside.
Check: Thread holds the layers together without curling the edge. Any open corner gets another small stitch.
Whip stitch the flat edge · schematic, not to scale 7. Inspect and hang the decoration
Gently test the loop and examine every seam on both sides. Ease and resew any puckered area. Hang indoors from a secure hook, away from heat and moisture. The ribbon loop is for a light decoration, not a load-bearing strap.
Check: Front and back lie flat, anchors remain covered and the loop cannot pull out.
Inspect and hang the decoration · schematic, not to scale
Technique references
The sizing rules and diagrams above are original to this planner. These sources describe the underlying finishing techniques.