Homemade ornaments are so much more fun, rewarding, and cheaper than buying them. Especially when they’re made of paper—in this case, sheet music. That’s why I included so many paper ornaments in my handmade holiday gift list. For this project, I made stars, but you can use nearly any symmetrical shape to make these ornaments (tree, wreath, heart, bell, angel, ball, snowflake, etc.). I made four patterns for you to download to make your own ornaments: star, bell, angel, and ball. Click here to download the patterns.

The song printed on the star is a little-known Christmas hymn titled “With Wondering Awe.” I chose it because it mentions the star more often than any other Christmas carol I found. Bell: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Ball: “Silent Night.” Angel: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” As long as you have a sewing machine, these ornaments are super easy to make.

How to make sheet music Christmas tree ornaments

Supplies

• bright colored ribbon (I used 3/8-inch-wide satin ribbon)
• white paper
• black thread
• download the pdf patterns: star, bell, angel, ball
• ornament hook (optional)

Tools

• scissors
• sewing machine
• ruler
• stapler (optional)

1. Print several copies of the pattern onto white paper. I used a glossy paper to make the stars more durable, but it didn’t fold as easily as regular paper. Shrink the design down on a copier if you want to make smaller ornaments.

2. Staple a few pieces of paper together at the edges (optional) and cut out the stars. For better accuracy, don’t try to cut more than three sheets at a time. You will need to cut 10 stars for each ornament.

3. Cut the ribbon in 24-inch pieces.

4. Stack 10 stars together. Fold the ribbon in half, then drape one side over the top of the stack and the other on the bottom of the stack. Leave a loop at the top about 1-1/2 inches long.Make sure the shiny side of the ribbon faces out.

5. Hold the ribbon straight down the middle of the star (point to point). Sew with a long straight stitch directly down the middle of the ribbon, back-stitching at each end. Make sure you stitch length is very long. If you use a shorter stitch length, the paper will perforate and tear along the middle.

6. The stars will look like this when sewn.

7. Fold the top five sheets along the center stitch and spread each layer out as evenly as you can. Repeat with the bottom five sheets.

8. Hang from a garland or Christmas tree branch. You’re done!