DIY Easy Sewn Chintz Eggs for the Grandmillennial Decorator

I love decorating for Spring, but most stores don’t always sell exactly what I’m looking for. And that includes sewn chintz eggs.

Eggs are a staple in Spring decor – and truthfully, I don’t know why chintz isn’t either. Outside of Grandmillennial homes, I guess other people just don’t care for it.

This means that if I want sewn chintz eggs for garlands or wreaths, I have to make them myself. Thankfully, these are simple if you have some experience with a sewing machine. They require a few materials and very little fabric so this is a fairly cheap project.

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Preparation

Note: If you’d like to throw the eggs in the washer in the future, I recommend you prewash your fabric before cutting your pieces. Some fabrics shrink when dried, so it’s best to shrink them before you’ve begun your project.

Download the PDF pattern file below. Then, print out the pattern. Cut the pattern around the solid line.

This pattern will yield an egg that is about 9-¾” inches high when flat.

Cut Your Pieces

Pin your printed pattern to your fabric, trace, and cut out the panel. You will need to do this four times. You should have four panels that when sewn together will make your egg.

If your fabric has a direction, ensure that when you cut your panels all of them are cut in the same direction. Otherwise, you run the risk of your egg looking wonky once you complete it. 

I recommend you cut your panels with the egg pattern positioned vertically. When you cut your second egg panel, try to cut it as close to your first cut. This is especially relevant for medium-scale fabric patterns. This way, the pattern on your fabric will appear more continuous on your finished egg.

If your fabric is medium scale, then number your panels as you cut them. Otherwise this may become confusing as to which is 1, 2 etc. when mixed up.

Also, due to the size of the finished egg, I would not recommend you use fabrics with very large-scale patterns. The fabric pattern will be lost and unrecognizable once you sew the egg. Small to medium-scale fabric patterns are best for this project.

Once you’ve cut your pieces, pin two panels right sides together. Do the same to your last two panels.

When pinning, ensure you are pinning on either the left side of the panels or right ON BOTH PAIRS OF PANELS. Use the image above as reference.

Prepare Your Ribbon Loops

This step is optional. The ribbon loop is great if you intend to hang your eggs to display.

The length of your loop is up to you. I find that an egg this large looks good with a piece of ribbon that measures 8 inches. Once you subtract about 1 inch for seam allowance, you get a loop that’s about 3-½ inches tall.

Sewing

Sew your sandwiched panels on one side – corner to corner – with a ¼” seam allowance. I placed a piece of tape ¼” away from the needle to guide my sewing.

Make sure to backstitch when you begin and end your stitch. Do the same to your second pair.

Carefully press open your seam on both sewed panels.

With both sewed panels open, sandwich them and pin them together. Double-check that the right sides of the fabric are sandwiched inside. Ensure the direction of the fabric pattern is the same for both panels.

If you’d like to add a ribbon loop, then place and pin it between both pieces of fabric. The end of the ribbon should be pointing towards the outside while the loop should be located inside the egg.

Sew around the perimeter and leave a small gap unsewn.

Iron the perimeter seam flat.

Flip your project inside out. You should now be looking at the printed side of the fabric.

Finishing Touches on Your Chintz Eggs

Fill your egg with polyfill stuffing. The more stuffing you add, the smoother the surface of the egg. You can use a pencil or your fingers to shift the stuffing into crevases.

Thread a needle with matching thread and hand stitch the gap closed. I recommend using an invisible stitch to get a clean finish.

If you wish to add a decorative touch, you can use a spare ribbon to tie or glue a bow at the base of the hanging loop.

Make as many of these as you need for whatever decorative projects you have underway. I made a couple of these to attach to garlands, but these would look great on wreaths or hung on tree branches outdoors or on a vase.