Silk Fall Leaf Ornament

By: Melba Rhodes for Buggalcrafts

Gather up your stash of buttons, ribbons, and threads and get ready to make these sweet Silk Fall Leaf Ornaments. Great for hanging from your window in the fall or using as table decorations, these ornaments are budget friendly and fun to make! You could even use these little silk leaves as ties for napkins on your Thanksgiving table. Embellish each one with the name of one of your guests for a party favor they're sure to cherish.

silk leaf ornament

Materials:

Silk fall leaves
Embroidery thread
Rick-rack
Buttons
Fabric strips
Paper bags
Fabric glue
Brown cardstock
Bamboo skewer
Needle

Instructions:

Assemble supplies. Select fall colored craft materials (thread, ribbon, trim, etc.).
Apply fabric glue to the back of the leaf with a bamboo skewer. I find a skewer easier to use to apply glue than a paintbrush which gets all gummy.
Use the skewer (or your fingers if you don’t mind “glue fingers”) to press the leaf onto the paper bag.
Cut and glue a stem from brown cardstock if desired. After the glue dries trim the bag close to the edge with pinking shears.
Use the needle to punch holes in the silk leaf about 3 mm apart. It was a little hard for me to push the needle through the layers and pre-punching the holes made the stitching super easy!Whip stich around the leaf with contrasting thread. Use short pieces of thread to help reduce tangles.
When rounding the corners place several stiches in the same hole so the corners look more “finished”.
To tie the short end of the thread off leave the loose thread on the back of the leaf. Then leaving a short “tail” place a few stiches with the new piece of thread. Then tie the two thread ends together.
Make a bow with a torn fabric strip. Then secure the bow “shut” by sewing a button in the center.
Punch a hole in the stem of the leaf and tie on a strand of thread for a hanger. After the bow is attached sew the buttons on with contrasting thread.
In this example I did not leave a stem so I sewed a loop of rick-rack directly to the top of the leaf for the ornament hanger. I love this craft because there are just so many ways to go! Make a dozen of the same style or twelve unique ornaments!