Ring in the season and welcome your holiday guests with our cheery Santa Claus door decoration. We tucked a sprig of holly in his cap for luck and used Turkey Loop Stitches to make his curly white beard.

Size: 10″w x 28-1/2 “h Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), one 10-5/8″ x 13-5/8″ sheet of plastic canvas, #16 tapestry needle, 2-1/2″ white pom-pom, three 6mm red beads, two 2″ I silk holly leaves, nylon line, 20″ of 2-1/4,”w grosgrain ribbon, three 35mm gold jingle bells, 2″ x 16″ piece of thin cardboard, sawtooth hanger, clear-drying craft glue, sewing needle, and sewing thread Stitches Used: French Knot, Gobelin Stitch, Overcast Stitch, Tent Stitch, and Turkey Loop Stitch.

Instructions: Follow chart and use required stitches to work Santa. Complete beard with white Turkey Loop Stitches as shown on chart. Refer to photo to sew beads and holly leaves to Santa. Glue pom-pom to unworked area.

For doorbell, use sewing needle and nylon line to sew grosgrain ribbon to wrong side of Santa between ‘s. Beginning 3″ below Santa, sew three jingle bells to ribbon at 3-1/2″ intervals; trim ribbon. To strengthen ribbon, glue cardboard to back of ribbon. Forhanger sew sawtooth hanger to wrong side of Santa.

SANTA (66×63 THREADS)

Happy Holiday to all pattern-making visitors, thanks for your support for 2009, I look forward to sharing my skills with the posting of more art and craft as well as sewing more for this blog in 2010, God’s Blessing to you all..

Approx Size: 2-7/8″ w x 3-3/8 “h each Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), one 10-5/8 ” x 13-5/8″ sheet of plastic canvas, #16 tapestry needle, nylon line, and #26 tapestry needle (for working with nylon line)

Stitches Used: Backstitch, Overcast Stitch, and Tent Stitch Instructions: Follow chart and use required stitches to work ornament. For hanger, thread 8″ of nylon line through canvas at ; knot nylon line 3″ above top of ornament. Trim ends.

Here comes Santa Claus and his merry rider just in time to deliver Christmas cheer. Accented with lots of shiny tree trims, this jolly design can be displayed as a wall hanging or as a decoration for your front door.

Size: 131/2″w x 17%”h Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), two 101/2″ X 131/2″ sheets of 7 mesh plastic canvas, #16 tapestry needle, metallic silver ribbon , 28 – 6mm beads, one 5/8″ w star sequin, sewing needle, thread, sawtooth hanger, and clear-drying craft glue Stitches Used: Backstitch, French Knot, Gobelin Stitch, Overcast Stitch, Tent Stitch, and Turkey Loop
Instructions: Follow charts and use required stitches to work Santa pieces, leaving shaded areas unworked. Match and work~stitches in shaded areas through two thicknesses to join Upper Santa to Lower Santa. Refer to photo to sew beads to tree. Match to glue star sequin to top of tree. For hanger, sew sawtooth hanger to wrong side of stitched piece.

Designed by: Jack Peatman for LuvLee

GINGERBREAD GOODIE HOUSE
Size: 8″ w x 11″ h x 8″ d
Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), seven 105/8″ x 135/8″ sheets
of plastic canvas, two 4″ dia plastic canvas circles, #16 tapestry needle, ten
4mm green beads, 108 – 4mm red beads, 24 – black seed beads, four 1/2″
yellow star buttons, sewing needle, and sewing thread Stitches Used: Backstitch, Cross Stitch, French Knot, Gobelin Stitch, Overcast Stitch, Pattern Stitch, and Tent Stitch Instructions: (Note: Use a double strand of yarn for Pattern Stitch and for horizontal and vertical Gobelin Stitches.)

For Roof Sides, cut two pieces of plastic canvas 48 x 35 threads each. Use white to cover pieces with Pattern Stitch. Match edges and use white to join Roof Sides along one long edge. Follow charts to work Front/Back Eaves and Side Eaves. Match. ‘s and ‘s and use white to join Front/Back Eaves to Side Eaves between ‘s and x •s. Refer to I photo and use white to join Eaves to Roof Sides. Use white Overcast Stitches to cover unworked edges of Eaves. Sew green beads to Eaves at ‘s. Sew red beads to Eaves at ‘s (Note: For a sturdier house, use a double thickness of plastic canvas for Front, Back, and Sides.) Cut two pieces of plastic canvas for each Front, Back, and Side. Match edges and hold pieces together while stitching through both thicknesses.

