How to Make a Vintage Folded Fabric Star Ornament

Begin by prepping your fabrics. All of your fabrics will be cut into 2 ½” squares.

• To make this ornament, you will need:
• Fabric #1 – 8 squares (traditional method) or a 1 ½” – 2” fussy cut square (fussy cut method)

  Fabric #2 – 16 squares

  Fabric #3 – 16 squares

  Fabric #4 – 16 squares
  
• This method for pressing and folding the squares is the same for both the traditional method and the fussy cut method.
• Press each square in half, and then press in half again.
  
• Place a pin close to the center, but not exactly on the center fold (this allows you to fold the fabric over the pin).
  
• Fold the fabric over the pin, so the pin is now hidden on the inside.
• Now take a moment to mark a top and bottom point on opposite ends of the foam ball.

  I used a dark marker here so you can clearly see it, but typically I use something lighter, like a pencil.
  
• For the traditional method, I like to start by pinning a square of scrap fabric over the center marking.

  This scrap fabric will act as a background for the first four triangles so that the foam ball doesn’t show through.
  
• Next, pin the folded square to the foam ball so that the center of the square matches the center marking on the foam ball.
  
• Fold one side of the square up along the center fold line as shown, to form a triangle. Pin at both corners of the triangle.
  
• Repeat on the other side. This is the basic fold and pin technique that you will use for the rest of the ornament.
  
• Next, we’re going to pin a square down so the center point meets the center point of the first square we pinned down.

  Fold each side up to form a triangle the same way we did with the first square. Repeat, adding two more folded triangles using the same fold and pin technique. You now have four triangles.
  
• This is what I call the traditional method. To continue with this design, you will add another folded triangle at each opening.

  I spaced mine so the next triangle started ½” up from the center point, as shown in the image above. You can play around with your design and space yours closer or farther from the center. You will repeat this until you have 8 folded triangles for the second layer.
• Repeat each layer the same way until you reach the middle of the ornament. Then you’ll start over on the opposite side so it looks exactly like the first side.

  When the fabrics meet at the middle point, skip forward to the step where I add the ribbon trim.
• To fussy cut, choose a design that you want to be at the center of your ornament. I chose this sweet little star flower. Pin it in place.
  
• For this step, you’ll see we’re basically skipping the first 4 folded triangles and moving to the second layer of 8 triangles.
  
• Start by adding the first folded triangle so the center point is somewhat close to the center design. (On the opposite side, I didn’t pin mine close enough to the center, and a tiny bit of raw edge from the fussy cut piece is peeking through.

  This is a reminder to get as close to the center picture as possible.
  
• Next, add a folded triangle to the opposite side. Then added folded triangles to the two remaining sides so it looks like this.
  
• Now we are going to fill in the next four folded triangles. Notice that I am adding them to each of the four open spaces. Here I have added two folded triangles, with two more to go.
  
• Here is what that finished first layer looks like. This solid yellow fabric came from one of the decorative cuffs on my vintage sheet. I love how the solid yellow provides a frame for the little star flower.
  
• For the next group, I decided to use fabric from the same sheet as my fussy cut square. It has a white background and an open, airy design that contrasts nicely with the solid yellow fabric.

  Here you can see I am measuring ½” from the center point. This is where I pin the center pin for the next layer of folded triangles.
  
• *Note: The first four folded triangles in the second group are pinned over the first four folded triangles of the first layer.
• Here are the first four folded triangles pined and looking pretty. I’ll continue with the same fabric, adding the next four folded triangles in the same way.
  
• I have finished the second layer, and here I am starting on the third and final layer. I used fabric from my second sheet, which has lovely shades of green that contrast with all of the yellow in this ornament.
  
• Again, notice I am starting by pinning my folded triangles to the first layer of the second group of triangles. You can see how this creates a beautiful layered effect.
• And here is one side completely finished! If you choose to space the layers closer or farther apart, you may end up using more or less fabric that what I listed at the beginning. If so, just know that your stopping point is when your top layer reaches the midpoint of the foam ball.
  
• Repeat this process on the other side.
  
• Here is what the midpoint looks like when the two sides meet. One of my sides did overlap the other just a tiny bit, and that’s okay. I will be covering the overlap and all of the little pins with ribbon.
  
• One of my sheets had a cute white lace trim sewn into the cuff portion. I decided that rather than throw it away, I wanted to try to use this lace, so I carefully unpicked it from the cuff and pressed it.

  The only problem is that it had a definite straight edge on the right side, as you can see here.
  
• So I pulled out my scissors and slowly cut around the lace design, removing the straight edge, and it turned out perfect!
• Because the lace has so many holes, I knew I couldn’t use a lot of pins here to hold it in place, so I brushed on some tacky glue (I know it looks like a lot here, but it really wasn’t very much) and pressed the lace in place over the unsightly center portion of the ornament.
  
• After the glue dried, I decided to add another layer of ribbon I had in my stash. This is ½” ribbon, which ended up being just the right size to let the lace ribbon peek out from underneath.

  I brushed a little glue down and let the top ribbon in place, folding over the end and pinning it in place.
  
• I finished it off with a loop and a bow. I used tiny ⅛” ric rac, which stays true to the 70’s vintage sheet aesthetic. I first slid the straight pin through the underside of the bow, and then through the two ends of the loop.
  
• I added a dollop of glue to the spot where these would be pinned (where the ribbon ends meet) and pinned them into the foam ball. So cute!
  
• I also opted to add one pearl head pin to the bottom of the foam ball to help secure the ribbon and lace just a little more. I think it adds a nice touch.