For the fourth year in a row (here’s years #1 and #2 and #3), I was in charge of designing and coordinating the sewing of felt ornaments to be given as thank yous for donations made during the Advent season, particularly at our Advent Bazaar, supporting the mercy ministries at our church.

I was way behind on this project this year (part of that losing the ultra-productive me business) and didn’t manage to get all four samples made in advance at once like I usually do.  But thankfully, my good friend Sharla took a picture of all four of them together after we’d had a couple ornament making parties.  So I didn’t actually [necessarily] sew these but I did design them!

mitten (heavily adapted from this tutorial), sheep (designed by me – tutorial to come soon here!), Christmas lights (designed by me, inspired by 60 millions pins of the same Etsy shop on Pinterest), dove (adapted from this tutorial)

I have to admit that my heart was more than a little glad and proud when the sheep was the most popular ornament at the bazaar and sold out quickly!  It seems everyone thought they were as cute as Ellie did!  She immediately requested that I sew one for her and she likes to run around the house, swinging it and singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep”! 🙂

I am especially grateful to Linda for sewing just about all the doves, Sharla for sewing almost all the lights (and stringing them), Joy for sewing over half the sheep, and to all the other women and girls who helped sew the rest!  This fall was a crazy one for me and these sixty ornaments (15 of each design) certainly wouldn’t have gotten done if I’d had to sew many more than the four samples that I did sew.

P.S. Has anyone caught on to the Nativity scene that we’re building?  A star in 2011, an angel in 2012 and a sheep in 2013.  Any requests for what should come next?