If you’re looking for ideas for handmade Christmas decorations, here is a stunning snowflake design. It makes a beautiful bauble and looks very festive on bunting and table linens too.
You only need a few basic supplies to complete this project: fabric, a needle, embroidery thread, snowflake design, a 3" embroidery hoop, scissors, cardboard, felt, twine and sewing thread.
The first thing to do is stick the design to your fabric and mount it in an embroidery hoop ready to stitch. An embroidery hoop or frame is very useful for this project, as you want to keep the threads as taut as possible for the shape of the snowflake.
I used this 3” hoop for stitching and for mounting the snowflake as well. It’s a lovely size for a Christmas tree bauble.
This lacy design is a small section of a classic blackwork design. There isn’t one specific way to stitch it. I used backstitch and straight stitch.
The main thing I had to work on was keeping the distance between stitches as short as possible. I didn't want to jump too far from one point to the next as the thread on the reverse might show through on the front of the design.
Although it takes a bit of concentration, as I couldn't get into a repetitive rhythm, this design doesn’t take too long to stitch.
When you’ve finished stitching, the stabiliser washes away with warm water. Dry the embroidery flat and iron it on the reverse.
When the washable stabiliser dissolves it affects the tension of the stitching. When I next stitch this design I’ll use permanent stabiliser on the back. It should help to keep the stitches in place more securely.
A 3” embroidery hoop is the perfect size to display this snowflake bauble. I cut out a 5” circle, keeping the design at the centre. This made it easier to gather all the fabric and make the back of the bauble neat.
Mounting the piece in a hoop helps to straighten out the stitches again – if there are still a few wonky stitches, you can also pull threads straight on the back of the piece to neaten them up before you finish the bauble.
You can see on the back of the design where I’ve tried to keep the thread as contained as possible, often by going back over the same points again.
Use a running stitch to gather the fabric and keep it neat and secure.
I finished the bauble with a piece of felt-backed card. It creates a tidy finish on the reverse and prevents light shining through the fabric, which would obscure the design.
If you’re creating baubles to hang on the tree, take a piece of twine and make a loop for hanging your snowflake on the Christmas tree or wherever you want to display it.
This simple design works in any colour scheme, whether you’re planning traditional Christmas décor or want to add a modern twist.
This design is available on my site – choose a single design or a pack of 3:
https://sweetthorn.co.uk/products/christmas-stick-and-stitch-snowflake-bauble-design
Video Instructions: