Felt Squirrel Holiday Ornament

Photo Courtesy Tikkido/Tikkido.com

I’m not 100% sure which of the ornaments in the series is my favorite, but it just might be this guy! If squirrels ate candy canes I think they’d look just like this.

Mr Squirrel is the third felt holiday ornament pattern in the series of five I designed this year. (You can grab the first two: here and here.) The candy candy stripes turned out to be very simple to do, so he really doesn’t take long to sew.

What I Used:

• The Pattern
• Felt from American Felt and Craft (in oatmeal, pink tutu and fresh cut grass)
• 6mm (1/4″) Red Ribbon
• 3mm (1/8″) Pink Ribbon
• 3 Red Buttons
• Stuffing/Batting

Photo Courtesy Tikkido/Tikkido.com

I started by sewing the two sides of his tail together with some batting in between. I didn’t bother sewing all the way around, since his tail would be placed between the body pieces.

I then embroidered the squirrel’s face. I stitched on the felt cheeks, then made his mouth with a black back stitch. His nose is a little V in pink thread. His eyes are French knots with little sideways Vs for eyelashes.

I then pinned the tail in place between the body front and back, along with some batting for the body, and sewing all the way around. To add the holly leaf, I did a line of back stitch (through only the front layer of the squirrel) partway up the center of the leaf. Then I sewed on 3 vintage buttons form my mother’s stash. You could sew the leaf and buttons on before sewing the body together if that is easier for you.

To make the candy cane, I sewed the two sides together with a length of batting twisted up into a long tube inside. Starting with the red ribbon, I folded the end over and made a stitch to secure it to the bottom back of the candy cane. I wrapped it around the cane, doing a basting stitch through the middle of the ribbon in matching thread. When I got to the top, I folded the end under and stitched it to the back. I repeated the process for the pink ribbon.

His arms are very simple. I sewed each on to a side of his body, then made 4 little stitches on the paw od each one to attach it to the front layer of the candy cane. They look like little squirrel toenails.

Photo Courtesy Tikkido/Tikkido.com

You could definitely make him less girly by changing the candy cane and ribbon colors. He could even hold something different – acorns or a mug of hot cocoa! If you make this or any of the other ornaments, I’d love to see yours! Post them on our Facebook page or email me a photo.