Bucilla’s felt ornament line is seventy-one sets deep, and the way the catalog presents them — a flat grid, alphabetical by product name — makes the lineup look interchangeable. It isn’t. Set sizes range from four ornaments to fourteen. Themes cluster into ten or so recognizable families. The right set turns a Christmas tree into a coherent handmade piece; the wrong one ends up in the holiday box.

This guide cuts the catalog into navigable themes, explains the set-size system, and disambiguates the duplicates (yes, there are two Twelve Days of Christmas SKUs — they’re not the same). Every set listed below is a real catalog SKU.

What’s actually in a “felt ornament kit”

A Bucilla felt ornament kit ships with the materials to stitch every ornament in the set: stamped felt (the shape outlines are printed onto the felt for you to cut along), cotton embroidery floss, separated sequins and beads matched to the design, embroidery needles, and complete instructions. You don’t choose colors. You don’t substitute beads. You open the kit, cut the felt along the printed lines, and stitch.

One distinction that catches new buyers: most ornament kits are felt-applique (built from layers of pre-cut felt). A small number are cross-stitch worked on Aida cloth — visually different finish, different technique. The Bucilla Classic Christmas Collection (89454E) is the most prominent cross-stitch ornament kit; if you want felt-applique specifically, skip the cross-stitch SKUs.

Ornament hangers (the small metal hooks) are typically not included in the kit itself. Pick up a pack at any craft store — a hundred for a few dollars.

Set sizes: what 4, 6, 12, and 14 actually mean

Set sizes are listed on every product page and they correspond to the number of finished ornaments the kit produces:

4-piece sets: Small theme starters. Good for sampling a design family or for a small tree (apartment, tabletop).
6-piece sets: The most common size. Enough for a coordinated mini-collection; fits a 4–5 foot tree well.
12-piece sets: Enough for a full coordinated tree theme. The Twelve Days of Christmas (89446E) is a 12-piece set; each ornament is approximately 3″ × 3.5″.
14-piece sets: The fullest theme cover — works for a 6–7 foot tree where you want every ornament from the same kit.

Pricing scales roughly with set count — larger sets cost more, though the per-ornament price tends to drop as the set size goes up.

A rule of thumb for how many ornaments a tree needs: thirty ornaments fills a 6-foot tree comfortably with a single theme. A 12-piece kit plus a few standalone heirlooms gets you most of the way there; a 14-piece kit plus a star topper covers a full tree.

Pick by theme

Gnomes

The gnome trend has been steady in home decor for years and Bucilla makes two strong sets.

Gnomes (89298E) — 6-piece set, each ornament approximately 5″ × 6.5″. Three whimsical gnomes and three mushroom houses. Oversized ornaments — these read on a tree from across the room.
Red White & Blue Gnomes (89700E) — patriotic palette for a Fourth of July or Americana take.

Snowmen

A consistently strong category — snowmen feel less specifically Christmas and stay up through January.

Snow Much Fun (89492E)
Snowman’s Peppermint Collection (89659E) — red and white candy palette
Snowman’s Candy Confections (89730E)

Gingerbread

Warm browns, candy details, family-baking energy. The single deepest theme cluster in the line.

Nordic and modern

Cleaner palettes, minimalist composition, Scandi influence.

Nordic Noel (89754E)
Mandala Christmas (89499E) — geometric mandala patterns; the most contemporary set in the line

Religious and nativity

Small but consistent cluster — these have been in the catalog for years.

Silent Night (89572E) — nativity scene ornaments
Night Before Christmas (89288E) — the Clement Clarke Moore poem’s imagery, sequence of scenes

Cats and dogs

A real cluster, often the deciding factor for pet-owner gifts.

Cats:

Cats in Ugly Sweaters (89381E)
Frisky Kitties (89643E)
Bunny Kitties (89686E) — Easter-leaning kittens; bridges Easter and Christmas trees

Dogs:

Christmas Dogs (89283E)
Dogs in Ugly Sweaters (89295E)
Mischievous Puppies (89642E)

Reindeer and forest

Festive Reindeer (89299E) — the main reindeer-centric set

Whimsical and specialty

The “I haven’t seen this on a tree before” cluster.

Merry Pickleball (89711E) — the pickleball-boom ornament, genuinely useful for the pickleball player in your life
Merry Mushrooms (89670E) — cottagecore mushroom forms
Pearl Snowflakes (89682E) — minimalist white-on-white
Holiday Glitz (89637E) — high-glamour metallic palette
Heartfelt Treasures (89745E)
Newlywed Keepsakes (89780E) — for a couple’s first Christmas

Halloween, Easter, and non-Christmas ornaments

The ornament line isn’t only Christmas. Several sets carry seasonal weight outside December.

Halloween:

Halloween (86430)
Vintage Halloween (89276E)
Trick or Treat Puppies (89515E)
Halloween Squad (89647E)
Purrfectly Spooky (89649E)

For the full Halloween line including wreaths and wall hangings, see the Halloween felt kits guide.

