Stitch the stripe accents in Royal, then fill in the background in Robin's Egg using Continental.

Salmon Ornaments

Stitch the stripe accents in Coral, then fill in the background in Salmon using Continental.

Cream Ornaments

Stitch the stripe accents in Amber, then fill in the background in Cream using Continental.

Scarlet Ornaments

Stitch the plain red ornaments in Scarlet, using Continental.

Stars

Stitch the stars in Gold using Continental. It doesn't matter if you stitch the big tree topper star, or the smaller star ornaments first.

Lights

I would first stitch the light bulbs in Continental using Bleach. I would then stitch the light bulb string in Black using Black. Now it’s time to move onto the Christmas tree foliage!

Tree Foliage

I recommend stitching the tree foliage using a Basketweave stitch. It's more durable and causes less distortion with your canvas. Start with the highlights. Stitch the lightest shade of the tree in Basketweave, using Jade. Now on to the shadows. Stitch the darkest shade of the tree in Basketweave, using Forest. Finally, finish up with the mid-tone of the tree, stitching in Basketweave using Fir.

Garland

Start by stitching the olive green tone. It's the mid-tone, but because it's a detail and slightly harder to see than the darker green tone, this is where I recommend starting. I always try to do the hardest part of a section first. Stitch the olive green tone of the garland in Continental, using Olive. Now stitch the leaf green tone (the darkest tone) of the garland in Continental using Leaf. Finish up by filling in the garland background with the lightest tone in Continental using Mint.

You probably focused on the upper part of the garland that lays on top of the mantle. Pay attention to the lower part of the garland which falls behind the Christmas tree. Make sure to finish stitching the lower part of the garland before moving on to other sections. Of course you can do it later, but it's easier to do now since you're used to looking at and recognizing these color tones and already have the yarn out.

Wreath

Foliage

Start by stitching the center (lighter) section of the wreath in Continental using Jade. Fill in the outer (darker) section of the wreath in Continental using Fir.

Wreath Bow

Now, onto the wreath bow! Start by stitching the details, first the white highlights, then the dark accent colors. You can use the stitching of the wreath to anchor your thread tails. Stitch the bow highlights in Half-Cross, using Bleach. Now, stitch all the dark details in Half-Cross, using Wine. Finally, fill in the background of the bow in Continental, using Scarlet.

Candles

First stitch the candle tapers in Continental, using Wine. Now move on to the flames. There are a lot of little details in the flames. I would start with the highlights, then move on to the shadows, and finally finish up with the mid tone. I usually do it this way because the highlights and shadows are more detailed and serve as accent colors, while the mid-tone is generally the background color. You'll notice a trend where I do details first and then fill in later.

Stitch the flame highlights (lightest tone) in Half-Cross, using Butter. Stitch the flame shadows (darkest tone) in Half-Cross using Amber. Finish by stitching the mid-tone in Continental, using Gold.

Fireplace

Mantle

Start with the detail areas. I would stitch the light brown details on the outer, white part of the mantle in Biscuit, using Continental. Next I would stitch the cream details on the middle, mid-tone part of the mantle in Cream, using Continental. I would not cut the yarn between each detail. I would just move from one section to the next, stitching all the details at once.

Fireplace Irons

Move down to stitch the fireplace irons in Black, using Continental.

Fire

Next, the fire! Stitch the fire highlights (lightest tone) in Basketweave, using Butter. Stitch the flame shadows (darkest tone) in Basketweave using Amber. Finish by stitching the mid-tone in Basketweave, using Gold. After the details are done, I would fill in with Basketweave behind them. Stitch the white mantle background in Bleach using Basketweave. Then, stitch the background of the middle part of the mantle in Elephant, using Basketweave. Finally, fill in behind the fire in Iron, using Basketweave.