For Arch Sides, cut four pieces of plastic canvas 4 x 19 threads each. For each Archway, refer to chart and use sewing needle and thread to join two Arch Sides to Arch Top. Follow charts and use required stitches to work Archways, Wreaths, and remaining pieces. For each Archway, use white and match ‘s to join Archway to Front/Back. For each Wreath, thread an 8″ length of red yarn through Wreath at *’S. Tie yarn in a bow
and trim ends. Refer to photo and use green to tack Wreath to Front/Back. Refer to photo to sew seed beads to snowmen for eyes and buttons. For each scarf, knot two 12″ lengths of red and one 12″ length of green 1;4″ from one end. Braid yarn for 4″ and knot remaining ends; trim remaining ends to 1;4 “. Thread scarf through Front/Back at ‘s and knot. Sew red beads to Sides, Left Tree, and Right Tree at ‘s For each tree, refer to photo and match ‘s to place Left Tree and Right Tree on Side with right sides up. Use green and work through all thicknesses to join Tree pieces to Side along unworked threads. Refer to photo to sew star buttons to tops of trees. For each Shutter, use white and match ‘s to join Shutter to Side along unworked threads. For each Window Box, use brown and match ‘s to tack Window Box to Side. Refer.to photo and use white to join Sides to Front and Back. For Bottom, cut a piece of plastic canvas 44 x 44 threads. (Note: Bottom is not worked.) Use white to join Front, Back, and Sides to Bottom along unworked threads.

Carrying a lunch to school can be lots of fun with this colorful lunch sack! Stitched with bright designs, our unique tote features convenient handles that are just right for little ones to hold
Size: 5 -1/2 “w x 10 -1/4 “h x 3 -1/8″ d
Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), two l0-1/2″ X 13-1/2″ sheets of
7 mesh plastic canvas, and #16 tapestry needle
Stitches Used: Backstitch, Gobelin Stitch, Overcast Stitch, and Tent Stitch

Instructions: For sturdier handle, place Handle Support behind handle on Front/Back. Match edges and hold pieces together while stitching through both thicknesses. Follow charts and use required stitches to work Sides. For Bottom, cut a piece of plastic canvas
36 x 21 threads. Work Bottom with blue Tent Stitches. Use color to match stitching area to join Front and Back to Sides. Use blue to join Bottom to Front, Back, and Sides. Fold down sections of Sides and use blue to join sections where indicated by heavy black lines.

Designed by Dick Martin.

Welcome Home
This row of tiny houses spells out a cordial welcome for your guests. Turned around, the pieces create a quaint little village on a shelf or table.

Approx Size: 1-3/4″W x 2-7/8″h x l-3/4″d each
Supplies: Worsted weight yarn (refer to color key), two 10-5/8″ x 13-5/8″ sheets of 7 mesh plastic canvas, #16 tapestry needle, sewing needle, and thread Stitches Used: Gobelin Stitch, Overcast
Stitch, and Tent Stitch Instructions: For each Style # 1 or Style #2 House, follow charts and use
required stitches to work one Front, one Back, two Sides, and two Roof pieces.
Refer to photo and use house color to join Sides to Front and Back. For Bottom, cut a piece of plastic canvas 12 x 8 threads. (Note: Bottom is not worked.) Use house color to join Front, Back, and
Sides to Bottom along unworked edges.
Use black to join Roof pieces along unworked edges. Refer to photo and use sewing needle and thread to tack Roof to house.
For Style #3 House, follow charts and use required stitches to work Front, Back, Side A, Side B, and Roof. Refer to photo and use house color to join Sides to Front and Back. For Bottom, cut a
piece of plastic canvas 8 x 8 threads. (Note: Bottom is not worked.) Use house color to join Front, Back, and Sides to Bottom along unworked edges. Refer to photo and use sewing needle and
thread to tack Roof to house.

