Table of Contents
- Primer: What These Ornaments Are and When to Make Them
- Prep: Materials, Tools, and Files
- Setup: Hooping and Machine Readiness
- Operation: Embroidering the Ornaments Step by Step
- Quality Checks: What Good Looks Like
- Results & Handoff: Finish, Display, and Store
- Troubleshooting & Recovery
- From the comments
Video reference: “Making Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments using Embroidery Vinyl” by the creator
A gorgeous holiday set, made fast. These two-sided, glitter-vinyl ornaments stitch entirely in the hoop—no turning, no edge-satin wrangling, just clean outlines, a tidy backing, and ribbon ready to hang.
What you’ll learn
- How to hoop cut-away stabilizer for a firm, flat stitch base.
- The safe way to place and tack a ribbon so it becomes the hanger.
- A quick method to add a vinyl backing with a light spray adhesive.
- Clean trimming techniques for crisp edges—especially around tight shapes.
- Easy options to customize thickness and style.
Primer: What These Ornaments Are and When to Make Them These in-the-hoop (ITH) ornaments are a beginner-friendly machine embroidery project that looks polished and gift-ready. You’ll stitch decorative details on glitter embroidery vinyl, integrate a ribbon hanger, secure a vinyl backing, and then trim around the outline. The result is a sparkly, two-sided ornament with built-in structure from the vinyl and stabilizer.
Where it shines
- Fast batching: Once your hoop is set, each ornament runs quickly.
- Clean, firm finish: Glitter embroidery vinyl is naturally stiff and sparkly.
- Easy gifting: Hang on trees, tie to packages, or bundle sets as quick gifts.
Prerequisites
- Basic machine embroidery operation and hooping skills.
- An embroidery design digitized specifically for in-the-hoop ornaments.
Constraints to keep in mind
- Use cut-away stabilizer for stability with heavier materials like embroidery vinyl.
- Ribbon needs to be placed and tacked early—forgetting it means no hanger on that stitch-out.
Pro tip Glitter vinyl’s stiffness gives ornaments their shape without extra interfacing. If you prefer a plush feel, you can later add a layer like felt or batting between front and back on future runs.
Prep: Materials, Tools, and Files Materials
- Glitter embroidery vinyl: 8×10 inch sheets were used; plan on at least 4 sheets to complete 6 ornaments with fronts and backs.
- Cut-away stabilizer: Hooped firmly to support dense stitching and the vinyl’s heft.
- Ribbon: Narrow hanging ribbon (the video used Christmas wrapping ribbon on hand).
- Spray/basting adhesive: Light mist to hold the back vinyl.
Tools
- Embroidery machine (the process shown was on a Ricoma).
- Mighty Hoop magnetic hoop, 5.5×5.5 in size (set up in a square field).
- Scissors: Regular fabric scissors and small embroidery scissors for tight areas.
Files and setup
- Load your in-the-hoop ornament designs (tree, bell, stocking, snowflake, heart, round) in your machine’s supported format.
Workspace
- A clear, flat table to stage vinyl, stabilizer, ribbon, and scissors.
Quick check Your goal is one fully staged hoop: stabilizer hooped square and taut, design loaded, threads chosen, ribbon within reach. magnetic embroidery hoops
Prep checklist
- Designs loaded and colors selected.
- Cut-away stabilizer cut to hoop size.
- Front and back vinyl pieces cut and ready.
- Ribbon pieces pre-cut.
- Spray adhesive and tape at hand.
Setup: Hooping and Machine Readiness Hoop the stabilizer Hoop cut-away stabilizer tight in a 5.5×5.5 magnetic hoop. The example uses a Mighty Hoop in this size; the stabilizer should be drum-taut and flat so placement lines and tack stitches land accurately.
Load the design and run a trace Load the ornament design. Use your machine’s trace function to verify the stitch area stays within the hooped field—especially important when you’ll slide a backing piece under the hoop later.
Why this setup matters
- A taut stabilizer resists puckering and keeps the vinyl from shifting.
- Tracing avoids clipped edges during the final outline and trimming.
Pro tip Confirm your ribbon length before stitching. Cut it longer than you think; you can trim later. mighty hoop embroidery
Setup checklist
- Stabilizer hooped taut and square.
- Correct design selected and traced.
- Ribbon pre-cut and nearby.
- Threads spooled for all color changes.
Operation: Embroidering the Ornaments Step by Step Step 1 — Stitch the ribbon placement line Start the machine to stitch the placement line onto the stabilizer. This thin outline shows exactly where the ribbon will sit.
Expected result A clear placement line on the stabilizer within the hoop.
Step 2 — Place and tack the ribbon Lay the ribbon directly over the placement line. For safety, tape the ribbon ends to the stabilizer so your fingers stay clear. Start the machine to run the tack stitch that secures the ribbon in place.
Watch out Do not hold the ribbon with your fingers while stitching. Keep hands away from the needle; use tape to secure the ribbon before the tack-down pass.
Step 3 — Lay the front vinyl Place the front piece of glitter embroidery vinyl over the hooped area so it fully covers the design footprint. Smooth it gently so it lies flat.
Quick check From above, you shouldn’t see stabilizer peeking beyond the vinyl within the design area. 5.5 mighty hoop
Step 4 — Stitch the decorative design Run the main stitch-out—the tree, bell, stocking, snowflake, heart, or round motif—on the front vinyl. Monitor for clean tension and thread paths.
