**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**
It is exciting to add a new ornament or two to the tree each year. This is a quick and easy project that can be whipped up in no time flat and is sure to leave you with oodles of spare time to bake up those cookies and wrap up those presents.
This project requires small pieces of green and red fabric, white felt, Heat 'n Bond Ultra, cardboard, 2 white buttons, 8" piece of gold thread, pencil for tracing, hot glue, sewing needle and red thread, an iron and pressing surface, and scissors.
To create the large leaf pattern, start with a piece of paper that is 2 inches in length by 7/8 inches in width. Divide into three parts as shown in the diagram. Draw a holly leaf shape within the space as shown. Both sides of the leaf should be a mirror image of the other.
To create the small leaf pattern, start with a piece of paper that is 1-1/2 inches in length by 5/8 inches in width. Divide into three parts as shown in the diagram. Draw a holly leaf shape within the space as shown. Both sides of the leaf should be a mirror image of the other.
Cut the shapes from the paper and transfer the shapes to carboard. This will become your leaf patterns.
Along with the holly leaves, you will need a 3" circle and two 1-3/8" circles with a small hole in the center.
Trace 8 large and 8 small holly leaf shapes onto the non-glue side of a sheet of Heat 'n Bond Ultra. Iron the Heat 'n Bond onto the wrong side of a piece of green fabric. Cut out all 16 leaf shapes.
Remove the paper backing and iron 4 large and 4 small holly leaf shapes onto white felt. Be sure to leave a minimum of 3/8" between the shapes.
Cut around each leaf shape leaving a scant 1/8" margin of felt around the edges.
Turn holly leaves over with the plain side of the felt facing up. Fuse the remaining fabric leaf shapes to the felt. Bonding both sides adds stability to the holly leaves and also adds a finish to both sides.
To make the holly berries, use the 3" circle template to cut two fabric circles from red fabric.
With needle and thread, take a 1/4" running stitch around the perimeter of the fabric circle, folding in the raw edges approx. 1/8" as you sew.
Place cardboard in the center.
Gather and knot securely.
Sew a white button to the center of the holly berry. The hole in the cardboard is there to make sewing on the button easier. Repeat this process with the second fabric round.
Glue the eight holly leaves to the wrong side of the first holly berry, alternating large and small leaves as you go around. Glue the second berry on top to hide the mechanics.
Sew an 8" piece of gold thread into the felt portion of one of the large holly leaves, approx. 3/8" from the top.
A quick and easy Holly Leaf Snowflake to brighten up your tree. Imagine a white Christmas tree with nothing but these snowflakes, shiny red bulbs, and twinkling white lights. Not exactly traditional, but it works for me.