Dare to Make It: Holiday

How to Make a Gingerbread House to Outlast Even the Sweetest of Sweet Tooths

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Erika Kern, contributor

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All decorated! This "gingerbread" house is a great project to fill the time between presents and dinner, and it will last until next year!

Erika Kern

This felt "gingerbread" house makes up so fast that you'll be able to make one for each of the kids to decorate on Christmas day.

 

Erika Kern

Recycle some of the many boxes that show up during the holidays to make the structure of your house.

Erika Kern

All decorated! This "gingerbread" house is a great project to fill the time between presents and dinner, and it will last until next year!

Photo: Erika Kern

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If you use embroidery to finish your edges, leave a 1/4-inch edge at the sides of your house, not along the roof line or the bottom, and along the whole of the roof and the base. Glue the sides of your house together before you stitch them. Stitch the base and the roof before you glue them to the final piece.

If you glue around the rough edges, leave a 1/2-inch edge at the sides of the house and the top of the roof piece and the top of the base piece. Glue the edges down, then cut the back piece of the roof and base felt the same size as the cardboard to cover the glued edges.

Once the glue dries, put your house together. I use hot glue since it dries faster. This bit should be done by you ahead of time if you're working with small children.

Run a line of hot glue along the edge of your front piece. Hold the side still until the glue cools.

Repeat until all four sides are attached. If your house is a bit wobbly, run a line of hot glue along the joint to stabilize it. This is when you would stitch the sides if you are finishing your house with embroidery.

Glue the roof onto your house. Add a spot of glue at the peak of the house, let it cool, then glue the sides down from the inside.

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Comments (6)

EcocessorizeGirl writes: Another thing you could do with spare felt... Take cookie cutters and use them as a stencil, and stencil them onto spare felt.
Posted: 6:33 pm on December 23rd

michaelb72556 writes: tooths or no tooths, the idea is really cute. I make gingerbread houses with my primary students every year and have made them in a variety of ways. This is a great idea for them (and me). There are a lot of gingerbread house lovers out there...and we love new ideas. Thanks Erika!
Posted: 5:43 pm on December 23rd

SARASTA_IN_VA writes: This is so cool. I can't wait to do this with my kids. They love to make things with boxes, and this will be fun for all of us.
Posted: 10:51 am on November 25th

Jen1964 writes: Love the cloth-felt stuff. It really stays cute and inspiring over the years. We still have some of the projects my husband's sister did, while she was alive. Felt is a great starter for your young sewers and would-be crafters.
You know, once you've made the templates, if you have made spares, you have your cookie house templates as well. And here's a tip for those who don't fancy gingerbread: make them out of rolled sugar cookie dough - plain or chocolate! It isn't hard at all, and if you flour the counter enough, or use waxed paper (like for pie crusts) everything comes up fine. The key is to let people eat them -if you want. Otherwise, I wonder if the bread dough craft people have ideas for (sugarless) house projects to last.
One year when funds were sparse, we blew a lot on gingerbread house makings, and then took pictures as the project went along. Can't say for the rest, but it made memories we'll never forget. I'll bet the Felt would be even more economical. ... and just as dear!
Posted: 10:04 am on January 5th

erika_kern writes: Seriously.
Posted: 12:12 pm on December 26th

RNC11254 writes: Tooths? Seriously?
Posted: 7:35 pm on December 25th

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