Guide

How to Make Cross-Stitch Christmas Ornaments

A handmade ornament is one of the nicest things you can stitch. It's small enough to finish in an evening or two, it costs very little, and it comes out of the box every December for years. Here's how to pick a design, choose a fabric and turn your stitching into something that hangs on the tree.

Choose a small design

Ornaments work best when they're small and simple. Aim for a design somewhere between 30 and 50 stitches wide. That's big enough to read clearly from across the room, but small enough to finish quickly and hang without weighing down a branch.

Bold shapes and a few colors suit ornaments better than fine detail. Our free Christmas patterns were drawn with this in mind: a gingerbread friend, a stocking, candy canes, a bauble, a mitten, a poinsettia, a snowflake and a reindeer. The tree, snowman and holly wreath in the Seasonal set work well too.

Most of these open at 50 to 60 stitches. To shrink one, drag the Size slider in the pattern maker down to 40 or 45 stitches before you download the chart. Fewer stitches means fewer details, so check the preview and pick the smallest size that still looks right.

How big will it be?

Finished size is simply the number of stitches divided by the fabric count. Here's what to expect for the width:

Most tree ornaments land between 2 and 4 inches across. For anything else, our size calculator does the sum for you, and the Aida count guide explains what each count looks like.

Pick your fabric

• 14-count Aida is the easy choice. It's what most beginners already have, and the stitches are big enough to see without strain.
• 18-count Aida gives you a smaller, finer ornament from the same chart. Use one or two strands of floss, depending on how full you want the coverage.
• Perforated paper is a stiff, card-like sheet punched with holes, usually 14 to the inch, so any 14-count chart works on it. It doesn't fray, so you can cut right around the design. It also can't be washed or ironed, and a crease won't come out, so keep it flat and keep your hands clean.
• Plastic canvas is another no-fray option. It's rigid and usually coarser, often 7 or 10 count, so designs come out larger and chunkier. It's a good fit for children's projects.

Leave about 1.5 inches of spare fabric on each side of the design if you plan to make a stuffed ornament, and about an inch for flat finishes. If you need a refresher on the stitching itself, our beginner's how-to covers it.

Five ways to finish an ornament

Once the stitching is done, give fabric pieces a gentle wash and a face-down press as described in our framing and finishing guide. Skip that step for perforated paper. Then choose a finish.

1. Felt-backed flat ornament

The quickest finish, and very forgiving.

You'll need: felt, thin card or fusible interfacing, fabric glue (or needle and floss), ribbon or cord.

1. Cut a piece of thin card to the shape you want, a little bigger than the design. Alternatively, iron fusible interfacing to the back of the stitching to stiffen it.
2. Trim the fabric, leaving about an inch around the card. Fold the edges to the back and glue them down, keeping glue off the stitched area.
3. Cut felt slightly smaller than the ornament and glue or whipstitch it over the back.
4. Glue cord around the edge to hide the join, tucking in a hanging loop at the top. Let it dry flat under a book for a few hours.

2. Mini hoop ornament

Charming, and no shaping needed.

You'll need: a 3 to 4-inch wooden hoop, felt, strong thread, ribbon.

1. Choose a hoop that leaves a small border of plain fabric showing around the design.
2. Center the stitching, tighten the outer ring and check that the fabric is straight.
3. Trim the fabric to about an inch beyond the hoop. Run a gathering stitch around the edge and pull it tight across the back.
4. Cover the back with a felt circle cut slightly smaller than the inner ring, stitched or glued in place.
5. Tie a ribbon through the hoop's screw to hang it.

3. Stuffed pillow ornament

Soft, squishy and a little more traditional.

You'll need: backing fabric, polyester fiberfill, a sewing needle or machine, an 8-inch ribbon.

1. Trim the stitching to a square or rectangle, leaving at least 1.5 inches around the design. Cut backing fabric to match.
2. Fold the ribbon in half and pin it at the top center, loop pointing inward, between the two pieces placed right sides together.
3. Sew around the edges about a quarter inch in, leaving a 2 to 3-inch gap at the bottom.
4. Clip the corners, turn it right side out and push the corners out with a blunt tool such as a chopstick.
5. Stuff in small pieces, corners first, until firm but not bulging. Close the gap with small hand stitches.

4. Clear fillable or mini frame ornament

Almost no finishing skills required.

You'll need: a clear flat fillable ornament or a small picture-frame ornament, thin card, scissors.

1. Use the frame's backing or insert as a template and trace it onto thin card.
2. Center your stitching over the card and trim the fabric slightly larger than the opening.
3. Wrap the edges around the card and secure them on the back with a little glue or tape.
4. Slip it into the frame or ornament and close it. Most come with a loop or hanger already attached.

5. Perforated paper cutout

Crisp edges and a vintage look.

You'll need: perforated paper, paper scissors, felt or card for the back, thread or ribbon.

1. Stitch with a gentle tension. Paper tears if you pull hard, and you can't hoop it.
2. With paper scissors, cut around the design, leaving one empty row of holes outside the stitching. A stepped edge that follows the holes is easiest.
3. Glue felt or card to the back, then trim it to match.
4. Thread a loop of floss or ribbon through a hole near the top and knot it.

Hanging loops

Ribbon, narrow cord, baker's twine and twisted floss all make good loops. About 6 to 8 inches, folded in half, gives a loop that slips easily over a branch. Sew the ends in place where you can, since glue alone can let go when the ornament is tugged off the tree each year. Attach the loop at the top center, and hold the ornament up by it before the glue sets to make sure it hangs straight.

A stitch-by-December plan

Ornaments are quick, but December fills up fast. Working backward from Christmas helps:

• Late October: choose your designs, decide how many ornaments you want, and download the charts and thread lists.
• Early November: buy fabric, floss and finishing supplies. Check the thread list against your stash first.
• November: stitch. At one small design per evening or two, a set of six fits comfortably into three or four weeks.
• Last week of November: wash, press and finish. Doing all the finishing in one session is faster, since your glue, felt and ribbon are already out.
• Early December: wrap gifts and mail anything going far away.

Gift tips

• Stitch the year, or the recipient's initial, small on the back of the felt or in a corner. It turns a nice ornament into a keepsake.
• Choose designs to suit the person: the mitten for someone who loves winter, the gingerbread friend for a baker.
• Package each ornament flat in tissue paper. A small box protects stuffed and paper ornaments in the mail.
• A matching set of three or four makes a lovely teacher or neighbor gift.
• Pin a tiny note to the ribbon with a care tip: store flat, away from damp, and out of strong sunlight.