Cross stitch Christmas ornaments: on plastic canvas and on fabric
A Christmas ornament is a handy November project: it's small, takes a few evenings, and by the holidays you can have a whole set — for yourself and as gifts. Here's how to go about it.
The base: plastic canvas or fabric
- Plastic canvas is a stiff plastic grid. Cut to shape, it holds its form by itself and the edge doesn't fray. It comes in different meshes: a coarse one for thick yarn, a fine one for stranded cotton. You can stitch it without a hoop.
- Fabric — Aida or evenweave. A stitch on fabric needs stiffening afterwards: glue or sew it onto thick felt or card and finish the edge. In return the design comes out softer and finer. For choosing fabric, see "Fabric and count".
Which design to choose
- Small, with a clear silhouette: a star, a snowflake, a bauble, a tree, a mitten. Fine details get lost on an ornament the size of your palm.
- Few colours. Three to five colours are enough; extra shades blur together in a small design.
- Sparkle, if you like. Metallic thread or a sequin brings an ornament to life — see "Metallic thread" and "Sequinology in London".
How to put the ornament together
- Two halves. Stitch the front and, if you like, the back — with the same design or another one.
- Cut to shape. Cut plastic canvas along the squares, leaving one empty square around the edge. Leave fabric with a margin to turn under, or glue it onto felt and cut along the felt's edge.
- Join the edges. Plastic halves are joined with an overcast stitch through the edge squares. Fabric on felt is sewn round the edge with small stitches. Before you close the seam you can add a little stuffing.
- A loop. Sew a ribbon or cord into the top edge.
When to start
- In early November, if you're making several: the evenings before the holidays are always busy.
- One at a time. Finish one, hang it up, and only then start the next. That way the set doesn't turn into a pile of unfinished halves.
- In short sessions. A small design is easy to stitch 15–20 minutes at a time — see "Stitching in short sessions".
Where the app comes in
In Crossette you can open an ornament chart as an OXS file and mark crosses as you go — the percentage stitched shows how much is left.
About the author
This article was written by the Crossette team. We're building Crossette, a cross stitch tracker for iPhone and iPad. It's in development; to join the beta, see the Beta page.