Christmas AngelCreatively Sam's

I’ve been making these Christmas angels for years, and no matter what style you make her in, she always looks wonderful. This is going to be a long post that is heavy with pictures. It’s not a hard project to make, just a little time consuming, but so worth the time. This little Christmas Angel can be customized to fit any decor by changing up the fabric, trim & accessories. She can be used as a centerpiece or grace the top of your tree. This is how I made my Christmas Angel.

Basic supplies needed for the angel are

Porcelain head & hands set, fabric, chenille stem, cone (your choice of either plastic or cardboard), Aileene’s Fabric stiffener, bowl for the stiffener & some rubber gloves, upholstery thread & 3 hand sewing needles, hot glue gun with glue sticks & some trim.

First, you’ll bend the chenille stem in half. Glue the bend of the chenille stem to the inside front of the head.

Open the chenille stems & glue the head to the cone.

Add glue to the ends of the chenille stems and glue on the hands.

Dressing the angel, the amount of fabric will depend on the size of the cone that you have chosen to use. I basically just fold the fabric in half & judge how much I need, and then some. You can always cut off any excess fabric, but adding to the length is hard. Once you decide how much fabric you need & cut it out, you’ll want to cut a hole in the center large enough to fit over the head. Then I added some slits in the fabric on either side where the shoulders are. (this gives extra room and allows for turning over a hem & gathers)

Thread the upholstery thread on to the needle. I use upholstery thread because it’s so strong and doesn’t break when pulling the thread tight. Add a running stitch to the top of the hole in the center, turning under a hem as you sew. When you’re done putting the running stitch in, remove the skirt & set aside. (leave the needle on the thread)

Cutting the sleeves… I laid the angel on some fabric to judge the size that I wanted. They had to be much longer and wider than I needed so that I could add some puffiness to the sleeves. My sleeves were about 7″ long by about 4″ wide, but that will depend on the size of the cone & doll head you’ve chosen. Once you cut out 2 pieces of fabric for your sleeves, turn the fabric with right sides together & stitch along the long side to form a tube. (I like to sew, but you could hand sew the tubes or glue them)

Turn the tubes right side out & add a running stitch to one end, turning under a hem as you sew. (leave the needle on the thread of each tube) Once you’ve got the running stitch all the way around the tube, pull the thread to gather it slightly. Pull the tube up the ‘arm’ and glue the top of the tube to the shoulders. Cut thread.

Repeat for the second sleeve. Then push up the fabric & using the upholstery thread, wrap the fabric at the wrist several times & knot the thread.

Add the trim that you’ve chosen to use to the top of the sleeves. I used Jewel Mesh, but I wanted to add some sparkle. You can use what ever goes with the style you’re making. (Ribbon, burlap, pearls, lace or rick rack) I used some ribbon first & then glued the rhinestone mesh on top of that. And then add some trim to the wrist area.

Next step, the skirt. Put the skirt in the bowl & pour the fabric stiffener over it. (Make sure you keep the needle out of the way. You don’t want to stick yourself) Put on your rubber gloves (it’s messy) and squeeze the fabric stiffener into the fabric until it’s coated. Once the fabric is completely coated, squeeze out the excess stiffener back into the bowl.

Raise the arms of your angel over her head & pull the skirt over her head. Pull the thread tightly around the top & knot off. Cut the thread off, close to the fabric.

Mold the folds of the skirt the way you want it to lay. Once the stiffener dries the folds will stay the way you’ve shaped them. Tucking the edges of the fabric under will give a finished look to the skirt as well as making the fabric look like it’s flowing. Set aside to dry the way you want it to.

While the arms are still up, add some trim to the top of the skirt. Reshape the arms & add the finishing touches to your Christmas Angel. This is when I glued on the halo, a gem stone at the base of the neck as a necklace, and a rose between her hands. You can use anything between her hands depending on the style you’re making. Any small ornament will work here, or a small gift box or musical instrument… the possibilities are endless.

Last, but not least is to add her wings. The size & style of the wings is up to you. I used wings that come in 2 pieces. There are so many different kinds of wings available, from fabric to feathers.