We chatted not too long ago about various ways to work cross stitch on plain weave fabric, and I offered you this snowflake corner design for some holiday stitching.

Well, along the same longs, here’s another flake. I figure Monday morning is as good a morning to share it with you!

You’ll find the free PDF printable for this particular snowflake chart at the end of the article. But you know me – I’m going to babble a bit first, before I give it to you…

I explained in an earlier article that these simple cross-stitched snowflakes worked on the corner of cloth napkins are a great option for some really simple stitching, for those times in your life when you need something to do with your hands, but not anything complicated.

Using one of the three methods we chatted about for cross stitching on plain-weave fabric, I can set up several cloth napkins with motifs in opposite corners, in one corner, or in all corners in a matter of minutes.

Then, I slip the cloth napkin, a hoop, a needle, one skein of thread and scissors into a small project bag that’s easy to grab when I have to go somewhere, or that’s equally as easy to access when I’m unwinding in the evening.

To tell you the truth, these little projects have been a real life-safer recently! I’ve been working random snowflakes, trees, deer, and the like in white, on the corners of red cloth napkins. They’re so simple, yet they’re elegant and pretty. They’ll make terrific tray or basket liners to go along with Christmas gifts.

Designing Snowflakes

The funny thing about designing snowflakes is that, once you start, it’s hard to stop. With just tiny variations, you can create a new snowflake, and before you know it, you’ve got a blizzard on your computer screen!

To design gridded anything, I use a program called MacStitch, by Ursa Software. They have a Windows version as well. It’s an easy program to use, and it’s relatively inexpensive for this type of software. The company is always developing the software further, too, and the program, overall, has many nice features.

There are three different levels of the software you can purchase, from lite to premium, and the premium includes all kinds of fun things, like the ability to add specialty stitches, beads, buttons, and sequins to charts; the ability to change the type of canvas for different views; photo import for making chart designs from photos; designing knitting, lace, and Hardanger patterns, and all kinds of other little advantages.

I’ve not personally tested everything the program can do, but for the type of grid designing I dabble about with, it works great. No affiliation here – just pleased with the ease of the program.

Snowflake Chart – Free Printable

Here’s the printable for Snowflake #2. If it seems large to you, you can always reduce the size of the chart before you print it.

Snowflake #2 – Cross Stitch Chart (PDF)

I hope you enjoy it!

If you’re looking for more hand embroidery patterns, you can find plenty here on Needle ‘n Thread in the Pattern index. If you want a surface embroidery snowflake, maybe you’ll enjoy this one, which is relatively simple, or this one, which is much more complex. And this particular scrolly medallion pattern could work as a snowflake of sorts, too.