Free embroidery pattern · 2026-11-12

Christmas Star Embroidery Pattern: Free Beginner Hoop

Free pattern. Beginner friendly. About 1 hour.

How do you make the christmas star embroidery hoop? This free Christmas star embroidery pattern is a beginner hoop: a five-pointed star outlined in gold backstitch with a smaller red star backstitched inside it, five red French-knot berries between the points and five gold straight-stitch twinkles, inside a dotted green ring. Four stitches, three DMC colours, about an hour, with a true-size template.

Finished size	about 4.2 in design in a 6 in (15 cm) hoop
Stitches	4: running, back, straight, French knot
Threads	3 DMC colours, 2 strands
Fabric	Cream or natural linen, 10 x 10 in
Level	Beginner
Time	about 1 hour
Price	Free

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What you need

10 x 10 in cream or natural linen or linen-cotton
DMC floss: 987, 729, 321 (one skein each)
6 in embroidery hoop and a size 7 embroidery needle
Water-soluble fabric pen, scissors

How it's made, in short

Transfer the design. Print the template at 100%, check the 1 in square, and trace it onto the fabric with a water-soluble pen.
Hoop the fabric. Put the fabric in a 6 in hoop, drum tight.
Step 1. Stitch the dotted green ring around the design in running stitch.
Step 2. Backstitch the big gold star in one line, starting at the top point: down to each inner corner and out to each point, all the way round. Put a stitch end exactly on every point and corner so they stay sharp.
Step 3. Backstitch the small red star inside it the same way, starting at its top point; leave the fabric between the two stars unstitched.
Step 4. Add five red French knots, one in each gap between the gold points.
Step 5. Work each of the five gold twinkles further out as eight straight stitches from one centre point: four long ones (up, down, left, right) and four short diagonals (40 stitches).
Finish. Rinse out the pen lines, press, re-hoop and gather the back with a running stitch.

Christmas Star Embroidery Hoop: free embroidery pattern, close up

New to embroidery? These short free lessons show each move in 3D: Running stitch · Backstitch · French knot.

Free guides: Free embroidery patterns · How to do a French knot in embroidery · How to cross stitch · Cross stitch pattern maker

Tips

Shorten the backstitches near each point so a stitch end lands exactly on the tip.
Stitch the gold star before the red one, so you can keep the gap between them even by eye.
Work each twinkle's long stitches first, then the short diagonals between them.

The free pattern

Stitch names follow the common English names.

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 or natural 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 987 Forest Green: about 24 in (61 cm)

- DMC 729 Old Gold: about 57 in (145 cm)

- DMC 321 Red: about 39 in (99 cm)

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

Stitches: running stitch, backstitch, straight stitch, French knot

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 both stars, the five berries, the five twinkles 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.

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.

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.

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.

Order of work

Stitch the dotted green ring around the design in running stitch. DMC 987, 2 strands.
Backstitch the big gold star in one line, starting at the top point: down to each inner corner and out to each point, all the way round. Put a stitch end exactly on every point and corner so they stay sharp. DMC 729, 2 strands.
Backstitch the small red star inside it the same way, starting at its top point; leave the fabric between the two stars unstitched. DMC 321, 2 strands.
Add five red French knots, one in each gap between the gold points. DMC 321, 2 strands.
Work each of the five gold twinkles further out as eight straight stitches from one centre point: four long ones (up, down, left, right) and four short diagonals (40 stitches). DMC 729, 2 strands.

Finishing

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.
Put it back in the hoop centred, tighten the screw, and trim the fabric to 1 in outside the hoop.
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 backstitched gold star (5 points, 10 straight sides), 1 backstitched red star inside it, 5 red French-knot berries, and 5 gold twinkles of 8 straight stitches each (40).

How we checked it: xstitchlib/embroidery.py: 4 stitch names in the dictionary, each explained; 3 DMC threads listed and used; hoop 6 in for the design; scale square; lengths fit one skein each. We work hard to get every number right, but mistakes can still happen; tell us at hello@craftuary.com if anything is off.

Want it on paper?

The printable PDF (US Letter and A4) is free with a Craftuary account.

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Questions

How do you embroider a star?

Trace a five-pointed star, then backstitch along its ten straight sides, ending a stitch exactly on every point and inner corner so the points stay sharp.

How do you keep the star points sharp in backstitch?

Make the last stitch of each side finish in the point's hole and start the next side from that same hole; never round the corner with a stitch.

How big is this star embroidery?

The design is about 4.2 inches across and fits a 6 inch hoop with room around it.

How many strands of embroidery floss should I use?

Two strands of DMC 6-strand floss for every stitch in this pattern; separate them from an 18 inch length.

The pictures are drawn from the pattern's own measurements and stitches; your finished piece will vary a little with your materials.

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