Embroidered Tree Holiday Cards and Gift Tags
Hello Crafty Friends and welcome to the start of my annual “12 Days of Holiday Crafts” series! Today I’m excited to share these sweet hand- embroidered holiday cards with you!
Adding embroidery to handmade cards is a fun way to add dimension and texture. I have created six different tree designs that can be used to make unique Christmas cards or gift tags. The designs are simple and come together quickly – perfect for the busy holiday season!
For these embroidered designs I used DMC embroidery floss in shades of green on brown kraft paper. My favorite tree designs are the ones that mix different shades of green together. You can follow the same color palette I did, or switch it up and use brightly colored floss on white cardstock for a fun twist!
Some of the embroidery patterns can be used in different ways. For example, I used the same pattern to create both a simple triangle tree and a more detailed tree filled in with french knots.
I love to create handmade cards, especially embroidered cards for holidays! Check out my Embroidered Wreath Card for a fun Christmas card you can make this season or my Crafty Pun Valentine Cards you can make in the new year!
How to Make Embroidered Christmas Cards
Supplies Needed:
- Embroidery Patterns – Grab the free file by filling out the purple form at the end of this post.
- Embroidery Floss in various shades of green plus at least one brown floss color.
- Solid Cardstock for the cards or gift tags – 65lb or more will work best
- Patterned Cardstock to cover the back of the stitching
- Piercing pad (something to lay under the cards when poking the holes, a mouse pad would even work!)
- Push pin
- Embroidery Needles
- Embroidery scissors
- Double-sided tape
- Scissors or paper trimmer
Preparing the Cards
Step One: Start by cutting the solid-colored cardstock into square cards. I cut rectangles that measured 3″ x 6″ and then folded them in half to create mini cards. If you have a scoring board, you can score the fold line first before folding the cards in half.
Poking the Holes for Each Embroidery Pattern
Step Two: The next step is to cut out the small embroidery patterns and use them to poke holes in the top of the folded card. Be sure to open the card before poking the holes and use something underneath the card like a piercing pad or mouse pad (something you don’t mind getting holes in!).
Repeat for each tree pattern you want to use. I used a push pin but you could also use a straight pin to poke the holes. For the cross-stitched tree, poke holes into each corner that touches a gray square.
Embroidering the Cards
Step Three: Use embroidery floss to embroider the cards. Embroidery floss comes in strands of 6. Remove two strands and thread your embroidery needle so the two strands are doubled and you are stitching with four strands. The pattern comes with a stitching guide to follow as you embroidery the cards.
There is no need to knot the ends, instead use a small piece of tape to holds the ends at the beginning and end of your stitching to the inside cover. This way the floss will lay flat.
Embroider the cards being careful not to pull too hard on the floss causing the paper to rip. If you are using thick cardstock this shouldn’t be a problem.
Covering the Back of the Embroidery Design
Step Four: Once the design is finished, cover the back side of the design with a small piece of cardstock. I used patterned paper that coordinated with the colors of my cards. Cut small squares that measure 2.75″ by 2.75″ and attach it to the back of the cover using adhesive like double-sided tape.
The cards are completed!! These sweet embroidered cards can be used as mini cards or gift tags. I love that they can be both Christmas trees for Christmas as well as evergreens for winter-themed occasions like Winter Solstice. I hope you enjoyed this fun holiday craft. I’ll be back tomorrow with craft #2 of “12 Days of Holiday Crafts”. :)
Get the Free Embroidered Tree Cards!
Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)