Finishing Spree: Update #4~Round Ornaments

Round ornaments really aren't any more difficult to make than rectangular or square ornaments, but they are a little less forgiving. Small bulges in the fabric around the edge that might go unnoticed on a square ornament can look like small animals hiding underneath the fabric of a round ornament. Happily, that's not difficult to avoid.

In yesterday's template tutorial, I talked a little about light boxes. Here's another thing they're really great for: centering a design on a piece of padded foam core. Place the padded foam core on the light box, lay the design over it and move it around until it's centered exactly like you want it, then pin it in place. Being able to "see through" the design to see exactly how it's positioned on the foam core makes getting it right much easier.

I use lots of pins, especially on round ornaments. Closely pinning the edges helps eliminate those little bulges and makes for a nice round shape. That's the first step to getting a smooth edge on round ornaments.

The next step for getting a smooth edge is carefully clipping the excess fabric around the ornament. Make small snips all the way around, being careful not to cut too close to the ornament.

The final step is gluing the fabric down, one flap at a time, each flap slightly overlapping the previous one. Use your fingers to smooth the flaps inward so that the edge of the ornament doesn't have any bulges.

And that's all there is to it... a round ornament with a lovely smooth edge.