12 Embroidery Ideas for Christmas

1. Mini mistletoe

We may not be having too many kisses under the mistletoe at Christmas parties this year, but we can still feel the love at home!

This little piece of festive greenery is actually a bauble from my 2020 Christmas embroidery collection. I reckon it would make an ideal stocking filler present, but you could also just have it as a quick little project you can do for yourself to get some festive feels started.

I have a partridge and a pear in my shop as well.

2. A Classic Christmas Tree

Speaking of baubles, you’re going to want something to hang them on!

I found it hard to choose just one image to share as inspiration for this one – there are so many amazing creations out there. From stylised line drawings, to super minimalist satin stitch triangles, through to the more realistic looks, there’s a huge variety of Christmas tree embroidery designs to discover. I even saw one made of cats?!

These gorgeous ones really stood out to me for their neutral backgrounds and French knot snowflakes. Even though I’m all for a bit of glitter, I’m really into the fact that these are more understated.

3. A friendly robin

This cute little guy is one for the more advanced stitchers out there. While it will be mainly composed of long and short stitch, that beautiful colour blending takes a fair bit of practice.

What I think is particularly great about a design like this is that it feels festive without being too specific. This could totally be a piece that you keep out all through the colder season, evoking exciting robin sightings on winter walks and the vibrant colours of autumn.

4. Embroidered christmas cards

Embroidering onto card is such a fun way of mixing up your mediums and keeping your sewing practice fresh. These mini Christmas themed designs would also be perfect as gift tags.

This idea really opens up so many options in terms of design – you could do objects plus written words like this example, just objects, just words… anything festive that takes your fancy!

And I guarantee you that anyone on the receiving end of an embroidered Christmas card will be blown away by the creativity. They can even be framed and turned into decorations for years to come!

5. Jingle Bell Wreath

We tend to find wreaths on front doors, but this embroidered number is one that you could put absolutely anywhere in your home. It’s another design from Paraffle’s kit selection this year and I can’t get enough of the deep, rich shades of Christmassy colours. Plus, of course, the golden jingle bells! I think they add something really special to the overall result and bring a touch of sparkle that we all look for at this time of year. You can buy it here.

This idea really opens up so many options in terms of design – you could do objects plus written words like this example, just objects, just words… anything festive that takes your fancy!

6. Beautiful baubles

Another bauble idea, but this time one that thinks outside the hoop! You could totally recreate these lovely decorations using pretty much any Christmas design you fancied.

To create the full effect, you just need to have another piece of fabric for the backing and some stuffing material. You’d simply have to layer your pieces together and do a running or back stitch all the way around the edge. You can stuff it either before or after. If you want to do it after the initial stitch up, just make sure to leave a gap to add the stuffing, and close it up when you’re done.

You could either choose to do this stitch in the same colour as your fabric, as in this example, or choose a contrasting colour so that it becomes a design feature - easy!

7. A merry message

I love this festive fairy light message. It feels like such a fun way of injecting a bit of seasonal spirit without going all out Christmas. This could so easily be switched up for different words and it’s the perfect opportunity to play with colour, too.

This would be a great one for beginners too, as it just requires back stitch to make the simple line design.

8. A Snowflake

Another perfect option for beginners as, once again, all you really need to be able to do is master back stitch! The French knot dots are a beautiful addition but are definitely not necessary if you feel like that’s a step above your level. And since no real snowflake is the same, you don’t even have to follow a pattern!

You could make all sorts of different shapes, and even vary the colours for the threads and backgrounds if you wanted to create a really unique collection.

These would make great little baubles, too.

9. A Festive Mix

If you can’t decide on one design, why not do multiple?!

This hoop creates such a cute festive scene and leaves lots of options for personalisation.

You just have to choose your own favourite holiday symbols and put them together in a layout you love.

10. Mr snowman

This frosty guy is such a cutie – look at his little carrot nose and coal smile!

The background fabric is gorgeous too - the texture is a really lovely touch that adds depths to the final result.

It also means that you only need to do an outline to create a snowy look, rather than using up lots of white thread.

11. A Certain Red Nosed Reindeer

What would Christmas be without an appearance from our old friend Rudolph?

Here he is, leaping through the sky in another design from my festive offerings. The rich green mixes things up from the deep red of the wreath, but still brings strong seasonal vibes.

I also have a dove with the same background, which can be found in my Christmas shop.

12. A Christmassy cactus

And finally, a bit of a wildcard to end things on!

If you’re not too fond of firs, or maybe want to bring a bit of tropical vibe to the celebrations, why not try a Christmas cactus?!

Succulents are always super popular embroidery subjects so it makes sense that it would be easy to design to update with a festive hat and some lights.

It makes me wonder what other totally unrelated ideas could be given a holiday twist!

Here he is, leaping through the sky in another design from my festive offerings. The rich green mixes things up from the deep red of the wreath, but still brings strong seasonal vibes.

I also have a dove with the same background, which can be found in my Christmas shop.

Do let me know in the comments section your favourite festive design, or if you plan to create something else this holiday season!

If you’d like to get started with a kit, you can find my 2020 collection here.