Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already; where has this month gone?? December has just flown by this year, and I've been so busy preparing for Christmas, I've barely had a chance to stop and enjoy it. I wish time would slow down a little! I haven't even managed to get in to the Christmas spirit yet. For some reason, I'm just not feeling it this year.
I'm sure all that will change today, as Christmas Eve has always been one of my favourite days of the year. My sister and brother-in-law are arriving home from Germany this morning with their dog, Mia, and I'm planning to spend the next few days enjoying Christmas at home with my family, and having a well deserved rest after a hectic month. After I finish the last few errands today, I'm fully intending to watch lots of Christmas movies, eat my body weight in delicious food, spend some quality time with the family, and maybe even push the boat out and play a board game or two. I can't wait!
I'm sure most of us will be busy wrapping presents, prepping food, and travelling to spend Christmas with our families and friends today, but I wanted to squeeze in one more Christmas craft before Christmas Day. You probably won't have time for any last minute crafting, but if you're looking for a fun festive project to make over the next few days, or need some unique last minute Christmas gifts or decorations you can easily make by hand, I have one last Christmas craft I think you're going to love. And that's my easy DIY Christmas fabric hoop art.
I recently realised that while I've featured photos of my hoop art on my blog and social media pages before, I've never shared a tutorial on how to make them, so I thought it was about time I did.
I started making my own hoop art a few Christmas ago by framing patterned fabric in simple wooden embroidery hoops, sometimes adding embroidery but often leaving the fabric plain, and finishing the backs with some felt, I find the process and end result so satisfying, I haven't been able to stop making them since! It's such a fun and simple craft to make, but they look so effective and make a great statement on any wall- especially when multiple hoops are displayed together in a big group. A hoop art wall will certainly add a unique and personal touch to your Christmas decor, and is sure to be a conversation starter with your guests this Christmas.
Hoop art doesn't just make great Christmas decor, but can also make lovely presents for friends and family, too- especially those who appreciate crafts, and handmade presents. You can even personalise them for the recipient by using fabric and colours relating to their likes and interests, and embroidering their name, a quote they love, their favourite things, or even their pet(s) on to the fabric. A piece of hoop art would make a lovely stand-alone gift, or you could also add one to stockings, hampers, or even Christmas Eve boxes. It's up to you to decide how to gift them. Hoop art doesn't even have to follow a festive design if you don't want it to- you can use non-festive fabric and create them for any occasion throughout the year! To date, I've made lots of Christmas and Easter hoop art, and even some colourful designs for every day, too. The hoops in the photos are a selection I've made over the years using fat quarters from Hobbycraft. (You can find the polka dot fabric here).
If you'd like to learn how to make your own hoop art, follow my super easy DIY below. (Step-by-step photos coming soon).
How To Make Christmas Hoop Art
You Will Need
♥ Embroidery hoops in various sizes. (The hoops I used range from 3 to 10 inches).
♥ Christmas print fat quarters / fabric.
♥ Felt.
♥ Scissors.
♥ Fabric pen / pencil. (If you don't have one a pen or a pencil will do).
♥ Sewing needle.
♥ Thread.
♥ Glue gun and glue stick. (Optional).
How To Make a Piece of Hoop Art
1. Gather your supplies.
2. Iron your fabric until it's completely crease-free.
3. Take a piece of fabric and an embroidery hoop. Place the inner hoop underneath the fabric and the outer hoop on top, move them around until you find a layout you're happy with, and frame the fabric in the hoop.
4. Pull on the edges of the fabric and tighten the screw on the hoop until the fabric sits tightly in the hoop like the hide on a drum.
5. Trim the edges of the fabric at the back, leaving them about an inch long.
6. Thread your needle with two strands of thread, and use a running stitch to cinch in and secure the fabric at the back of the hoop. You could alternatively trim the fabric down further, and glue it tightly to the back of the hoop with hot glue.
7. Take a sheet of felt, a fabric pen, your hoop, and scissors.
8. Lay your hoop on to the felt, and draw around it.
9. Take your scissors and cut the circle out of the felt.
10. Now attach the felt to the back of your hoop. You can either sew it to the back of the fabric using a blanket stitch OR glue it to the hoop using a hot glue gun. You just want to ensure the felt is nice and taut once you're finished.
And voila, your first piece of hoop art is complete!
Yes, it really is that simple! There really isn't a lot to this style of hoop art, so even the most inexperienced crafter will have no trouble with this DIY.
If you're in a rush, or want to create some temporary hoop art just for the holidays, you can get away with not adding felt to the back of the hoops, as you aren't going to see the backs once they're on the wall. Leaving them unfinished will make it easier to switch up the hoops with new fabrics if you want to change them for different seasons, trends, or occasions. However, if your walls are a dark colour, the colour will likely show through the fabric as fat quarters are generally made of thin fabric, so finishing them with felt is always recommended. It will also keep your hoops looking their best for longer.
I've kept the majority of my hoop art plain and simple because I think the fabrics make a great statement as they are, but you could do so much more with them than I have. You could use any fabric you like, and add embroidery, sequins, buttons, beads, pom poms, present toppers, ribbons, and even applique other fabrics on top. As for the hoops, you could paint them in different colours, or wrap them in colourful threads, yarn, or even washi tape. You'll find so many amazing examples on Pinterest and Instagram that put mine to shame!
I wish I had painted or wrapped all of my hoops- adding some colour to the wood definitely gives them a little something extra. Lately, I've also thought about turning them in to baubles for the festive season by adding some light grey felt in the shape of a bauble hanger to the top of the hoops, but I haven't found the time to customise them this Christmas. I'm definitely going to give it a go next Christmas, though, and I'm already planning on making more elaborate designs in 2019 by adding embroidery and designs in other fabrics, so keep your eyes peeled for those!
To display your hoop art on the wall, play around with different layouts on a flat surface until you find one you like, and then you can start hanging them. Start from the centre point, and work your way out. I find command strips are perfect for hanging hoop art on concrete / brick walls, but you may need to trim them down for the smaller hoops. Of course, you could also hang them with nails or picture hooks etc., the choice is yours.
And that is how to make your own Christmas hoop art.
I hope you've found my tutorial helpful! If you decide to make your own hoop art, make sure you leave me a link to your photos in the comments below so I can check them out! I'd love to see any hoops you make.
Have a wonderful Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!
Have you ever made your own hoop art and will you be giving my tutorial a go?
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