DIY dog Christmas ornament

Every pooch deserves a spot on the Christmas tree! Make your own french bulldog ornament with Alison Reid's free tutorial.

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Alison J Reid

Published: November 19, 2020 at 10:13 am

Christmas is coming and that means one thing - Christmas decorations! There is nothing better than making your own Christmas crafts and Alison's french bulldog ornament is no exception. This fun little fella will look fab hanging from your tree, attached to a gift or even parading about the dinner table.

Alison Reid's stitchy creations will help you capture your pooches spirit in felt form. If you're wanting to stitch your own dog then check out her new book Stitch 50 dogs which include 50 different breeds! But for now, here's how to make your own DIY dog Christmas ornament.

Over to you Alison...

french bulldog ornament french bulldog

You will need

DIY dog Christmas ornament template
12inch piece of cream felt
12inch piece of black felt
12inch piece of pink felt
12inch piece of dark brown felt
12inch piece of light brown felt
12inch piece of green felt
12inch piece of red felt
12inch piece of yellow felt
Cream sewing thread
Black sewing thread
Red sewing thread
Stuffing
X2 brads
Ribbon or twine (for hanging)

If you're new to embroidery check out our embroidery for beginners guide and step by step tutorials of all the embroidery stitches you could ever need. We also have an embroidery starter kit run-through so you can pick up your essentials.

DIY dog Christmas ornament

Step 1

diy dog Christmas ornament step 1
Use the templates above to cut out the felt shape.

Step 2

diy dog Christmas ornament step 3

Now it’s time to stitch your french bulldog ornament together! Use running stitch the black spots, pink ears and face pieces to the front of your bulldog. Use seed stitch to add his whiskers, mouth details and to attach his eyebrows.

Keep the DIY dog Christmas ornament template handy as it shows you a more detailed image of which stitches are used on what pieces.

Step 3

diy dog Christmas ornament step 4

Fix the brads to position the eyes.

Step 4

diy dog Christmas ornament step 5

Sew the matching legs pieces together using blanket stitch and stuff at the top. You can learn how to do blanket stitch with our guide.

Secure the opening with a running stitch.

Step 5

diy dog Christmas ornament step 6 Stitch the felt front to the back body using blanket stitch and position your legs and ears.

Step 6

diy dog Christmas ornament step 7

Use running stitch to secure the legs and ears to your french bulldog ornament. Leave a gap for stuffing.

Step 7

diy dog Christmas ornament step 8

Stuff your pooch at the opening, sew in a ribbon or twine for your dog to hang from and secure with blanket stitch afterwards. You can use seed stitch to add some details to the paws if you wish.

If you’d like to make a non-Christmassy version then your french bulldog ornament is complete! But for those of you wanting a festive pooch follow these steps…

Festive crown and holly collar

Step 1

diy dog Christmas ornament step 9

Finally wrap the necktie around the neck of the pooch, crossing the two ends over each other. At the point of crossing position and sew in place the Holly leaves and the berries using seed stitch.

Step 2

diy dog Christmas ornament step 10

Secure his crown at a tilt with a seed stitch and you’re done. All you need to do is give him a name!

Thanks Alison! We love her DIY dog Christmas ornament and think it would make a really sweet gift for a fellow dog-lover. Don’t forget to check out Alison’s new book Stitch 50 Dogs which is available from David and Charles (this would also make a fab present) and head over to her Instagram for more pet inspo.

For more embroidery goodness check out our free embroidery patterns like our bee embroidery pattern.

stitch 50 dogs book

About Alison Reid

Alison J Reid is a teacher, textile designer, author and illustrator. During the 1980s Alison gained a degree in Fashion and Textiles from Liverpool Polytechnic and went on to run her own company selling hand-dyed and hand-stitched braids to fashion and Interior houses such as Marc Jacobs (USA), Etro and Rubelli (Italy) and Takashimaya (New York) and to the actress Nicole Kidman. Alison is also an illustrator and she has provided illustrations to the Strawberry Field Centre in Liverpool amongst others. Textile works have featured in many magazines and publications including Selvedge Magazine, Elle, Elle Decoration, Vogue, Homes and Gardens and The World of Interiors. She is also the author of Learn to Sew and Stitch Magic which has been translated into German and French.

Teacher, textile designer, author and illustrator

Alison J Reid is a teacher, textile designer, author and illustrator. During the 1980's Alison gained a degree in Fashion and Textiles from Liverpool Polytechnic and went on to run her own company selling hand-dyed and woven trimmings to fashion and Interior houses such as Marc Jacobs (USA), Etro and Rubelli (Italy) and TakaShimaya (New York) and to the actress Nicole Kidman. Alison is also an illustrator and she has provided illustrations to the Strawberry Field Centre in Liverpool amongst others. Textile works have featured in many magazines and publications including Selvedge Magazine, Elle, Elle Decoration, Vogue, Homes and Gardens and The World of Interiors. Alison is also the author of Learn to Sew and Stitch Magic and more recently the ever so cute book, Stitch 50 Dogs published by David & Charles. which gives the reader the opportunity to sew 50 of the most popular and distinctive pedigree breeds. Each pooch is accompanied with easy step by step instructions, templates, illustrations as well as a little bit of information about each breed. Perfect for any dog lover. Alison has also put together a forthcoming title, Stitch 50 Cats and to follow, Stitch 50 Birds. You can follow Alison on Instagram @alisonjsewingreid