Only six days until christmas and amazingly there is no furious sewing in this house. Just one more gift to make and then we’re off to Grandma’s house. There are always a couple people I forget and they are always the ones ready with a gift for me. So I thought I’d make a few ornaments to keep in my bag for those awful, awkward moments. I’m sure there are people like that in your life too: the weird cousin, the super smiley coworker. I thought I’d pass on a pattern for a gingerbread man ornament that can be whipped up quickly just in case you forgot someone. Click here to download the gingerbread man pattern and instructions. I included some pictures with the instructions below as well. If you make one let me know!

materials
brown or tan wool felt
a tiny bit of white felt too
some stuffing (polyfil, etc.)
red, white, and black embroidery thread
white mini rickrack
fray check
two red buttons
glue stick

directions

1. cut out template and pin to felt. Cut out one gingerbread man out of felt.

2. for the eyes cut two small circles out of the white felt and attach them to the gingerbread man with one black french knot each. With a backstitch, sew a small circle for the mouth. Sew buttons on with white embroidery thread–to make them look like candies, sew from the button holes to the outside edge of the button. Cut pieces of mini rickrack for trim on two arms and the leg, dab all the ends with fray check, and use the glue stick to tack them down.

3. cut a rectangle as big as your gingerbread man out of felt. Pin your decorated man to this rectangle. Make a loop of rickrack and tuck it in between the layers on your gingerbread man’s head (to hang him from later). Stitch by machine or by hand from A to B (the long way) 1/8inch from the edge. Be sure to catch all the rickrack as you stitch.

4. cut off the extra felt.

5. stuff the little man lightly and sew up the opening.

6. hang him up or give him away!

83 Responses to “pattern for a half eaten gingerbread man”

  1. calegar Says:

    That is wonderful! Great tutorial!

  2. jennifer Says:

    eeek, adorable!

  3. Ez Says:

    This is super adorable and so clever! Thank you so much for sharing!

    xo
    Ez

  4. jen s Says:

    thanks so much for sharing! i saw the gingerbread men on your post a few weeks ago and loved it then. i’m not much of a sewer but have extra time this weekend to ponder an attempt…

  5. greetingarts Says:

    Oh, how funny and cute and generous of you. Must make a couple, but I’m afraid they might traumatize my two girls…!

  6. holiday traditions « elsie marley Says:

    [...] we would eat all the popcorn. The gingerbread man is a little stuffed ornament (I posted a pattern here and there are more I made here). We would make gingerbread men (and ladies) every year and before [...]

  7. Kim Davis Says:

    I was lucky enough to receive one of your birds from the cake and pie ornament swap. I ADORE it and these gingerbread men. You are very talented! I enjoy reading about your projects too here on your blog. I’m not a “blog reader” usually, but I like to see what you’re up to, lol.

  8. kirsten Says:

    ha ha! thank you!

  9. plumpfiction Says:

    Love the half eaten gingerbread man… so cool!

  10. amatricis Says:

    how cute! too bad we had no tree this year…but that won’t stop me!

  11. Amy Hodge Says:

    This is so adorable!

  12. thefruid Says:

    I saw your cute little gingerbread man on Sew Mama Sew. Absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea and tutorial!

  13. Sherry Says:

    He is adorable. I am making one for my 6 year grandson that ate the corner of the gingerbread house when he was about 3! It will be a darling reminder! Thanks

  14. kelly Says:

    Found you today via Whip Up. Hilarious! I am definitely filing this away under “Must make.” Thanks for sharing!

  15. Barb Says:

    That is *so* cute! That’s in my “have to make” pile.

  16. Sarah Says:

    This is awesome! My family is defnitely getting these next year…

  17. traci Says:

    this is the best ornament of all time. all i can say is heeee! love him and his little yelp!

  18. glitznvixen Says:

    Love it!!!

  19. pattern for a half eaten gingerbread man « elsie marley Says:

    [...] December 19, 2007 I moved to a new site and you can now find this post at http://www.elsiemarley.com/pattern-for-a-half-eaten-gingerbread-man.html [...]

  20. Melissa Says:

    This is adorable…Oh, my gosh!! I love it! I’m a huge g-bread freak, and I’ve never seen anything like it!! So VERY creative! Nice work.

  21. laura Says:

    i wish it was christmas now so i can make these!

  22. alison Says:

    Haa haa! That’s made me smile – appeals to my wicked side. My boys will love that on their tree!

  23. ginger Says:

    Just the sweetest gingerman i seen! Thank you so much for the tutorial great job!

  24. Alissa Says:

    ZOMG. That’s hilarious.

  25. Maria Says:

    Hi, your idea is soooooo nice, I´m making some of this right now, they´ll have to wait a whole year to be used but they are so adorable I couldn´t wait to make them!!!.

