Christmas Ornament Embroidery Patterns Free: Easy Bauble Hoop

Size: design about 4.2 x 4.2 in (11 x 11 cm), for a 6 in (15 cm) hoop

Fabric: a 10 x 10 in (25 x 25 cm) square of cream, natural or white linen or linen-cotton, washed and pressed

Threads: DMC 6-strand embroidery floss, one skein of each colour; use 2 strands throughout. Lengths are the 2-strand thread you stitch with, with spare, cut in 18 in (45 cm) pieces:

- DMC 729 Medium Old Gold: about 86 in (218 cm)

- DMC 890 Ultra Dark Pistachio Green: about 15 in (38 cm)

- DMC 987 Dark Forest Green: about 34 in (86 cm)

- DMC 321 Red: about 41 in (104 cm)

- DMC BLANC White: about 15 in (38 cm)

Notions: 6 in embroidery hoop, size 7 embroidery needle, water-soluble fabric pen or a light pencil, scissors

Stitches: running stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, backstitch, French knot, detached chain (lazy daisy)

Transfer

Print the template page at 100% (actual size) and measure the 1 in scale square; if it is not exactly 1 in, check the print setting. Tape the template to a window, centre the fabric over it and trace the branch, the needles, the hanging threads, the caps, the three circles, the zigzags, the dots, the bow and the ring with the pen.

Put the fabric in the hoop so it is drum tight, with the screw at the top.

Stitch guide

Running stitch: Bring the needle up on the line, go down 1/8 in further along, come up again 1/16 in on, and repeat, so you get even dashes with gaps between them.

Stem stitch: Work left to right along the line. Come up at the start, go down 1/8 in along, and come up halfway back along that stitch, keeping the thread below the needle; repeat so each stitch overlaps half of the one before like a twisted rope.

Straight stitch: One single stitch: come up at the inner end of the line and go down at the outer end, keeping the thread smooth and not too tight so it lies flat.

Backstitch: Bring the needle up one stitch length along the line, go down at the start of the line, then come up one stitch length ahead of your last stitch and go back down into the end of it, so the stitches touch.

French knot: Come up where the knot goes, wrap the thread twice around the needle, hold the wraps snug with your other hand, and go down right next to where you came up, pulling the thread through slowly.

Detached chain: Also called lazy daisy. Come up at the base of the petal, go back down in the same hole leaving a loop, come up at the tip of the petal inside the loop, and go down just outside the loop to tack it in place.

Order of work

1. Stitch the dotted gold ring around the design in running stitch. DMC 729, 2 strands.
2. Stem stitch the curved pine branch across the top, from the left end to the right end. DMC 890, 2 strands.
3. Work the pine needles as single straight stitches in pairs along the branch, each from the branch out to its tip (leave the middle bare: the bow goes there). DMC 987, 2 strands.
4. Backstitch the three gold hanging threads, each from the branch straight down to the top of its cap. DMC 729, 2 strands.
5. Fill each small cap with 7 straight stitches side by side, top to bottom (each about 1/8 in long). DMC 729, 2 strands.
6. Backstitch the circle of the left and right baubles in red, starting at the cap. DMC 321, 2 strands.
7. Backstitch the circle of the big middle bauble in green, starting at the cap. DMC 987, 2 strands.
8. Stitch the white zigzag band across the middle of each bauble, one straight stitch from point to point. DMC BLANC, 2 strands.
9. Add the gold dots: three French knots in a row above each zigzag and three below it. DMC 729, 2 strands.
10. Work the bow over the middle of the branch in detached chain (lazy daisy): two loops out to the sides and two tails hanging down. DMC 321, 2 strands.
11. Make one red French knot in the middle of the bow for its knot. DMC 321, 2 strands.

Finishing

1. Rinse the fabric in cool water to remove the pen lines, roll it in a towel and press it face down on a soft towel.
2. Put it back in the hoop centred, tighten the screw, and trim the fabric to 1 in outside the hoop.
3. Run a running stitch around that edge, pull it up at the back like a drawstring, and tie off.

Counts: 43 running stitch dashes in the ring, 1 stem-stitched branch with 32 straight-stitch needles, 3 backstitched hanging threads, 3 caps of 7 straight stitches, 3 backstitched baubles (2 red, 1 green), 25 white zigzag stitches, 18 gold French knots, a bow of 4 detached chains and 1 red French knot.