Ornament to Stand-up Conversion

Because of the finishing, this Petei buffalo can be either an ornament or a stand-up, copyright Napa /Needlepoint

Right now sitting on my desk are lots of Christmas needlepoint ornaments. One of them, Petei’s Alice in Wonderland, could be a stand-up except for one thing – I can’t hide the hanger.

But finisher Susan Thompson has developed a unique solution for this problem. Her small stand-ups can double as ornaments, or is it that her ornaments can double as stand-ups?

Anyhow, the back of the ornament has a button attached to it. When it’s not Christmas, you can hide the hanger by looping it onto the button. It’s just the coolest idea!

You can take a needlepoint, such as the buffalo here, and add the button to the fabric on the back before you finished it. Just be sure to make the loop long enough.

The best thing is to do this from the beginning. But you can add a button to the back of an stuffed ornament. Press the loop against the back of the ornament and make a mark near the bottom of the loop. This shows you where to add the button.

Find a compatible button and one 1/2” or less in diameter. Using a curved needle (sometimes called an upolstery needle) and some pearl cotton, sew the button securely to the back of the ornament.

One last note, curved needles are sharp and long, so be careful.

I love this idea, it’s a great way to show off those small pieces of stitching all year long.