  26. domi Says:

    How cute! They’ll look great on my tree next Christmas.

  27. Nancy Says:

    I can hardly wait for nest Christmas so I can hand this
    Halfeaten Gingerbread Man to all of my St. Citizen quilting friends. This will help them remember days gone by. How much fun for all of us.

  28. Betty Says:

    Too Cute!!!! I would love to make them as party favors for My club Christmas luncheon.

  29. sharon Says:

    sew cute! My family will adore them.

  30. Lea of Farmhouse Blessings Says:

    Oh my goodness, this is the cutest little thing! I have added him to my tutorial list in my sidebar. He’s too good not to share!

    Smiles, Lea

  31. El-Mo Says:

    I love “sassy” ornaments! They’re so not the standard & something that definitely belongs on my tree! Thank you for the pattern, instructions & pictures.

  32. anna Says:

    i made one of these for a friend last year (after years of complaints of crap christmas ornaments) – and she loved it so thanks very much!

  33. Mo Says:

    Hiya,

    Thanks for the tutorial! I had some great success with them, in a scaled down version, and made a few other variations too, they will adorn my tree this year. Have a look here.

    Thanks again!

  34. Gingerbread man « Monica e lo Scrapbooking Says:

    [...] Posted on 27 Settembre 2009 by sanztosi Sul sito di Elsie Marley rovate il tutoria per realizzare questo carinissimo ginger per [...]

  35. STEVE Says:

    Thanks for writeing this post! I can’t belive that it’s really almost Christmas, where does the time fly?

  36. Looking Ahead « min/min Says:

    [...] Half-Eaten Gingerbread Man–Ha, Ha [...]

  37. Jael Says:

    Holy Moses. Search for annual homemade ornament idea is OVER. Thanks so much, this is the cutest.

  38. Kristin Says:

    oh my! That is too stinking cute!

  39. Dawn Says:

    This is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Thanks for your generosity! I cannot wait to make this lil guy!!

  40. Michele Says:

    How adorable! I just had to make one this morning. Thanks for the great tute!

  41. Julie Bramman Says:

    I can’t wait to make these…I think they will appear on every Christmas package–thanks for sharing, these gave me a laugh!

  42. K-Sue Says:

    Just saw this, and already plan to make some – Don’t you love it that you are still getting comments 2 years later? This one will be a classic! Thank you for sharing.

  43. rachel carlson Says:

    ABSOLUTELY ♥ this – thanks for sharing the how-to!

  44. This weekend. The City Cradle Says:

    [...] half eaten gingerbread ornament with a free [...]

  45. Betty Riordan Says:

    I have had a Nana Camp at my house for each of my grandchildren for many years during the summer months. The younger ones come once monthly, all year long. We go on scavenger hunts, make scrapbooks, paint, and of course do crafts. This is a perfect thing at this time of year for them to do.

  46. Betty Riordan Says:

    My grandchildren have come every summer for Nana Camp. We have many activities such as: scavenger hunts, scrapbooks, painting and of course crafts. The younger ones come once monthly during the day. This is such a perfect thing for them to make, with my help of course. Thank you.

  47. “Not my gumdrop buttons….” « Squirrel Acorns Says:

    [...] recently ran across this pattern/tutorial on Elsie Marley’s site for a half-eaten gingerbread boy ornament, and I had to make it!  He’s so adorable!  [...]

  48. Jill Says:

    what a hoot this little guy is–great idea! :)

  49. Tammy Says:

    Love this guy! Thanks for posting the instructions.

  50. Dee Says:

    Thanks so much for sharing this, Meg. I’ve been making a bunch of these to give to family members this year. I also used the same template to make normal gingerbread men. Happy Holidays!

  51. Felt Ornaments | Talk Crafty To Me Says:

    [...] Half-eaten Gingerbread Man – This little guy is so adorable. You could also use this pattern as inspiration and make a half-eaten gingerbread woman, or even several intact gingerbread people. [...]

  52. Lavoretti di Natale: gingerbread eco chic craft Christmas | Alessia, scrap & craft... Says:

    [...] potevo non lasciarmi ispirare dai gingerbread, gli omini di pan di zenzero, di Meg alias Elsie Marley, di cui ho parlato qualche giorno [...]

  53. Angela Pea Says:

    He is just TOO FUNNY! Thanks for the tutorial!

  54. Gep Says:

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE your half eaten gingerbread boy! thanks for positing instructions. I want to make one right now! I decorate my entire kitchen in a gingerbread theme at Christmas. Just perfect for me.

  55. Sheri Says:

    So clever!! I’ll be posting a link on childmade.com. Thanks for sharing!

  56. 09.12.09 « My life. The blogable bits. Says:

    [...] I found this tutorial for the cutest little Gingerbread Man. All credits must go to Elsie Marley. He is cute, huh? Not that he would match my tree colours this year as I went with purple, pink, blue and silver. I must share a photo when I get a tree topper that matches. [...]