Expected result A detailed design stitched on the front vinyl with no missed areas or thread nests.
Step 5 — Add the back vinyl Lightly mist the back of a second vinyl piece with basting adhesive. Slide it under the hoop so it covers the entire design area on the underside. The light adhesive helps it stay put.
Run the final outline stitch Start the machine to stitch the final outline, which joins the front and back vinyl and locks the ribbon between layers.
Pro tip Use only a light spray—just enough to hold. Too much adhesive invites gumming and residue you don’t need. mighty hoops for ricoma
Step 6 — Remove and trim Take the hoop off the machine and release the stabilizer from the hoop. Using scissors, trim the ornament around the outline stitch, leaving a narrow, even border. For tight areas and around the ribbon, switch to small embroidery scissors for better control.
Decision points for trimming
- If your ornament has sharp points (like a star on a tree), use your smallest scissors and short, deliberate snips.
- If your ribbon sits close to the outline, angle the scissors so the blades point away from the ribbon while cutting.
Expected result A clean edge all around, with no cuts into the outline stitch and the ribbon fully intact.
Operation checklist
- Placement line stitched.
- Ribbon taped and tacked securely.
- Front vinyl placed and design stitched cleanly.
- Back vinyl lightly sprayed, positioned, and outline stitched.
- Edges trimmed evenly; ribbon undamaged.
Scaling up: Complete the set Repeat the same sequence for each design: bell, stocking, snowflake, heart, and round. Consistent hooping and light adhesive make batching smooth.
Quick check Before each final outline, flip the hoop and confirm the back vinyl fully covers the stitch footprint. ricoma mighty hoops
Quality Checks: What Good Looks Like After each major pass, use these checks to stay on track.
After ribbon tack-down
- Ribbon lies centered over the placement line.
- Tack stitch fully secures ribbon ends beneath the front vinyl footprint.
After stitching the main design
- Tension looks balanced with clean top stitching.
- No thread nests or loops on top.
After adding the back vinyl and running the outline
- Back vinyl coverage is complete; outline fully encloses the design.
- No gaps where the outline missed the edge.
After trimming
- The border width is even all around.
- No nicks into the outline stitch.
- Ribbon remains secure; give it a gentle pull to confirm.
Pro tip If you want a soft, thick feel on a future set, insert felt or batting between vinyl layers, and consider leaving a wider edge to finish with decorative scissors—as mentioned by the design’s instructions referenced in the video. mighty hoop 5.5
Results & Handoff: Finish, Display, and Store You’ll end up with a sparkly six-piece set: Christmas tree, bell, stocking, snowflake, heart, and round. The vinyl gives structure and shine, so the ornaments hang crisply on a tree or garland.
Display ideas
- Hang from branches, cabinet knobs, or gift bags.
- Mix colors by changing vinyl and thread: green for trees, red for rounds, yellow for stars.
Care and storage
- Store flat to avoid creasing the vinyl.
- Keep away from direct heat sources that could warp the vinyl.
Troubleshooting & Recovery Symptom: I forgot to add the ribbon
- Likely cause: Skipped placement/tack-down early in the sequence.
- Fix: Finish the stitch-out as a flat tag, or restitch the ornament and remember to place the ribbon right after the placement line next time.
Symptom: I cut the ribbon while trimming
- Likely cause: Scissors too close to the tack area or poor cutting angle.
- Fix options: If you nicked it slightly, a small dab of glue may rescue it by re-anchoring the ends between layers. For a fully severed ribbon, finish the ornament and thread a new ribbon through a tiny punched hole outside the stitch line on a future version, or restitch the design. This situation happened in the video; the creator re-secured the ribbon with glue after trimming.
Symptom: Back vinyl doesn’t fully cover the outline
- Likely cause: Piece was cut too small or shifted during placement.
- Fix: Before the outline stitch, flip the hoop and re-position the back vinyl so it overhangs the design area. Restart the outline only when you’re sure coverage is complete.
Symptom: Uneven trimming or wavy edges
- Likely cause: Rushing the cut or using bulky scissors in tight areas.
- Fix: Switch to small embroidery scissors for curves and points; make short, shallow snips.
Quick isolation tests
- Test the tack: Gently tug the ribbon before adding the back vinyl—if it moves, add another tack pass.
- Outline coverage: Before pressing start on the outline, check front and back coverage visually.
Watch out Do not hold materials under the needle. Tape the ribbon and keep fingers clear during any stitch pass, especially on the tack‐down.
From the comments
- Where to find designs and vinyl: One reader confirmed the designs and vinyl were linked in the original description. If your pattern vendor provides a supply list, follow their specifics for felt or decorative edges.
- Ribbon mishaps are common: A commenter shared they once cut the ribbon and glued it between felt layers, and on another project forgot to add the ribbon entirely—proof that a simple pre-step checklist prevents rework. mighty hoop magnetic embroidery hoops
Why this method works Glitter embroidery vinyl plus cut-away stabilizer yields a firm, sparkling ornament with minimal construction time. The early ribbon tack builds in the hanger. The final outline pass locks front and back vinyl together for a reversible finish, and careful trimming frames the design cleanly. This is a straightforward, confidence-building project that scales well for batch gift-making. mighty hoops for embroidery