Embroidering Christmas cards with children: Simple ideas that are perfect for little hands

Christmas is just around the corner and there is a lot to do before the big celebration:Bake cookies, wrapping Christmas presents and of course sending Christmas cards. It's better not to wait until the last moment to send your Christmas mail, especially if you want to make the cards yourself. The handwork takes a little more time, but the result is definitely worth it! Handmade cards appear very personal and are popular with young and old. And the children can also help with the crafts. Are you currently looking for original DIY ideas for Christmas greeting cards? Then you can embroider Christmas cards this year and conjure up beautiful designs with yarn with the children.

When embroidering, fabrics are usually embellished with different motifs made from yarn. But you can also embroider paper and create original greeting cards, for example. There is no exact age recommendation for embroidery. Children, the onedeveloped fine motor skillsIf you have a needle and thread and are good at using it, you are welcome to join in. The basic stitches are usually learned in elementary school, so children can start embroidering as early as 7-8 years old.

Embroidering on cards: This is required

If you want to try embroidering beautiful Christmas cards with children this year, you don't need expensive materials or tools. We have listed everything that is needed below:

  • thick paper
  • Prickle needle + base (e.g. a cork coaster)
  • Stitch advantage
  • Stickgarn
  • Scissors
  • Template, printed or drawn yourself
  • Optional: adhesive tape

When choosing motifs to embroider, you should consider the age of the child. If your little one doesn't have any experience with needlework, it's better to focus on simple motifs that can be made without precise knowledge of the basic stitches.

Embroidering Christmas cards with children: This is how it works

Before you start embroidering, you first need a template. You can either print these out or draw them yourself on a piece of paper. If you choose the second option, you should also plan and note down the points for the stitches. In principle: the fewer points, the simpler the design.

You can then transfer the template directly onto the card or onto a separate sheet that the child embroiders and then glues onto the card. The second method has the advantage that the knots and stitches within the greeting card are no longer visible. So the card design becomes a little cleaner.

Now the child chooses the right yarn and threads it. Then tie a knot in the long end of the thread. You can then start embroidering.

The child first passes the embroidery needle with the thread through the paper from back to front at one end point of the template and pulls until the knot meets the hole. The points must be pre-punched. Now let the child follow the pattern to embroider the chosen motif.

Embroidering Christmas motifs on greeting cards: The best ideas for children

Children can embroider Christmas cards without knowing complicated stitches or following specific embroidery patterns. The easiest way to make greeting cards made of yarn is to draw a template on the card and have the child simply fill it in with yarn. To do this, you should first poke a few holes along the outline of the template. Then the child threads the yarn and begins to guide the thread between opposite holes. It doesn't have to follow a precise pattern. The main thing is that the entire motif is filled with yarn.

Slightly older children, on the other hand, can try to recreate a certain pattern. A few ideas and instructions follow.

Embroider a card with a Christmas tree: template and instructions

Learn to embroidercan be a lot of fun. If you want to show your children different stitches and try a more elaborate design, you can use this idea with a template and instructions. You can download and print the template to make it easier to transfer it to the card.

Once the dots are pierced into the card, you can start embroidering. Here's how:

  • Make the first stitch from 1 to 2. Bring the needle up to 3 on the back of the card.
  • Stitch to the 4, bring the needle to the 5 on the back of the card, then stitch to the 6.
  • Continue through the map from left to right until you get to 11. Bring the needle to the 13th and then stitch to the 12th. Bring the needle to the 10th on the back of the card and then stitch to the 11th.
  • Work back from right to left to fill in the missing stitches.
  • Repeat the process with the remaining rows.
  • Sew the star by embroidering the needle into each outside hole from the center.

Legend:

  • The arrow shows the stitch direction.
  • The dashed line shows that the trick is taken on the back of the card.

Embroider a Christmas tree with a self-drawn template

No template is necessary for a Christmas card with a Christmas tree motif. You (or even the child) can draw the outline of a Christmas tree yourself and add holes for embroidery. We really like this version of a tree made from diagonal stitches, even though it's easy to make.

Tip: If you are embroidering the design directly into the card, you can cover the stitches and knots on the back by gluing a piece of colored paper on top.

Embroidered Christmas cards decorate

If you have already embroidered the Christmas tree with your child, then the motif can be decorated as desired. How about some glitter stones that you stick directly onto the card? Also, don't forget the poinsettia at the top!

We also think this card design with a Christmas tree is very nice. Small plastic beads that look like Christmas balls and can be moved back and forth were threaded onto the yarn. However, with this idea, the beads need to be attached while embroidering and not after.

Or your child can embroider a really simple Christmas tree motif, with a long vertical stitch for the tree trunk and a few horizontal stitches of different lengths for the branches. To hide the interfaces, you can embroider a simple cross stitch on them. In this example, colorful yarns were used to decorate the tree and were embroidered into a knot stitch at the end of each horizontal stitch.

This is how the knot stitch works:

Insert the needle through the hole from bottom to top. Wrap the thread around the needle three times and insert the needle into the card (through a new hole) directly behind the thread coming out. Hold the knot firmly on the paper with your thumb and carefully pull the needle and thread through the card. Make sure to create a large knot that doesn't slip through the paper.

Embroider a reindeer motif on Christmas cards with children

One of the most popular Christmas motifs is of course the reindeer pulling Santa Claus' sleigh. Would you like to brighten up the Christmas cards with a cute reindeer then check out this really simple idea.

To do this, you should first trace this image on the card and puncture the dots in the designated places. For the head and body, one hole at each corner is sufficient. This makes embroidery easier.

The procedure is very simple. The child should first embroider the side stitches with brown thread and then create the triangle for the head. Then comes the antlers, which can be embroidered with a contrasting color. Finally, the child embroiders the nose and eyes, for which the knot stitch is again best suited.

Embroider Christmas cards with Rudolf

This is an even easier DIY Christmas card idea featuring Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. So that your child can conjure up this original card design themselves, first draw a circle at the bottom of the card. Prick several holes along the circle, making sure the holes are an even number.

The child then begins to embroider the card from bottom to top with red thread, starting at any point and passing the thread between opposite points. When the circle is completely filled with yarn, tie a knot at the back.

Finally, paint two small eyes and the antlers over the nose and the Rudolf card is finished. Alternatively, you can turn the colored circle into a Christmas ball if you paint a hanger and a conifer branch over it.

Embroider star on Christmas card

Here is another simple Christmas motif that children can embroider themselves. This beautiful card uses backstitch to create the large star element and the small stars are quickly and easily made with simple stitches to add a second eye-catching element. Embroidering Christmas cards is also a great exercise for children who have already learned the basic stitches in elementary school.

Embroider other popular Christmas motifs on greeting cards

Using an embroidery needle and yarn, children can embroider all the popular Christmas motifs onto the festive greeting cards. Whether it's a Christmas tree, a gift, a snowman, an ice crystal or a Santa hat - the ideas are almost endless.

Embroidering can be quite fun. Try it yourself or with the children and create original greeting cards for your friends and relatives!You can find a few more ideas for embroidered Christmas cards in this post.