Christmas Ornie Pattern

It is always a compliment when someone asks for a pattern. The incomparable Leslie at Pinyon Creek Stitchin has asked for the pattern of the Christmas ornies I am currently making.

They look like this:

and are dead simple. This one was my favourite, that I kept for myself. For too many years I didn't keep one for myself.

First, a few more years ago, I started just doing four inch squares, and they turned out like this:

The clue is if you look at the one on the right. It definitely is not a square when it is filled, it is starting to go star-shaped, due to the amount of filling. So I decided to see what would happen if I took a square, and took a tiny "bite" out of each side, like this:

The template is a large dinner plate - if you want an even pointier star, use a bread and butter plate.

You end up with a pattern like this, based on a four-inch square:

This is the stitching line - you need to add a quarter of an inch seam allowance.

When I was making these ornaments two years ago, I posted a lot of descriptions on my blog HERE - just go down to the end of that month, and read from the bottom towards the top. There is also a set on Flickr, but without as much detail.

Two quick hints on making them up -

When I make them up, instead of trying to hand-stitch the last slit on the side (which brings them out uneven), I make the reverse out of two pieces of fabric sewn together, and once I have sewn around all the sides (with right sides together), I unpick part of the slit across the back, turn it the right way out, fill, and sew the slit up again. I don't get too fussed with how the reverse looks, but if you don't like it, you could always sew a bit of lace across it.

And I now like them with a dimple in the centre, so they are not too "fat". I use a button on both sides to get tension, but you might be able to get away with a large bead on each side if you wished.

Enjoy - remember there are detailed pictures on Flickr.