STRIPED COLORS
When patch is striped, it is easiest to start and end color for each row. However, if possible, you may leave yarn hanging at end of row and transfer needle to second color, then pick up first color again when needed.

STEMSTITCH

STEM STITCH-VARIATION

Kalem Stitch-Variation

FERN STITCH

DOUBLE WEAVE STITCH

HORIZONTAL SCOTCH STITCH

DIAGONAL SCOTCH STITCH

CHECKERBOARD STITCH

SCOTCH STITCH VARIATION

DIAGONAL CASHMERE STITCH

HORIZONTAL MOSAIC STITCH

ALTERNATING COLORS Where colors alternate within a row, carry yarn on wrong side from area to area.

DIAGONAL MOSAIC STITCH

LEAF STITCH

BYZANTINE STITCH

KNOTTED STITCH

MILANESE STITCH

When stitched in one color, this stitch has a completely different look,

CROSS STITCH

DOUBLE CROSS STITCH

UPRIGHT CROSS STITCH

DOUBLE STRAIGHT CROSS STITCH

STAR STITCH
When making the star, work in numerical order from outside to center mesh of each star-up at 1, down at CENTER, up at 2, down at CENTER, up at 3, down at CENTER, etc.

BARGELLO STITCH-VARIATION

BARGELLO STITCH-VARIATION

BARGELLO STITCH-VARIATION

BARGELLO STITCH-VARIATION

BARGELLO STITCH-VARIATION

Web Stitch

All basic needlepoint stitches are made diagonally over one intersection of canvas threads. These stitches look the same on the front of the canvas-see photo-the back side is what shows the difference. The other needlepoint stitches which slant in different directions and cross several meshes at a time are known as Bargello or canvas embroidery.

CONTINENTAL STITCH and HALF CROSS STITCH
work rows straight from right to left. Yarn goes from a lower left mesh to an upper right mesh (stitches are diagonal on both sides of canvas).
Half cross stitch is worked from left to right. Take a whole stitch through the canvas, needle going in and out on one stitch-see illustration

BASKET WEAVE OR DIAGONAL TENT STITCH:
(So called because the back of work looks like a basket weave.) Each square on diagram represents one large hole on canvas. Stitches are worked upward and diagonally to the right. Rows are worked diagonally up and down. Broken lines and arrows on diagram indicate direction of rows. Numbers indicate order in which stitches are worked. Except for those holes around outer edge of work, each hole is used twice. At uneven numbers above broken line in each square, bring needle up from wrong side At even numbers below broken line in each square, bring needle down from right side. EXAMPLE: Bring needle up from wrong side at 1, down at 2 from right side for first stitch; up at 3, down at 4 for second stitch; up at 5, down at 6 for third stitch, and so on. To begin an upward row, work first stitch directly below last stitch of previous row-as up at 7, down at 8.
To begin a downward row, work first stitch directly to the left of last stitch of previous row-as up at 13, down at 14. To begin a downward row on a left straight edge, work first stitch directly below last stitch of previous row-as up at 57, down at 58. To begin an upward row on a lower straight edge, work first stitch directly to left of the last stitch of previous row-as up at 69, down at 70.

CANVAS EMBROIDERY STITCHES

CANVAS: PENELOPE is the classic canvas which is used in Traditional Needlepoint. It is a double woven fabric with pairs of horizontal and vertical threads which form the mesh. When doing regular needlepoint, the stitches are worked diagonally over two horizontal and two vertical threads. For Petit Point, the double vertical thread is separated and all the meshes are worked. In Traditional Needlepoint the canvas measures 10 meshes to the inch or 20 Petit Point meshes. It is usually Antique Tan in color, but is also available in White and Off-White.
MONOPOINT is a single weave canvas in which every mesh is of equal size. It is not as firm as Penelope and generally is not recommended for furniture pieces or any item that will receive hard wear. Monopoint canvas is usually White and, therefore, is suitable for hand painting. It is made in sizes ranging from 10 to 16 meshes to the inch (and even finer for Petit-Point) but 12 to the inch is the popular choice.
INTERLOCKING canvas (Iino weave) is a monopoint construction made of vertical and horizontal double strands which are woven together at the intersections. The strands are permanently set and cannot be separated as in Penelope. This construction gives more stability than a simple monopoint weave, though it sacrifices something in strength

