A Pair of Cheerful Christmas Gnomes – Quick 3D Ornament Embroidery

New Year's will be here before we know it! So, I suggest we start preparing now. As a cute souvenir, Christmas tree ornament, or just to set the mood, you can embroider a charming little gnome that will sparkle with every bead in the glow of the holiday lights.

You can embroider the piece on regular Aida or even-weave fabric. With Aida, the higher the count, the larger the finished figure will be. I recommend choosing based on your bead size: for high-quality Japanese beads, large-count Aida won't work (there will be gaps), and conversely, large beads will be crowded on tightly woven fabric.

Embroider the piece according to the chart. Since the ornament is double-sided, you will need to make two: one for the front and one for the back. I've provided two wonderful little guys to choose from—pick whichever one you like! The photos are clickable, so you can enlarge them.

Carefully trim the finished work along the outline, leaving a seam allowance (about 0.5–0.7 cm). Place both pieces together with the right sides facing each other and sew along 2/3 of the outline. Then, carefully turn the piece right side out, stuff it with filler, and sew the remaining opening closed with a ladder stitch.

Don't forget to leave a bit of fabric on the hat to attach a decorative ribbon. And there you have it—your cute little fellow is ready to charm everyone!