How To Finish A Needlepoint Ornament

Learn how to finish a needlepoint ornament the easy way.

Here are 9 easy steps for finishing a needlepoint ornament:

1. Cut around the design approximately one half inch away from the stitches.



2. Cut notches all the way around, close together, and taking care to avoid snipping the stitches.


3. Use a steam iron on low to steam the flaps to the back of the canvas and to ease the ornament into a round shape.

You may need to cut extra notches to achieve a nice round shape.



4. Organize your ornament filler and backing fabric.

We used a foam filler because it retains its shape and is easy to cut and hold in place. You could also use quilt batting. For the backing we used an adhesive felt which is definitely the easiest way to finish an ornament.. You can also use a non-adhesive fabric backing but you will need to glue or hand stitch it in place. If you use adhesive felt, when you sew on a trim/cord at the end (optional) you will need a thimble or silicon pads to protect your fingers as the adhesive makes it harder to get a needle through the layers of fabric.

Cut the foam about a quarter inch smaller than the diameter of the stitched canvas, and cut the backing fabric or felt about a quarter inch larger than the diameter of the stitched canvas - you can always trim this back later if it's too big, but if you decide to make your ornament plump you will need the extra surface area.


5. Center the foam filler on the back of the ornament.



6. Add a hanger.



This can be a piece of the trim you might use to edge the ornament or it could be some of the thread you used to stitch the ornament. Almost anything!

7. Add the backing fabric over the top to secure everything in place.



If you're using adhesive felt this step is easy because all you do is peel the backing off the felt and lay it over the foam and hanger.  If you're using a non adhesive backing you might want to use fabric glue to hold the backing fabric in place, or you can hand sew it.

8. Add your trim.



We hand stitched this pom pom trim on but it is traditional to use a cord or braid. This is hand stitched on at the end and covers the edges of the ornament so they look neat. Use a sharp chenille needle. This is also where the silicon finger pads or thimble comes in if you've used an adhesive backing fabric.

The front back and sides should now look neat and finished like a professional. This took us about 30 minutes from start to finish and the longest part was definitely stitching on the trim at the end.

9. Hang!

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