Materials:
Stitched squares
No 12 Perle cotton
Needle
Skirtex or card
Cording or ribbon
Polyfil for stuffing
Bell (optional)
You first need to stitch six 4-sided squares 9 x 9 leaving approximately 3cm (1") between each box.
Fill in these 'boxes' with motifs, letters and the date of your choosing. You can find these on the Sew Advent 2019 chart - a link to purchase is shown at the bottom of this tutorial.The top has 3 stitches in each corner with a diamond eyelet in the centre.
Iron the whole thing and then cut out the squares leaving a centimetre (slightly under 1/2") margin. From the skirtex or card cut squares to fit inside your stitching - slightly inside the outside stitch. Fold the stitched piece around the card and lace. Repeat for all six squares.
Piece a hole on the card you put inside the top square
You now have six pieces ready to stitch together. Arrange them into a pleasing order. If I am putting two letters on the ornament I arrange them as above. If I am using one letter I substitute the second letter with a different motif.
Make a hand-twisted cord or use a length of ribbon. Knot the two ends and then bring the loop end through the centre hole of the top piece.
Take the first two squares and leaving a hanging thread of about 10cm (4") ladder stitch them together through the linen thread between the holes made by the 4-sided stitches. If you arrive at a spot where there is a hanging thread tie them together and lose inside the cube and start with a new thread again leaving a hanging thread.
Continue joining the sides of the squares
Form into the cube shape as you go leaving one set of squares open on two or three sides - I made it the bottom.
Insert some polyfil separating it as you go and then pop in the bell followed by more polyfil.
Close up the open sides, lose any hanging threads inside the cube. You will now have a finished cube ornament. These were two that I, and my granddaughter Megan, finished yesterday. Meg stitched on 30ct Brussels linen and mine is done on a 35ct Brussels linen.
The Sew Advent 2019 chart can be purchased *here* for $17. There are numerous motifs together with an alphabet for personalisation.
All these pictures can be enlarged for a closeup view of each step by clicking on them
I've finished many cubes using a block of Styrofoam to size covered with flannel and used polyfil to fill any empty corners. I cut my own Styrofoam to fit. End result
it's lightweight and gives the cube a more professional look.