YARNS AND THREADS: TAPESTRY WOOL is the Traditional yarn for needlepoint. It is made of long fibered, tightly twisted wool, which because of its quality and construction resists fraying and wear while it is being worked. A single strand of tapestry yarn can be used on 10 mesh penelope or 12 mesh monopoint canvas, or it may be split in half for working Petit Point. Tapestry Yarn,  It is permanently mothproofed.
PERSIAN YARN is actually a Crewel Embroidery yarn but it is also used for needlepoint. It is constructed of 3 loosely twisted strands of 2-ply yarn and it is interchangeable with tapestry wool. It is very easily separated into 1 or 2 strands for use on finer mesh canvas. Needlepoint and Crewel Wool, are packaged in 10 or 40 yard skeins and are also available by the strand.
COTTON THREAD is used in working needlepoint for various special effects.  Six Strand Cotton in multiple strands can be worked on regular mesh for highlight areas or on Petit Point canvas as a background for evening bags and purse accessories. It has more gloss than wool, which makes it suitable for dressier items.
METALLIC & RAYON THREADS may be used for highlighting small areas or for complete pieces such as Belts, Jewelry, etc. Spotlight  in Silver or Gold and Rayon are recommended.
ACCESSORY ITEMS: NEEDLES. The blunt tapestry needle is recommended for all needlepoint. For standard Gross Point (10 and 12 mesh canvas) use size 18 or 19 needle; for Petit Point, size 21 or 22.
NEEDLEPOINT FRAMES. Large panels of tapestry can be worked more conveniently on a needlepoint frame. Even for smaller pieces, the use of the frame keeps the canvas in shape so that it requires a minimum of blocking when it is completed. Most frames are of a rotating type and they come in many sizes to be used in the hand or on tables.
TYPES OF NEEDLEPOINT TRADITIONAL NEEDLEPOINT is usually done on 10 mesh to the inch Penelope canvas. The design is pre-worked and only the background needs to be filled in with the color and stitch of your choice to complete the piece.
TINTED NEEDLEPOINT is like painting on canvas. It is screen printed rather than hand painted, though some are retouched by hand. The canvas may be white Monopoint or Antique Penelope. Sometimes these are packaged in kits with yarns and other materials needed to complete the item such as pillow backings.
AMOUNTS OF YARN REQUIRED
The amounts of yarn required may vary considerably depending on how many color changes there are within an area, the mesh count of the canvas and which stitch is being used. The following is given as a rule of thumb:
HALF CROSS STITCH requires approximately 4/5 of a yard of tapestry or persian type yarn for 1 square inch of 10 mesh canvas.
CONTINENTAL STITCH requires approximately 1-1/4 yards for 1 square inch of 10 mesh canvas.
DIAGONAL TENT STITCH (basket weave) requires approximately the same yardage as the Continental Stitch.
For other kinds of stitches or different meshes of canvas, it would be necessary to work a 1 inch square to see how much yarn is required.
TO BEGIN WORKING
Tape the edges of the canvas with masking tape. This prevents raveling and protects the yarn from catching in the raw edges’. Measure and mark the area to be worked. If it is to be a picture, select the frame and work only the part that will show. For a furniture piece, measure the Chair Seat or Foot Stool across the widest part, then plan to work one additional inch on all sides.
Allow 2 inches of unworked canvas all around to facilitate blocking and finishing.
Work with a strand of yarn not over 18″ in length. If a strand is too long, it becomes frayed and does not cover the canvas. To end a strand, run the needle under a previously worked row for about an inch and clip closely. If the yarn becomes too frayed to cover properly, fasten off and begin a new strand.
For best results, work your piece in a needlepoint frame. If you prefer to work it in the hand, use the “Frame” or “Punch” method. This is done by bringing the needle straight up from the back to the front, then straight down from the front to the back in two stitches instead of sewing through in one stitch. This method prevents the yarn from wearing, makes stitches that are even, and keeps the canvas from pulling out of shape. Pull stitches taut but not tight. If the yarn becomes twisted while working, drop the needle and let it unwind. Although there are no set rules, it is usually recommended to work the design first then the background.
Work the stitches in numerical or alphabetical order as given in each illustration. Bring yarn up at the odd numbers and down at the even numbers. If both numbers and letters are used, work numbers first, then letters. Where numbers or letters are upside down or sideways, turn canvas and diagram to correspond and continue work. Some stitches are photographed in several colors. These are shown to illustrate different effects which can be obtained by alternating colors. The same stitches may be worked in one color only for textural effects. When there is not room to work a complete stitch, work as much of the stitch as is necessary to cover the canvas.