Easter / Spring:

Easter Bonnet Parade (89578E) — the strongest standalone Easter set
Bunny Kitties (89686E) — listed under cats above, also Easter-adjacent

Most ornaments are designed to hang from a hanger but can be repurposed: a finished felt ornament works as a garland piece (string several together), a wreath ornament, or a wall display.

The two Twelve Days of Christmas sets — side by side

A common point of confusion: Bucilla makes two different Twelve Days of Christmas ornament kits. They look similar in the catalog grid but they’re not the same:

Twelve Days of Christmas (89446E) — set of 12 ornaments, each approximately 3″ × 3.5″. The features of this kit also call out a coordinating Bucilla Partridge in a Pear Tree felt stocking.
Twelve Days of Christmas (89770E) — a separate, more recent issue.

If you’re buying for the Twelve Days theme specifically, check the kit-front art on the product page; the design lineage on each is distinct. Buyers who want the full Twelve Days collection sometimes buy both and rotate between years.

Cross-stitch ornament kits — a separate category

Most felt-ornament buyers want felt. A small number of Bucilla ornament kits are cross-stitch worked on Aida cloth:

Classic Christmas Collection (89454E) — 14-piece cross-stitch set, finished as ornaments. Different technique, more traditional finish.

Be explicit about which you want when ordering — felt-applique and cross-stitch are not interchangeable. If you specifically want cross-stitch ornaments, the Classic Christmas Collection is the standout.

Crochet ornament kits — a small overlap

Three crochet-technique ornaments cross over from the amigurumi line:

Oscar the Ornament (49620E)
Terry the Tree Ornament (49626E)
Santa Ornament (49629E)

Crochet ornaments have a fundamentally different look — dimensional, soft, often plush — so they pair well with felt ornaments on the same tree rather than competing with them.

Time and skill to stitch

Roughly:

A single felt ornament: 2–6 hours, depending on complexity
A 6-piece set: 12–30 hours total
A 12-piece set: 25–55 hours total
A 14-piece set: 30–60 hours total

Skill required: most felt ornaments are genuinely beginner-friendly because the shapes are small and forgiving. The stitches involved are blanket stitch, running stitch, and basic beadwork. The 3″ × 3.5″ Twelve Days ornaments are smaller than a felt stocking palm, so the time-per-piece is short.

For the deeper time/skill discussion, see the stocking time and skill guide — the principles map directly.

Display and storage

Ornament hangers thread through the loop at the top of each finished ornament. A finished felt ornament can also string onto a garland — six to twelve from the same set make a coordinated mantel piece.

Storage matters more for felt ornaments than for glass: the felt holds shape but creases if folded under pressure. Keep finished ornaments in their original kit box if you have it, with the ornaments laid flat (not stacked under weight). Acid-free tissue between layers prevents color transfer between adjacent ornaments. A dark closet, away from humidity, keeps a felt ornament set looking fresh for two decades or more.

Felt ornament kit FAQ

Are ornament hangers included in the kit? Typically no — the kit includes everything to stitch the ornament, but you’ll add a metal hanger or a length of ribbon to hang it. Hangers are inexpensive at any craft store.

Can I make these into a garland instead of hanging them? Yes. String several finished ornaments on a sturdy ribbon or cord to make a garland. Six to eight ornaments make a mantel-length piece.

Are Bucilla felt ornaments kid-safe? The finished ornaments include small beads and sequins — not appropriate as toys for children under three. As display ornaments on a tree, they’re fine in any household with normal adult supervision around the tree.

Can I machine-wash a finished felt ornament? No. Spot clean only. The beads, sequins, and embroidery details don’t survive machine washing.

What size are the finished ornaments? Varies by kit. Twelve Days of Christmas (89446E) ornaments are about 3″ × 3.5″ each. Gnomes (89298E) are about 5″ × 6.5″ each — oversized. The finished size is listed in each kit’s features.

What’s the difference between 89446E and 89770E? Both are Twelve Days of Christmas ornament kits, but they’re separate designs from different release years. Visual style and finished detail differ. Check the product images on each kit before ordering.

Can I substitute thread colors? The kit colors are matched to the design. If you must substitute (older kit, lost floss), the Bucilla-to-DMC chart gives you the closest DMC equivalent for any Bucilla color code.

Pick your felt ornament set

Three starter recommendations across the line:

The on-trend pick: Gnomes (89298E) — 6 oversized ornaments, current decor trend.
The traditional pick: Silent Night (89572E) — nativity scene, the heirloom-grade choice.
The novelty gift: Merry Pickleball (89711E) — a real gift for the pickleball player in your family.

The full lineup is at /product-category/seasonal-felt-kits/ornaments.

If you’re building a coordinated handmade Christmas, the natural next steps are the stocking kits guide (match your stockings to your ornament theme) and the felt advent calendar guide (add the countdown). Once everything is stitched, it’s not seventy-one sets in a catalog. It’s one tree.

Bucilla Felt Ornament Kits: 71 Sets Compared — Gnomes, Snowmen, Animals & More