In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to cover glass Christmas balls with fabric. Tame the tree and change the tones in your home with these simple, farmhouse DIY fabric ornament balls!

Why You Should Make DIY Fabric Ornament Balls
There are several things I loved about this project! And in attempt to convince you to embrace simpler and better things at Christmas, let me give you a list of the pros.
- You get to take something flashy and convert it to a simple, farmhouse style ornament.
- These DIY fabric Christmas tree ornaments are a no sew project!
- No glue is used to cover glass ornament balls, so things are less likely to come apart over the years.
- The technique I show you is fast, and you could whip out dozens of these ornaments in just an hour or two!
- The result is charming and something you can enjoy for years to come.
How to Cover Glass Christmas Balls with Fabric
Christmas decor often comes with glitter, sparkle and shine. And while I understand what draws folks in to this style, it just isn’t for me. I find myself going for the soften tones and decor that has a natural, farmhouse feel.
So much, in fact, that I’ve started transforming blingy Christmas tree ornaments into something that is suitable for a country Christmas in my little cottage.
I’ve been covering glass Christmas tree balls with fabric. And the result was so charming, I had to share it with you here!

Items You’ll Need for This Project
- Glass or plastic Christmas balls (get small HERE and the larger size HERE)
- Ticking stripe cloth
- Cranberry red fabric
- Tiny tree cones
- Cotton string
- A pair of cloth scissors
If you wish to keep the edges of your fabric from fraying, I recommend using a pair of pinking shears, instead of traditional scissors. Get you get some HERE.
Watch Steps by Step Directions for Covering Glass Balls
Rather than adding a million photos of this very simple project, I’m going to give you a video tutorial instead! Watch the video below and learn how to cover glass balls with fabric.
Tips for Making DIY Fabric Ornament Balls
For those of you who would rather read, I’ve also put together a printable list with directions below, so you can easily make farmhouse style fabric ornament balls for the Christmas tree.
And here are a few tips to help you along the way!
- While I use ticking stripe in this tutorial, you can use anything that matches your home decor and tree colors.
- When choosing cloth, avoid fabric that comes with large patterns, because the effect will be lost on small glass balls.
- I use fabric strips for this project because it’s not as stiff as ribbon and is easier to manipulate and lie flat.
- You don’t have to use glass balls for this project; also consider foam, rubber or wooden balls as well.
- When Christmas has come and gone, store your fabric balls in a clean place where the material will remain unstained (don’t store next to tree cones that might still have sap, etc).
Farmhouse DIY Fabric Ornament Balls
Video
Notes
- Create a template by laying down an old piece of fabric and cutting a square, as per the ball size.
- Note: your fabric should stand up 2-3 inches higher than the ball’s top.
- Lay your template square on top of your ticking fabric and cut out numerous squares.
- Spread your squares out, with the pretty side face down.
- Rip some 1/4 inch strips of cloth from your red fabric and remove loose threads from the torn edges.
- Take a Christmas tree ball and thread the top with torn strip of red cloth.
- Place the ball at the center of a square.
- Gather up the 4 points and tightly pull the fabric up around the ball.
- While holding the fabric in place with one hand, tightly tie off the top with a fabric strip (it’s a little tricky, but you’ll get the hang of it!)
- Create a firm knot and (if desired) a red bow.
- Trim the ends of your fabric strip to length.
- Cut an 8 inch piece of cotton string.
- Tie the string around 1-2 tiny tree cones, being sure to hide the string in the layers.
- Position your cones in the desired place and tightly tie the string around the top of the cloth-covered ball.
- Trim loose ends to hide your string.
- Keep making these farmhouse DIY fabric ornament balls until you have enough for the tree!
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