Rolled Candy Ornaments

A few months ago I asked over twitter what people’s favorite Christmas sweets were and then tried to think about ways to make them in fabric or clay. Some of them I gave up on – like Peppermint Bark – and others I took in a whole different direction. Several people listed chocolates or candies that they only eat at this time of the year, so then my brainstorming went straight off into candyland. I was thinking about those brightly colored licorice candies, or pieces of saltwater taffy, and this is what I came up with.

It couldn’t be simpler to make.

Glue together the ends of six pieces of wool felt, cut into strips 1″ wide. I used the full width of the fabric from the bolt, but you can make the pieces as long or as short as you’d like to determine the finished size of your ornament.

Then it’s just a matter of gluing and rolling. I used a white tacky glue because you will use a lot of it. Each layer needs to be glued down as you go. I found it easiest to spread the glue over the top of the curve, and then press the wool down on top of it. If you tried to glue the pieces together before you rolled you’d end up with a bumpy and misshapen candy. Going one layer at a time allows the wool to take on the curve shape in a nice smooth way.

When you are nearly finished and are just gluing the last couple of layers down, insert the ends of a piece of ribbon between them to create your hanger.

Cut the excess ends off in a stacked manner.

I was inspired by the bright colors of wool I found in the shop and how I imagined that looking on the tree, but once I was done making these I thought, “Oh my gosh! This is a cinnamon bun!” If you did five pieces in tan and one piece in brown, it would be a perfect cinnamon bun ornament. I might have to give that option a try for next year.