Snowman Embroidery Patterns 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 30 in (76 cm)

- DMC 414 Dark Steel Gray: about 35 in (89 cm)

- DMC 310 Black: about 45 in (114 cm)

- DMC 740 Tangerine: about 6 in (15 cm)

- DMC 433 Medium Brown: about 12 in (30 cm)

- DMC 3755 Baby Blue: about 11 in (28 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 head and body circles, the hat and its band, the eyes, smile, nose and buttons, the arms, the snowflakes 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 head circle in grey, from under one side of the brim round the face to the other side of the brim. DMC 414, 2 strands.
3. Backstitch the body circle in grey, starting where it meets the head and going all the way round to the other side of the head. DMC 414, 2 strands.
4. Backstitch the outline of the top hat in black in one line: along the bottom of the brim, up its end, up and over the crown, and down the other side back to where you started. DMC 310, 2 strands.
5. Backstitch one straight red line across the crown of the hat for the band. DMC 321, 2 strands.
6. Add the two eyes as black French knots. DMC 310, 2 strands.
7. Add the smile as five small black French knots in a curve under the nose. DMC 310, 2 strands.
8. Work the carrot nose as one orange detached chain (lazy daisy) pointing out to the right from the middle of the face. DMC 740, 2 strands.
9. Add three black French knots down the middle of the body for the buttons. DMC 310, 2 strands.
10. Backstitch each twig arm in brown from the body out to its hand, then the short twig that branches off it (4 lines). DMC 433, 2 strands.
11. Work each of the three snowflakes as six blue straight stitches out from one centre point (18 stitches). DMC 3755, 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, 2 backstitched circles (head and body), 1 backstitched hat and 1 red band, 2 black French-knot eyes, 5 French knots in the smile, 1 lazy-daisy carrot nose, 3 French-knot buttons, 2 twig arms of 2 backstitch lines each (4), and 3 snowflakes of 6 straight stitches each (18).