If you’re determined to whip up some Christmas stitchery this year, you might find some of the following free embroidery patterns useful.

Though I do try to keep everything on Needle ‘n Thread easily indexed in one way or another, it’s easy to miss some of the content from previous years, so here’s a quick recap of some holiday-related (or holiday-adaptable) stitching patterns for you.

First up is this little Quaker-inspired motif for surface embroidery. Quaker motifs are usually associated with cross stitch, but this one is for surface stitches. It would make a perfect little Christmas ornament, in reds and greens and golds.

And here’s a shameful plug, if you’re intimidated by the thought of constructing ornaments:

If you plan to stitch up ornaments this year and need help with finishing, there are several different approaches to finishing ornament-sized pieces in my e-book, Lavender Honey & Other Little Things. In the book, I cover several approaches to constructing things – all of which can be easily adapted to ornaments. These approaches are simple, they come out looking great, and – best yet – they’re thoroughly explained and accompanied by step-by-step photos.

Think of that as a “brief word from our sponsors”! And now, back to the regular programming…

This blackwork tree design – which prints as a chart – can be used singly, in rows, and even mirrored for interesting effects. Lots of possibilities with this type of thing! Table cloth borders, single ornaments, the edge of a tree skirt…

Deck the halls! And you can use this Boughs of Holly embroidery design to do so.

Think Christmas kitchen towels, the inevitable tree skirt idea, small table-toppers, table runners, any kind of household linen that needs a splash of Christmas cheer!

Speaking of Christmas cheer – cheer is good, but Joy is Better! Cheer is brief and fleeting; joy resides deep in the heart. Joy is akin to peace – if you have true joy in your heart, you generally have peace in your heart.

And that’s why I love this JOY embroidery pattern, which can be arranged in different ways to fit different embroidery projects. There are several printable PDFs for different configurations of the design on this page.

Incidentally, it’s also a great pattern to use for (non-stitched) Christmas cards – I made several last year with pen and ink, using the pattern as a guide.

So, there’s your recap of particular Christmas-related or Christmas-adaptable embroidery designs available here on Needle ‘n Thread! I hope you can find some use for them!

Next week, we’ll put aside the holiday frenzy and get back to regular stitching! Lots of fun stuff coming up in the next couple weeks, including some Stitch Fun tutorials, a review of a gorgeous book, some project progress updates, some fun give-aways, and all kinds of other little needlework tidbits. My calendar is stuffed full with delightful things for you over the next several weeks!

Have a wonderful, safe, and sane weekend!