In the hoop, on a wall
At 13.7 × 15 cm the design sits comfortably in a 20 × 20 cm hoop — small enough for a door, a shelf or a gallery wall of Christmas embroidery.
Hand embroidery finished sample · Merry Christmas Wreath · stitched in a hoop
Pattern L046 · Merry Christmas Wreath
Christmas Wreath Embroidery Pattern
A free printable Christmas wreath embroidery pattern you can finish in an evening or two. One A4 sheet carries the full-size line art (13.7 × 15 cm), the 5 DMC colours and the stitch order — and a 4:30 video walks through every stitch, from transferring the pattern to the last berry.
- A4 · 210 × 297 mm
- 2480 × 3508 px
- 1 design per sheet
- 5 stitches
- 13.7 × 15 cm
- Medium
- 4:30 tutorial
JPG at 300 dpi. Print at 100% (do not use “fit to page”) so the design comes out at 13.7 × 15 cm. Free for personal use.
No carbon paper? The video transfers the wreath with white carbon paper and a
stylus (chapter at 00:20). Printing the sheet at 100% and tracing it on a window works the same way —
the branches are thick enough to read through mid-weight cotton.
About this pattern
A fir wreath built from branches, berries and leaves, with “Merry Christmas” worked in whipped back stitch at the centre. It is the motif people picture first when they think about Christmas embroidery — and the one that reads clearly from across a room, which is why it works as a hoop on a wall or a door.
Nothing here is a rare stitch. The wreath is drawn in five bands: lettering, stems, flower centres, and two kinds of leaf. Work them in the order printed on the sheet and the design fills itself in — there is no shading to judge and no colour blending to get wrong.
An evening or two.
5 steps, 5 stitches, 5 colours — beginner friendly, medium patience.
Before you start
- Stitch the lettering first, while the fabric is still flat and untouched — whipped back stitch punishes a hoop that has already been stretched by heavy fills.
- The leaves are the slow part: fern stitch and fishbone stitch both want even spacing, so count the branches before you start rather than eyeballing the gap.
Three ways to use it
One wreath, three Christmases.
As a handmade gift
A stitched wreath is a gift you can finish before December: pair it with a card, or wrap it in tissue and tie the hoop shut with the leftover floss.
Stitched small, as an ornament
Scale the print to 60% for a tree ornament, or stitch it on a square of felt and trim close to the edge for a gift tag that keeps.
How to stitch it
Stitch by stitch, one short video.
Watch the tutorial
Video: 🎄 Christmas Wreath Embroidery Tutorial | Easy Hand Embroidery for Beginners
Stitch guide
- Whipped back stitch
- Back stitch
- French knot
- Fern stitch
- Fishbone stitch
| Jump to | Chapter | Stitch used |
|---|---|---|
| 00:03 | Christmas wreath preview | — |
| 00:20 | Transfer the pattern | — |
| 01:07 | Floss colours | — |
| 01:19 | Lettering | Whipped back stitch |
| 02:15 | Stems | Back stitch |
| 02:43 | Flower centres and berries | French knot |
| 03:04 | Leaves, first pass | Fern stitch |
| 03:50 | Leaves, second pass | Fishbone stitch |
| 04:24 | Remove transfer marks | — |
The pattern sheet
What you print: one A4 page.
One design at 2480 × 3508 px, with the pattern size (13.7 × 15 cm) and the 5 DMC numbers printed beside it. Print it at 100% and the design matches the sample above — no resizing, no scaling, no guessing the hoop.
- A4 · 210 × 297 mm
- 2480 × 3508 px · 300 dpi
- DMC list on the sheet
Stitch key
5 stitches, 5 steps.
Stitches used
- Back stitch
- French knot
- Whipped back stitch
- Fern stitch
- Fishbone stitch
The sheet numbers each step in this order — 5 steps in total, starting with the outline.
Threads you need
5 DMC numbers, all printed on the sheet. Swap any of them for a nearby tone — the design reads by shape, not by exact colour.
- DMC 890
- DMC 904
- DMC 368
- DMC 666
- DMC 505
Strand note: the sheet’s key gives the strand count for each step. Most fills
in this design sit at 3–4 strands.
What you get
One sheet, nothing missing.
Full-size line art
The design at 2480 × 3508 px on one A4 page, so it stays sharp when printed at 100%.
Size and DMC list
13.7 × 15 cm and the 5 DMC numbers are printed beside the design — no guessing which thread.
Free for personal use
Print it as often as you like for your own projects. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Common questions
Before you download it.
Is this Christmas wreath pattern really free?
Yes. The A4 sheet downloads straight from the button above — no account, no email list, no watermark over the artwork. It is free for personal use; print it as many times as you like.
What size hoop does the wreath need?
The design is 13.7 × 15 cm, so a 20 × 20 cm (8 inch) hoop leaves a clean margin all round. A 15 cm hoop fits the stitching exactly, with no fabric border to trim.
Can a beginner stitch this?
Yes — all five stitches are basics, and the 4:30 video shows each one at full speed. The part that takes practice is even spacing on the fern and fishbone leaves, not the stitches themselves.
How do I transfer the pattern to fabric?
Print at 100%, then either use white carbon paper and a stylus (the method in the video at 00:20) or tape the sheet to a window and trace with a water-soluble pen. On mid-weight cotton the lines come through cleanly without a light box.
Can I use it as a template for something else?
The sheet works as a template at any scale — print it smaller for an ornament or a gift tag. If you shrink it, keep the 5 DMC numbers as a guide for the palette rather than for strand counts.
Can I use other colours, or stitch it to sell?
Colours, yes: the design reads by shape, so any palette of 5 tones works — keep one dark value for the outline. Selling finished pieces or commercial use needs a licence, so write to us first.
More Christmas embroidery
Same season, different design.
L047
Dove Of Peace
L041
Snowman With Top Hat
L039
Nine Stylized Trees
Prefer a kit?
ETSPIL makes an embroidery kit for beginners
Kits ship the design already printed on the fabric, with the threads, hoop and a bound manual. If you would rather skip the tracing step, that is the version to start with.
Search ETSPIL on Amazon to see the current range.