  57. Laura Bray Says:

    I just posted a link to this on my blog: http://katydiddys.blogspot.com/2009/12/gingerbread-ornament-pattern.html

    This was a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing!

  58. Janet Says:

    I’ve just made four of these great gingerbread men. They were a lot of fun. Thank you so much for the tutorial and I’ve linked back to you on my blog.

  59. 12 Holiday Crafting Projects | Your Decorating Hotline Says:

    [...] years ago Elsie Marley provided directions for this charming little gingerbread man.  Gingerbread  never goes out of [...]

  60. Half Eaten Gingerbread Man Ornaments · Lesson Plans @ CraftGossip Says:

    [...] Older children could definitely help out with this craft…even help sew it! HEad on over to Elsie Marley for the [...]

  61. Dawn Says:

    Love it.. Thanks

  62. Amanda Says:

    That is way too cute for words! I love it!

  63. Christmas Ornament 2009 « Elizabeth, You Were Born to Play That Part Says:

    [...] Ornament 2009 2009 December 11 by Elizabeth So the other day, I saw this free pattern for a half eaten gingerbread man ornament and I just loved it! I knew I had to make one since it [...]

  64. ter Says:

    how cute are these thank you soo much for sharing
    i know i will be making a few to put a smile on someones face and a happy spirit into the holiday going to a cookie exchange what a cute thank you this is going to be
    ter

  65. Debbe Says:

    love the whimsical gingerbread man, thanks for sharing and your tutorial is very informative and well thought out.

  66. Kathleen S Says:

    Thank you so much for this pattern! Got a bad case of the giggles when I first saw it. I’m planning on whipping a couple up for my xmas gingerbread tree today!

  67. A crafting, baking fool. Emphasis on fool. | Playgroups are No Place For Children Says:

    [...] Half-eaten gingerbread man! CUTE! I found this idea at elsiemarley.com. [...]

  68. Andrea Says:

    My troubles are over. I’ve been searching for an ornament that my 9yo could make for our family ornament exchange and this is it! She loves to sew, so this is perfect. She was delighted when she saw it and has been nagging me to help her start ever since. Thank you!

  69. Rebeca Says:

    I bought a 1 foot (1/3 of a year) piece of brown/tan felt for this project and was able to make 16 gingerbread men! Everyone loves them!

  70. Geraldine Says:

    I made 3 in no time at all. Perfect little gifts for my sewing group.

  71. Cathy Says:

    Merci beaucoup, c’est sympa et rigolo, je vais en faire et l’ajouter au gâteau du sapin de Noël! Merci j’adore !

  72. Jeanette R. Buchanan Says:

    Hi
    Wonderful tutorial. Hope you are enjoying this “wintery weather.! Tomorrow we have an appointment with the accountant so Allan is going to take me to guess who (Yup JoAnn Fabric) as I need some fleece for my embroidery projects. I now have run out of what I had.
    Enjoy the Holidays. Jeanette

  73. Lucy Says:

    This is so adorable – is there a pattern available to download?

  74. Oh no! « Much-Adored Says:

    [...] around.  This year I was having a hard time finding the perfect ornament, and then I found this tutorial from Elsie Marley for a gingerbread man ornament.  Not just any gingerbread man, but a half-eaten one. [...]

  75. Shasta Says:

    This is a wonderful tutorial, and such a great idea. I made this with my nephew and he was quite tickled with it. A picture is on my blog.

  76. 12 Days: Make & Doodle | gaelick Says:

    [...] A cute half-eaten gingerbread man from Elsie Marley. [...]

  77. How to make a half-eaten gingerbread man ornament. | My.BuzzCritic.com Says:

    [...] gingerbread man is actually a quick little project that requires very little sewing. Elise provides the tutorial as well as a downloadable pattern. Materials you’ll need to make one [...]

  78. Ruth Robinson Says:

    wonderful and oh so cute!

  79. Margaret Says:

    Thank you for sharing such a cute pattern! I loved making these as gifts for our neighbours this Christmas.

  80. Aderi Says:

    Un encanto!!!

    Gracias por el tutorial, el año que viene no faltaran en mi casa.

    Un beso, Aderi.

  81. April Says:

    This is a great pattern! I made 10 of them this year for my kiddos and their cousins. I have two left that I need to finish. I used small googly eyes instead of white felt and black embroidery thread. Turned out great!

  82. Julie Says:

    I ordered the felt and bought all the supplies at Hobby Lobby. I made 10 of them!! It was a job but worth it for little Christmas gifts for next Christmas. These are just SO CUTE!! Thanks so much for sharing – great instructions!!

  83. Sherry Says:

    Great Idea!! I have the felt and trims. I am going to start making some soon so I will have them for next year.

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