I’m so excited to share these hand-embroidered Christmas napkins! This festive embroidery DIY is quick, simple, and can be used every year at your holiday dinners.

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I am definitely a Christmas girl. I’m not sure there is one aspect of the Christmas season that I don’t enjoy! Cold weather, cozy fires, family time, presents, beautiful decor, and celebrating the birth of Jesus…it truly doesn’t get better than that.

Decorating the dining room table for Christmas dinner is one of my favorite things to do in this season. It gives that special touch of warmth when hosting a meal, and there are so many creative avenues in this! This year, I made these simple, hand-embroidered Christmas napkins, and I can’t wait to display them on my table.

If you’re new to Home Sweet Harps, I like to share very simple DIY projects, especially embroidered musings I’m working on. Starting a new hobby can be a bit overwhelming. But if you stick with me, you’ll find that all of my projects, including these Christmas trees, are beginner-friendly. When I started embroidery, I learned just two or three stitches and started a business, so trust me when I say, that you only need to know a few stitches to have a fun hobby of your own! This is definitely one of those projects. I used the basic backstitch, straight stitch, and stem stitch for this entire project.

Hand-Embroidered Christmas Napkins

Although I stitched these simple Christmas trees on cloth napkins, they can easily be used on tea towels or other projects as well. And it’s such a quick project, you can make them today. Although I love to embroider, I am not an expert, and tend to keep my stitching simple. And as a busy mom of three boys, I like crafts that I can pick up and do in my small moments of free time. I am more likely to finish these simple crafts instead of a long-term project, so these cloth napkins are a perfect fit!

There are only a few materials needed!

Materials:

Cream or white cloth napkins
Embroidery floss – 2-3 shades of green, and brown
Sewing needles
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery pen
Design – like this one I made!

That’s it!

How to make hand-embroidered Christmas napkins:

My hope is to create video tutorials for these simple stitches, so you can follow along, but for now, stick to the directions below!

First, you will want to draw or trace your design. I simply sketch out my design directly onto the material, but you can print something or use my FREE templates!

Here’s a tip: when sketching your design, it’s okay if you mess up. You can wash the design out with a little soap and water!

If you are new to embroidery, transferring a design to your material is simple. See notes below for details.

Christmas tree hand embroidery drawn on fabric

2. Once you are satisfied with the look of your design, secure material inside of embroidery hoop. In this photo, you see how I secured my thread without making a knot. I discuss this in the FAQ section below.

3. Use 2 strands of your color choice, then thread the needle.

Partially finished Christmas tree hand embroidered project

4. When it comes to which stitch you want to use on this project, any simple stitch, such as the backstitch, straight stitch, or stem stitch is great. If you download the PDF I created, I share two designs with you: triangle trees, and straight trees. Both of these projects follow the same steps, and can use a variety of the stitches I mentioned above.

5. Finish the project with a final knot.

6. Soak fabric in water and light soap (I use Dawn dish soap) to remove the markings. Once the fabric dries, it is ready to use!

FAQ:

How do I trace my embroidery design onto the fabric?

Print the design you want, at the size you want. Next, with your fabric secure in embroidery hoop, place the design behind your fabric, and use the light from a window to trace.

How do I start my embroidery design without using a knot?

When embroidering a project without backing, I try to use little or no knots. For this project, I began with one normal stitch length, but did not pull the stitch all the way through, keeping the loop in the back. Pull the needle through this hoop to secure thread.

What kind of fabric should I use to embroider?

You can use a variety of fabric to embroider, however, for this project, I would stick with a simple cotton material. I used a 100% polyester material that made stitching difficult on this project. I like the way they turned out, but I would use something different in the future. The nice thing about embroidery, is that it’s flexible. The eclectic style allows for imperfections!

Yield: 1 Napkin/Tea Towel