Dog

Start by stitching the most detailed areas, then move onto the bigger and bigger areas. Start with the Black details of the eyes, nose, paws using Half-Cross stitch or Continental stitch. Stitch the antlers in Continental, using Black. Move onto the darkest brown detail lines using a Half-Cross stitch and Cocoa. Next, stitch the lightest brown detail lines in Half-Cross, using Biscuit. Now fill in the small Biscuit fur sections in Continental. Finish up with the brown tones by stitching the mid brown tone in Continental, using Fawn. Finally, fill in the rest of the dog fur using Basketweave wherever possible, using Bleach.

Gifts

For all gifts, I follow the same general process, starting with the details, and then filling in bigger sections. Tip! You can use existing, nearby stitching to anchor your thread tails for the bows, if you don't want a lot of waste knots. For example, if you stitch the gift box accents first, you can use that to anchor the thread tails for your gift bow highlights.

Blue Gift

Stitch the accent color of the box in Royal, using Continental.

For the bow, start with the smallest details. First, stitch the white highlights in Bleach, using Half-Cross or Continental. Next, stitch the gift bow accents (lighter yellow) in Butter, using Half-Cross or Continental. Then finish up the gift bow by stitching the main bow color (darker yellow) in Gold, using Continental.

Finally, fill in the main color of the gift box in Robin's Egg, using Basketweave.

Green Gift

For this gift, I would start with the bow. First, stitch the white highlights in Bleach, using Half-Cross or Continental. Next, stitch the main bow color in Amber, using Continental.

Stitch the accent color of the box in Leaf, using Continental. Finally, fill in the main color of the gift box in Olive, using Basketweave.

Wine Gift

For the bow, start with the smallest details. First, stitch the white highlights in Bleach, using Half-Cross or Continental. Next, stitch the gift bow accents (lighter green) in Fir, using Continental. Then finish up the gift bow by stitching the darker bow color (darker green) in Forest, using Continental.

Stitch the accent color of the box in Cream, using Continental. Finally, fill in the main color of the gift box in Wine, using Basketweave.

Salmon Gift

Stitch the accent color of the box in Coral, using Continental.

For the bow, start with the smallest details. First, stitch the white highlights in Bleach, using Half-Cross or Continental. Next, stitch the gift bow accents (darker green) in Leaf, using Half-Cross or Continental. Then finish up the gift bow by stitching the main bow color (lighter yellow) in Mint, using Continental.

Finally, fill in the main color of the gift box in Salmon, using Basketweave.

Name Area

Here's a how-to video showing how I stitch our classic lettering style in Scarlet & Wine, but the same principles apply if you’re stitching a different colorway, or even a different font!

Deep Dive: Stitching Your Name >

I stitch one letter at a time and one color at a time. I tend to tie off between letters, just to keep everything super crisp. I think it’s especially important to do this if you’re stitching a name with a white background. It’s less important if you have a dark background behind the name because the thread tails are unlikely to show through. To keep things easy for myself, I just tie off between letters 🙂

Name

You’re almost there! For the name, I actually change the order I stitch in.

I first stitch the lighter red, main color of the name in Continental, using Scarlet. I keep every letter separate, without long, connecting thread tails. So I would start with a new knot for each letter and tie off each yarn when I’m finished with the letter. This probably isn’t totally necessary, but I want the name to be super crisp, with no chance of thread tails showing through the white name plate.

Finally, I fill in the darker red name accents using Half-Cross to add detail, using Wine.

Nameplate

After you stitch the name, you should fill in the nameplate background.

White yarn is notoriously thin — it’s because there’s no dye to thicken the fibers — so you must stitch in Basketweave. If your yarn is looking very thin, particularly with crewel wool, you may want to add another strand of yarn.

Backgrounds

The big, simple blocks of color are often the very last thing I complete on any stockings. I think about it like filling in backgrounds after the details are completed.

Wall

Stitch the wall section in Cream, using Basketweave.

Hardwood Floor

Stitch the hardwood floor (behind the dog and under the fireplace) in Cocoa, using Basketweave.

Rug