Tutorial: Gingerbread House Ornament

As promised in my previous post, I finally got around to drafting the pattern and writing the tutorial for the gingerbread house christmas tree ornament. I made this ornament as a new family Christmas tradition - a new felt ornament every year for both my kids, with their name and the year embroidered on the back of the ornament. This ornament was for my toddler, Alexander. He loved the colours and the sparkly sequins! Though I had to rescue it from him when he promptly decided to see if it was edible. Thankfully felt is fairly saliva-proof!

MATERIALS:
You will need:
- The pattern (download it from here as a PDF and print it to A4)
- Felt in light brown, white, dark green, red, light blue, pink, and whatever colours you wish to use for the roof tiles (I used a mixture of green, red, yellow and blue)
- Embroidery thread in colours matching the felt
- Mix colour sequins
- Seed beads and a beading needle (thinner than an embroidery needle)
- Ribbon or string for the loop on top
- Stuffing material (e.g. Hobbyfill)

STEPS:
1. Start with the roof. Attach each circle of felt onto the pink roof with a sequin and a seed bead (you can applique the circles onto the roof, but I find the sequin holds them in place securely). I used clear glass seed beads as they work with every sequin colour, but if you have coloured seed beads they would work too.  To attach a sequin with a seed bead, put a single strand of embroidery thread on your needle (I use white with clear beads), go up from the back through the felt, put your sequin and bead on the needle and then go back down through the centre of the sequin (but not the seed bead) and fasten off at the back. Applique the roof onto the brown house piece.
2. Sequin and applique the white eaves onto the house.
3. Applique the white chimney piece onto the house.
4. Sequin and applique the white door surround onto the house.
5. Embroider the door panels with light blue backstitch (2 threads), then attach the green wreath onto the red door with 6 red french knots. Applique the red door onto the white surround.
6. Sequin and applique the bush pieces, starting with the one at the top of each 'pyramid'. Then the two pieces in the middle row, and finally the three pieces at the bottom.
7. Embroider the green window with light blue backstitch (1 thread), then decorate with red french knots or red seed beads. Applique onto the house. I also added some red and white felt balls under the window but that's optional.
8. Attach each red window onto the house with a white sequin. I cut these and the blue window with my scallop edge pinking scissors for a bit of extra cuteness (optional).
9. Attach the blue window onto the house with light blue backstitch (1 thread). Run a line of brown backstitch up the corner of the house. The front of the house is now finished.
10. Embroider name and date on the back house piece if desired. Starting on the top right corner of the pink roof, and going clockwise, blanket stitch the two pieces of the house together until you get to the top left corner of the pink roof. Then use the opening at the top to put some stuffing into the house. Make the ribbon / string into a loop, insert into the opening and blanket stitch the opening closed, trapping the ends of the loop inside. I used baker's twine for the loop but you can use ribbon, packing string, or even ric rac.