Free Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns

How to use these patterns

1. Pick a patternEach card shows the stitch size and color count. Choose one for an ornament, or several that share floss colors for a matching set.
2. Print or personalizePrint the chart for a quick ornament, or open it in the editor to add a name or a year before you print.
3. Stitch, or change the colorsStitch the traditional red and green, or switch to blue and silver, add a name or a year, and print your version.

Why we kept the holiday charts small

Most people who stitch for Christmas are not making one big piece. They are making six ornaments for the family, a card for a teacher, a tag for a neighbor's jar of cookies. So these twelve designs run from 20 to 34 stitches wide and 23 to 40 tall, with three to eight colors. The tallest, the Christmas tree and the Snowman, reach 40 stitches, which is under three inches on 14-count aida.

Several patterns share the same reds, greens and white, so a few skeins can cover the whole set. The Snowflake needs only three colors; the Christmas tree, with its garlands, baubles and star, uses the most at eight.

All of them are original StitchJam drawings. Make as many ornaments as you like for friends and family, or for a holiday craft fair: the stitched pieces are yours, and only the chart files stay ours.

When to start Christmas stitching

Holiday stitchers start early for a reason. A small ornament is quick, but a set of six, plus finishing, plus mailing, fills November fast. If you start in October, a pace of one design a week gets you through most of this page by early December with time to spare for backing, cords and ribbons.

If the deadline is close, choose the three-color Snowflake or the five-color Candy cane and Gift box. They have big blocks of a single color and few changes, so they move quickly.

Fabric, size and floss

For ornaments, 14-count aida with two strands is the reliable choice: the Red bauble ornament at 27 by 31 stitches finishes at about 2 by 2.2 inches, a nice size for a tree. For a finer look, 18-count makes the same chart about 1.5 by 1.7 inches, which suits a gift tag. Larger, bolder ornaments come out of 11-count aida with three strands. The fabric size calculator does the math for any count.

Each chart is small enough that one skein per color is usually plenty, but if you plan a dozen stockings for the whole family, check the totals with the floss calculator. Metallic gold looks festive on the tree star, though it is harder to handle; use a shorter length and a slightly larger needle. Short on time before the holidays? The Halloween patterns and small designs finish in an evening or two.

Turning a chart into an ornament, card or tag

The classic ornament finish: trim the stitched piece leaving a margin, cut a matching piece of felt or card for the back, glue or blanket-stitch the edges, and add a loop of ribbon or twine at the top. A round finish works well for the bauble and the snowflake; a shaped finish follows the outline of the stocking, mitten or gingerbread man.

For cards, stitch on a scrap, fray the edges a little or trim them neatly, and glue the piece to the front of a folded card, or use a card with a window cut out. The Holly sprig, at 34 by 23 stitches, fits a standard card front nicely. Small flat hoops of 3 to 4 inches are another quick finish and look good on a wreath or a door knob.

Making a set your own in the editor

Open any design in the editor and replace a color in the key with another DMC floss: the stocking becomes blue, the mitten becomes cream with red, the wreath gets gold berries. The chart and the key update together, and the downloaded PDF shows the new stitch counts.

A personal touch matters on gifts. Add a name across the top of the stocking or a year under the tree by setting the letters in the cross stitch text generator and placing them in the editor. You can also extend the canvas and add a simple border. For alphabets in several sizes, see the free cross stitch alphabet page.

Tips if this is your first Christmas project

Begin with a design under 30 stitches wide and five colors or fewer, such as the Gift box or the Candy cane. Stitch one color at a time, starting from the center, and keep all the top stitches crossing in the same direction. If you make a mistake, unpick it right away: it is far easier with a small chart.

Do not knot the floss on the back of an ornament. Weave the ends under existing stitches so the front stays flat when you add the felt backing.

Every pattern here is an original StitchJam design or a public-domain source named on the pattern. Colors are DMC or bead brand numbers; on-screen colors are approximate. Free for personal use and gifts.