project // cross stitch door hanger + bundle of joy virtual tour

Last week my bundle of yoy arrived, and by that I mean my new book Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy! This week some wonderful folks are joining me for a virtual tour with plenty of giveaway opportunities! We can think of it as a baby shower for my book, where you get the gifts.

To get things started, I have a giveaway over on Instagram and a little tutorial for this Bundle of Joy door hanger. This sweet and simple project makes an appearance in the gifts section, which shows ideas but not full tutorials. But for you...the whole step by step! The stitching on this uses two of the alphabets in the book, as well as one of the mini motifs, but you can use this tutorial with any small cross stitch design.

Ready to make a cute little cross stitch hanging ornament?

You will need:
Aida Cloth
Embroidery Floss
Felt
Ribbon
Basic cross stitch tools
Pins



Create a design with the pattern elements in the book and cross stitch them onto aida fabric.



Trim the aida down so there are nine squares on each side around the stitching. Cut two pieces of felt so each side is one inch larger than the aida.



Pin the aida to the center of one piece of felt. Stitch around the aida with running stitch, keeping the stitches five squares away from the cross stitch.



Remove one row of threads from each side of the aida. This makes the raw edge have a nicer finish!



Cut a piece of ribbon that's about 8 inches long. Pin the two pieces of felt together with the cross stitch on the inside. Place the two ends of the ribbon between the layers of felt so the ends are aligned with the top edge.



Sew around the sides about 1/4" from the edge. Leave an opening at the bottom and be sure to sew across the ribbon ends.



Turn the door hanger right side out and poke the corners into shape. Fold the edges of the opening in and then stitch the opening closed with ladder stitch.

I decided to keep mine flat, but you could add a bit of stuffing in your door hanger so it looks like a little pillow!




Now for the virtual tour part...Each day this week you can visit other folks in the Bundle of Joy tour. Each stop has cute things and giveaways, which means lots of opportunities to win a copy of Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy! I can't wait for you to be part of this celebration!

July 11
Mollie Johanson (You're here!)

July 12
Clare Albans - Hello Hooray

July 13
Aimee Ray - Little Dear Tracks

July 14
Bev McCullough - Flamingo Toes
and
Camille Ipsen - Not So Modern Millie

July 15
Jess Swaim - Stitch X to Continue

July 16
Danielle Webb - Sprinkles of Zeal
and
Mollie Johanson (Here again for a grand prize giveaway!)