Gingerbread Man Embroidery Pattern: Free Beginner Christmas 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 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 321 Red: about 39 in (99 cm)

- DMC 434 Light Brown: about 52 in (132 cm)

- DMC BLANC White: about 16 in (41 cm)

- DMC 310 Black: about 8 in (20 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, detached chain (lazy daisy), 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 the outline, the icing zigzags, the smile, the eyes, the bow tie, the buttons 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.

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.

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

1. Stitch the dotted red ring around the design in running stitch. DMC 321, 2 strands.
2. Backstitch the gingerbread man's outline in one line, starting at the neck: round the head, then down one side, round the arm and the leg, and back up the other side. DMC 434, 2 strands.
3. Work the white icing as a zigzag of straight stitches across each wrist and each ankle, point to point on the template (4 stitches each). DMC BLANC, 2 strands.
4. Backstitch the smile in white, in short stitches round the curve. DMC BLANC, 2 strands.
5. Add the two eyes as black French knots. DMC 310, 2 strands.
6. Work the bow tie under the chin as two red detached chains (lazy daisy), one pointing left and one pointing right from the centre. DMC 321, 2 strands.
7. Add three red French knots down the middle of the body for the buttons. 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 backstitched outline, 4 icing zigzags of 4 straight stitches (16), 1 backstitched smile, 2 black French-knot eyes, a bow tie of 2 lazy daisies and 3 red French-knot buttons.