Christmas Word Art Cross Stitch Patterns

Words add a great graphic element to any cross stitch design, but it can also be fun when the words take center stage in a project, as they do in these word art Christmas cross stitch patterns.

I love these little designs that combine words and smaller images from Durene J Cross Stitch on Etsy. They’re so fun and cheerful and include Santa, a reindeer, a snowman and little birds, as well as holiday gifts and holly. You could stitch up each one individually as shown (each one is 45 by 45 stitches) or you could put all of them together into a cute little holiday sampler.

The Merry Christmas script Christmas tree pattern from Etsy seller Cross Stitch Foxy looks like it would be a lot of fun to stitch and be dramatic on display in your home. It is 138 by 141 stitches, or 9.8 by 10 inches on 14 count fabric, and uses four colors. It’s shown on a white background but I think this one would be stunning on dark blue or black fabric as well. You could even use a metallic thread for the parts that are stitched in gold.

Owl Stitching House on Etsy has a cute Merry Christmas design that adds sampler elements to the mix, with the letters being stitched in a few different ways (I love that the I in Christmas is a candle!) and a scene with Santa, a reindeer and a snowman in the middle. (If this one looks familiar to you that’s because I also shared one of their samplers in my roundup of Christmas samplers the other day.)

Then there’s this fun Christmas cross stitch from Etsy seller Nia Cross Stitch, which uses a snowman as the I and includes a little bird, candle, angel, stocking, mittens and more surrounding the letters. The stitching area is 158 by 49 stitches, and the sample is shown on ice blue fabric, which adds a subtle bit of color that elevates the project.

Christmas Sampler Cross Stitch Patterns

Mini Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns

Most of the cross stitch projects I make are pretty small and not something I would consider heirloom quality (though I am working on a big project for my daughter that I hope to have done for her high school graduation in two years that I hope is something she’ll want to keep forever, but that’s another story).

But it is definitely possible to cross stitch projects that will stay around for generations, and one prime example of that is a cross-stitched linen tablecloth.

Linen tablecloths are classic, while stitching one can be a big project, depending on the size of your table, it doesn’t have to be really complicated.

Koekoek has a good, detailed post about figuring out how much linen you would need to make a tablecloth that you can cross stitch and/or embroider on (they also sell tablecloth linen in their shop if you don’t already have some or a linen tablecloth you already use). Of course for a project like this you’d want the best fabric you can find and afford, because you’ll be stitching it for a long time and hopefully using it for years.

The post walks through how to measure your table and determine how much fabric you’ll need including the drop you’ll want and hems. It includes the math for rectangular and square tables as well as circular tables, which helps take the guesswork out of buying fabric. It also talks about preparing the fabric and making mitered corners if you have a square or rectangular table, which will help the tablecloth sit nicely on your table.

The tutorial doesn’t include specific patterns to use for your tablecloth, but it does advise keeping it simple because this is a really big project. You can start with a motif in the center or doing borders, and this is a project you can add to through the years by, say, stitching a symbol for each family member or adding names, wedding dates, etc. and making it a real record of your family.

Would you ever cross stitch a tablecloth or have you done so? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Koekoek]

Have you read?