No-Sew Ice Skate Ornament

When I was very young, someone made me a felt ornament that has hung on my tree for the past 38+ years. It's a pair of green ice skates, with paperclip blades. Their sewn-on laces are connected, so you hang them on the tree by draping the two skates over a branch. I like them a lot, but I wish they were white. Green ice skates aren't very common and they don't stand out against the Christmas tree.

Trevor has now been taking ice skating lessons for just under two years. (He can skate circles, literally, around his mother.) Trevor's skates are black. How fun to make ice skate ornaments that are white for me and black for Trevor! I decided to do some experimenting to come up with a kid-friendly, no-sew version. Here's what I made:

Felt Ice Skate Ornament

What You Need:

• paper clip
• wire cutters
• felt
• scissors
• cotton ball
• craft glue
• binder clips
• grey Sharpie
• grey embroidery floss

How To Make It:

• Use the wire cutters to snip the paperclip into two parts. The larger segment will be the blade and the smaller segment, opened up, will be the hanger. Set both pieces aside.

• Fold the piece of felt. Imagine the back of the skate (where your calf would be) sitting on the fold. Cut out a stocking shape, but do not cut the fold. Unfold the felt.

• Pull apart the cotton ball and add pieces to one side of the skate. 

• Put craft glue all the way around the felt. Put the larger paperclip piece in place.

• Fold the felt in half, trapping the paperclip inside. Adjust it if necessary, then hold it closed (binder clips work great for this). I didn't do it this way, but I recommend putting the hanger in at this point. Let the glue dry completely.  

• Use the Sharpie to draw the laces onto the skate. (Imagine that the hanger is already glued in!) 

• Tie a bow with a small piece of embroidery floss and glue it to the top of the laces. When it is dry, hang your ornament!  

I don't have Trevor's to show yet because he'll be making his today. His friend Avery is hosting a cookie decorating party today and her mom asked me to teach a craft while the cookies are baking. Since Avery and her brother also take skating lessons, this is the perfect craft! I'm bringing a variety of colors of felt, though Trevor has already announced that his ice skate ornament will be black.

It's been awhile since I've shared video of Trevor ice skating. This is from his recital last Thursday. He is the second shortest, in the red shirt and grey/black striped hat.