Flannel Friday for your Christmas Tree

I love flannel.  I confess it.  It is so cozy it feels like you’re being wrapped up in a big warm hug.  Almost scandalous to wear to work its so comfortable.  Anyway I’m working on a flannel dress (to be honest I’ve been working on it since mid sabbatical nearly 8 weeks ago). You see, I used to go all out for “Fancy Fridays”.

Since I’m an engineer, dressing up for work inspires a lot of confused questions from co-workers.  “Hot date tonight?” “Good luck on your job interview.”  Or the plain old, “why are you wearing a dress?”  So I started dressing up on Fridays and using the excuse “Fancy Friday” as a joke.  People thought it was funny and I got a lot of compliments.  Then after work one fall night my co-workers remarked that it was getting too cold for dresses and wondered what would I do.  A work friend was wearing flannel that day so we decided to adopt “Flannel Friday” as a group.  I originally planned to do a combined flannel Friday and fancy Friday, but have you ever tried to find fancy flannel?  It just doesn’t exist.  Hence me working on a dress.  Anyway.

All this is to tell you that I am making ornaments out of the scrap fabric from my dress to make for my Flannel Friday following co-workers.  I hope they don’t read this in the next couple days.  This is a super quick and easy tutorial, so I hope you whip some up for your fabulous co-workers and inspire some flannel-wearing.  Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Voila! Your tree in fabulous flannel!

Flannel Friday Heart Ornament

• Scrap flannel (about 12″x12″ square)
• 8″ of 1/2″ satin ribbon
• heart pattern

1. Cut out the heart pattern above and trace onto scrap flannel along the bias (This makes the pattern pretty cute, but is a bit trickier to stuff and sew) or lined up with selvedge.
   

   Trace heart pattern onto flannel.

   

   Trace two hearts on flannel on the bias.

2. Cut 2 heart shapes out leaving 1/2″ seam allowance.
   

   Cut around heart leave 1/2″ seam allowance.

3. Pin hearts together, right sides together.
   

   Pin.

4. Fold ribbon in half, insert inside the heart the cut edges above the point where both lobes of the heart meet.  Repin.
   

   Pin ribbon inside heart.

5. Stitch hearts together leaving a 1″ gap opened on one of the straight side seams of the heart.  Clip curves and the “v” of the heart.
   

   Clip curves and dip in heart.

6. Open out and stuff.
   

   Stuff.

7. Tuck the unfinished seam allowance of the gap inside the heart and and stitch (whip stitch) the 1″ gap closed.
   

   Hand stitch opening closed.

   Voila!