Twelve Days Ornament Series

Samples above made with the Jewel Colorway from Felt On The Fly


YOUR RESOURCE PAGE FOR MY ORIGINAL TWELVE DAYS ORNAMENT SERIES!
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to meeeeee…
ornament patterns! Yay!
#twelvedaysornaments

I’ve always loved the Twelve Days of Christmas song, so I designed this series of hand-sewn folk ornaments for each of the twelve days, based on the original carol from 1780*. It’s a bit different than the modern version:

The twelfth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a-leaping,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

SKILL LEVEL: CONFIDENT BEGINNER
See skills required below.

This project started as a serial Christmas gift for my BFF Robyn (how patient you are, Robyn!) and has snowballed into a sewing pattern line. The handmade ornaments make wonderful gifts, individually or as a set!

  • Total number of patterns in the series: 12
  • Total number of ornaments in the series: 15 (There are bonus ornaments in nos. 1, 6 and 12.)
  • Average size of the finished ornaments: About 4 x 5 inches (10 x 13 cm) Of course, it varies because the shapes vary, but that will give you an idea.


WAIT A SEC, AREN’T THESE OUT OF ORDER? The modern version of the song is probably the one most folks are familiar with, but I used the original carol from 1780*. The order of the gifts differs a bit toward the end. It also uses the term “colly bird” (old English term for black bird) as opposed to “calling bird”, which came later. It’s all good. The best thing about DIY is you can number* your series any way you like, and make your colly bird in any colors you like!

*There is now a supplement pattern available in my shop to modernize the numbering of the series if that is how you’d rather roll. Here’s the blog post.

GIFTING: 
A gift of patterns? Aren’t you nice! Because my patterns are downloads and are not emailed, it’s best to give your crafty giftee an Etsy gift card (or cash) along with a link to my shop (mmmcrafts.etsy.com) and let them choose and download the patterns for themselves. Creating an Etsy account is easy and free for them, and their purchase will be backed up at Etsy in case of computer crashes, lightning strikes, or toddlers with peanut buttery hands.

WHERE TO BUY THE PATTERNS: 
You can purchase the Twelve Days pattern PDFs exclusively from my Etsy shop and then download them at your convenience. Your download links do not expire. You may purchase the patterns singly or in discounted bundles:

PLEASE NOTE: International VAT and/or other applicable taxes will be automatically added on at checkout according to your nation’s tax law. 

HAVING TROUBLE? Check this Etsy download troubleshooting list, and message me anytime at my shop regarding your order. I will get back to you promptly.

CRAFTSY/BLUPRINT: If you have previously purchased Twelve Days patterns from Craftsy/Bluprint, no worries – your purchases are backed up under your account and can be found in your pattern library.

FREQUENTLY QUERIED QUESTIONS:

Q: HOW DO I FIND MY PATTERN DOWNLOAD?
Etsy sends automatic email receipts that include download links to your account email address. Check your spam folder if it’s missing. Lost the email? Your patterns are also backed up under your Etsy account, and can be found by logging in with a browser and checking your purchases. NOTE: Etsy also allows guest checkouts, but the only way to access guest purchases is through your email receipt. Guest purchases will not show in your Etsy account unless you link them. It’s easy.

Q: I DON’T HAVE A PRINTER. DO I NEED ONE?
In short, yes, at least for the pattern pages themselves (14 pages) to print on regular paper, and also to print or copy the pattern pages to the Sulky stabilizer. Once you have a master set of pattern pages on regular paper, keep ’em handy. Then you can use a copier. Suggestions:

  • Perhaps you have a friend/son/daughter/life coach/tolerant neighbor that has a printer you can borrow?
  • Perhaps you work somewhere that will allow you to print a few personal pages?
  • Libraries and churches often have copiers and printers you may use and may charge per page.
  • Note: office supply stores will not print my patterns without checking with me first because my patterns are copyrighted.

Q: WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THE WHOLE SERIES OF ORNAMENTS?
All of the individual patterns have detailed lists of materials needed on the first page. But what if you plan to make the whole series? Gotcha covered. Here is a comprehensive list of all materials needed to make the entire series (this handy list is also included when you purchase the full set of patterns). Zoom in or feel free to save/print this list:

Q: I’M IN THE US. WHERE DO I BUY THE MATERIALS?
I have lists of US vendors and also online sources for materials in the back of my patterns for you. Also check here for two wonderful US felt vendors who provide comprehensive kits to go directly with my color guides. 

Q: I’M OUTSIDE THE US. WHERE DO I BUY THE MATERIALS?
I’ve compiled a short list of UK, Australian, and Canadian wool felt vendors here, recommended to me by their customers. My US vendors, Benzie Design and Felt On The Fly, also ship internationally.

Q: ARE THESE DIFFICULT TO MAKE?
They are easier than you think! If you can 1) sew basic stitches well by hand (backstitch, whip stitch and French knots) and 2) cut small pieces with precision, then you can totally make these ornaments and make them well. There is no tediousembroidery transfer or pattern tracing involved. The secret to making them is a printable adhesive Sulky brand stabilizer called Stick ‘N Stitch. You simply use a printer or copier to print my patterns to the stabilizer, peel off the backing, adhere it directly to the felt, and then stitch right on the lines. See more about how to get started here!

Q: HELP! WHAT COLORS SHOULD I USE? 
Choose any colors you like! You can use your own favorite wool felt and floss colors or coordinate with your Christmas decor. I’ve seen sets in every color combo imaginable (tagged on Instagram) and never one I didn’t like. However, I know that picking colors can be intimidating and stressful to lots of folks. Worry no more! I always make samples in delicious color combos and share the color guides right here, along with handy links to buy the felt/floss kits.
Click below for either Benzie Design or Felt On The Fly color guides:

ERRATA and UPDATES:
Over the years I’ve made minor revisions in the patterns. Check these posts for updates to make sure you have the latest info:
https://mmmcrafts.com/minor-correction-for-swan-a-swimming-pattern-and-maybe-i-should-just-use-a-pipe-cleaner-anyway/
https://mmmcrafts.com/twelve-days-update-you-can-sub-pellon-70-peltex-for-the-wings-and-two-other-notes/

NEED SOME ADDITIONAL HELP?
Click below for additional posts and tutorials to help you perfect your mmmaker skills:

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE with washing away the Sulky stabilizer? Please read this post!

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS! Use the tag #twelvedaysornaments on Instagram and Facebook. If you search that tag on Instagram you can view ornaments that others have made! 
Note: Please do not post/share images or video of my actual pattern pages.

VIEW EVERY TWELVE DAYS BLOG POST: If you’d like to read and see more photos of all the patterns and prototypes, click here for a chronological sorting of all my blog posts.

PINTEREST BOARDS: A handy way to view lots of my Twelve Days ornaments samples in one place, plus there’s a board now just for Benzie colors and Felt On The Fly colors.

I hope this resource page has been helpful to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via my Etsy shop! That is the quickest way to get an answer. Happy sewing! 🙂