The story behind my handmade Christmas Heart Ornaments

Let me tell you the story of how these little heart-shaped ornaments came to life. Maybe you’ll feel inspired to try making something similar yourself. Or perhaps you’ll learn from my mistakes and save yourself a little time, frustration, and a few lessons learned the hard way. Either way, I’ve got a story to tell!

It all started in the middle of summer, a few years ago. Christmas was still months away, the days were long and warm, and the last thing on most people’s minds was decorating a Christmas tree.

But I had an idea.

I wanted to create something special for the Christmas tree. 

Something beautiful and handmade, with a little personality and a story of its own. Something you could hang on a branch and look forward to bringing out year after year.

And that little idea slowly began to take the shape of a heart.

The first attempt was actually a star-shape.

It looked promising, but there wasn’t enough room for all the little shapes and figures I wanted to embroider. Those pointed corners were tricky to work with, especially when I wanted to fit in small characters and tell little stories.

So I set the star aside, and tried a different shape: a rounded, vintage-inspired heart.

This one looked rather cute. It had plenty of room for my designs, which was a good start. But something still wasn’t quite right.

The shape felt a little awkward in my hand, and it wasn’t as elegant as I wanted it to be. 

More importantly, I couldn’t quite picture my little embroidered stories sitting naturally on its surface. Perhaps this shape would work beautifully for other, more decorative designs, but I had something else in mind.

I wanted to tell stories with my embroidery.

There was another drawback, too. This "vintage" shape was a little more complicated to sew because it required a technique called darts, i.e. small folds sewn into the fabric to help create a three-dimensional shape.

It wasn’t a wasted experiment, though. I just set it aside, maybe for another future project. 

As a side note, I also use darts in my Toto Bunny patterns, where you can learn the technique step by step, with detailed instructions and video tutorials. If you’re curious about how to create volume when sewing, the Toto Bunny is a good little project to try.

But back to the hearts!

I went through several more versions before finding the shape I was looking for. Among them was a bigger, fuller heart. It had its charm, but it still didn’t feel quite right. I was looking for something a little more delicate and elegant.

And here it is: the final design.

After all those experiments, this one was a keeper:

It has the proportions I was looking for: elegant and perfectly sized to fit a lot of them on a Christmas tree, and spacious enough for my little embroidered characters and stories to come to life.

And, of course, it had to be practical to make, too. I wanted the sewing to be manageable (no darts technique), without making the finished ornament any less beautiful.

The embroidery is only part of the story. The shape, the sewing, and a few little finishing details matter just as much in bringing these tiny decorations to life.

And that’s how these little hearts came to be. It took quite a few experiments to find the right shape, but I’m happy I didn’t settle easily.

I’m so happy these little hearts have found a home in your home, and have become part of your Christmas traditions.

Warmly,

❤️

Stella