These farmhouse-ready cross stitch Christmas ornaments are sized just right to stitch quickly ahead of the holidays. They would look fabulous finished as ornaments for your tree or as part of a tiered tray display.
PATTERN DETAILS: You get 5 separate cross stitch patterns in this set. All designs call for whole stitches only and were stitched with 2 ply thread. The models were stitched with an overdyed floss from Weeks Dye Works because that particular floss looks slightly weathered when stitched. I used Weeks Dye Works because Weeks is colorfast and allows me to wash my pieces before finishing. However, a DMC alternative is given and would be a great option as well.
"Believe" is 73w x 28h. The model was stitched on 32 ct Antique White Belfast linen.
"Reindeer" is 38w x 48h and was also stitched on 32ct Antique White Belfast Linen. .
"Jingle" is 67w x 38h and was stitched on 28ct. Antique White Jobelan.
"Flake No. 1" is 59w x 59h and was also stitched on 28ct. Antique White Jobelan.
"Flake No. 2" is 35w x 35h and was stitched on 28ct White Monaco.
Since they are charted as monochrome patterns, it would also be easy to customize them with any color of fabric and floss that matches your decor. (Shh! Don't tell, but the only reason they are stitched on different fabrics is simply because their small size makes them the perfect way to use up stash remnants. Don't be intimidated by the options listed on the pattern; just use what you have!)
Generally speaking, my patterns come with both a color page and a black/white symbol page. However, these designs are all charted to be black and white, so the symbol page and the color page were basically identical. For that reason, there are not separate "in color" pages for the designs in this set. Instead, I used a symbol that closely resembles the color they were stitched.
WHERE TO BUY: This pattern set can be purchased directly from me, in the Cherry Hill Stitchery Etsy shop. It will also be heading to participating online retailers soon.
RECREATE THE LOOK:
Fabric: The red/black gingham is from the Hot Cocoa Bar line by Wilmington Prints. The SKU is 3017 27602 399.
Backing Board: Each of my ornament finishes uses 3 pieces of backing board. One piece is for the stitched piece, and the other two are wrapped in fabric and will make up the front-facing and back-facing sides of the finish.
Batting: I used warm and white natural craft batting behind the stitching. I always, always, always use batting behind my stitching because I like how it smooths everything out. I glued the batting on to the backing board with Aleen's Tacky Glue before adding the stitched piece.
Wrapping the Stitching:
Round finishes are slightly more complicated than rectangle finishes because they need to be gathered. I use a super quick running stitch to help me do the gathering before smoothing and gluing everything into place with Aleen's Tacky Glue.
Hangers:
I used 3/8" dual-sided black satin Offray ribbon as my ornament hangers. I just glued a length of ribbon to the top of the wrong side of my backing board pieces before sandwiching each front/back set together.
I used rope in lieu of cording. This particular rope came from Joann's, but I have seen a similar product at every major craft store.
Ribbons: The black ribbon is a 3/8" double sided satin ribbon from Offray.
The red plaid ribbon is from Michelle's ADOORable Creations. I'm not sure if she has any more of this exact ribbon in stock currently, but there are similar options in her store.
The burlap ribbon came from Hobby Lobby.
Bow centerpieces: The brown buttons for the centerpieces came in a bulk brown button pack from Walmart. I don't see a SKU, but they were on a craft aisle, not a sewing aisle.
The glitter reindeer head used as a centerpiece on the other bows is from Mainstays (Walmart). It originally was meant to be a miniature Christmas tree ornament and came in a set of 3. I just removed the loop used to hang the ornament and then used hot glue to adhere it to the bow.
The greenery was clipped off of a pine spray that was purchased at Dollar General. If you have any specific questions that I didn't answer, don't hesitate to ask---I'm here to help :)
Hope you enjoy!