BLOCKING
Blocking is necessary for most completed pieces because the diagonal direction of the needlepoint stitch pulls the canvas out of shape. Even when the use of a frame serves to keep the canvas in shape, blocking refreshes the yarn and brightens the colors.
BLOCKING: Do not wet embroidered piece; it needs only to be somewhat dampened so that it can be stretched into shape. Wet a terry towel that is larger than embroidered piece and wring so that it is just damp (not dripping wet). Center piece flat on damp towel and roll up, being sure that towel keeps embroidered piece from touching itself and leave overnight. Remove slightly damp embroidery and stretch into shape by tacking or pinning to a board (wrong side of embroidery up) using rustproof pins or nails. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and let dry COMPLETELY before removing.

Fringe: Cut an 8″ length of yarn. Thread needle with loose ends of yarn. Come up at 1, leaving a loop on the wrong side of canvas. Bring loose ends and needle through loop (Fig. 6) and pull tightly. Trim ends to desired length. A dot of glue on back of fringe will help keep stitches in place.
Turkey Loop: This stitch is composed of locked loops. Bring needle up through hole and back down through same hole, forming 100′p on top of canvas. Locking stitch is then made across thread directly above or to either side of loop as shown in Fig. 15 -Fig. 12
Diagonal Mosaic Stitch: This stitch is a variation of the Mosaic Stitch. It is worked in diagonal rows as shown in Fig. 7.
Backstitch: This stitch is worked over completed stitches to outline or define (Fig. 2). It is sometimes worked over more than one thread. Backstitch may also be used to cover canvas
Double Leviathan Stitch: This stitch is worked over four threads and is composed of eight stitches, all crossing at the center (Fig. 4).
Pattern Stitch: Gobelin Stitches are repeated in a pattern to create a scalloped effect as shown in Fig. 8.
Scotch Stitch: When worked, this stitch forms a square. It may be worked over three, four, or five horizontal threads by three, four, or five vertical threads. Fig. 9 shows it worked over four threads.
Smyrna Cross Stitch: This stitch is worked over two threads as a decorative stitch. Each stitch is worked completely before going on to the next (Fig. 10).
Tent Stitch: This stitch is worked in vertical or horizontal rows over one intersection as shown in Fig. 11. Follow Fig. 12 to work the Reversed Tent Stitch
Two-tone Star Stitch: Work steps 1-12in first color as shown in Fig. 14. Work steps 13-16 in second color as shown in Fig. 15.
Gingerbread Goodie House
Cut along red lines shown in Fig. 16 to cut out one Arch Top and one Wreath from each 4″ dia plastic canvas circle.

HOW TO MAKE A TASSEL
Cut ten 5″ lengths and one 20″ length of embroidery floss. Fold 5″ lengths of floss in half. Make a small loop on one end of 20″ length of floss. Refer to Fig. 14 to wrap 20″ length of floss around folded 5″ lengths several times, covering almost all of the loop. Thread end of 20″ length through loop (Fig. 15). Pull other end of 20″ length until loop disappears under wrapped area (Fig. 16). Trim end at top close to wrapped area.

HOW TO MAKE A POM-POM
To make a pam-pam, cut two cardboard circles, each 2″ in diameter. Cut a center hole about 1/2″ in diameter in each circle. Thread needle with doubled 72″ length of yarn. Holding circles together, pass needle through center hole, over outside edge and through center again (Fig. 17) until entire circle
is covered. You will need to use approximately 5 lengths of yarn to complete pam-pam. With very sharp scissors, cut yarn between the edges of the two cardboard circles (Fig. 18). Using a doubled 24″ length of yarn, slip yarn between cardboard circles, pull tightly and tie very firmly around center
of pam-pam. Remove cardboard circles, cutting away if necessary. Fluff pom-pom by rolling between your hands.
Trim pam-pam evenly.