Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Snowflake Cross Stitch Patterns

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I know it might not be feeling all that wintry where you are (we typically go back and forth a lot before it decides to solidly be winter where I live sometime in December) but if you want to tempt fate it might be time to start cross stitching some snowflakes.

Snowflakes are generally pretty easy cross stitch patterns for beginners because they usually are symmetrical and often only use one color. If you’re stitching with white thread you can play with the color of your fabric for a different look.

Small snowflakes can be made into ornaments for the tree or used as reusable gift tags on gifts.

Cathy Bussi’s snowflake Christmas tree is really cute (and could have fit into my roundup of Christmas tree cross stitch patterns the other day) and uses 10 different colors to make the snowflakes on a light blue background.  It’s 87 by 102 stitches, or about 6.2 by 7.3 inches when worked on 14 count fabric.

Make it with Heart has a collection of three simple and free snowflake cross stitch patterns, which they show on black fabric for a lot of contrast.  The small one fits a 3-inch hoop, so it would be perfect as an ornament.

This super simple pattern from American Crafty Lass on Etsy would be a great project for a new stitcher. It uses five colors but each of the snowflake shapes is really simple, and you can stitch them as shown or individually on different projects.

I love this simple but effective flurry of snowflakes from Lu’s Cross Stitch Shop on Etsy. Worked in a single color with cross stitch and backstitching, these individual flakes could be used on a gift tag, greeting card or bookmark as well. As shown, the full pattern fits in a 6-inch hoop.

Wild Bluebell Patterns on Etsy has a collection of little snowflakes it shows with a red background and in individual hoops. You can stitch up the whole set of nine and frame them together, or do several all on one piece of fabric if you’d rather.

Needle ‘n Thread has a cute, free folk-inspired snowflake pattern that’s perfect for the corner of a napkin or the border of another project. It’s meant to be stitched on plain weave fabric, and the pattern includes tips for how to go about doing that.

Here are more snowflake cross stitch patterns I’ve shared through the years if you need more inspiration!

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Have you read?

Book Review: 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it. 

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page. 

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count. 

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches. 

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs. 

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery.  You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch. 

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example). 

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways. 

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.