Free Christmas embroidery designs

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It’s the holiday season and you’re looking for some creative gifts and ways to decorate your home. Why not use your embroidery machine? You can make some awesome projects even if you are on a budget or just want to save a bit of money. This is because there are plenty of free Christmas machine embroidery designs available online that are actually pretty cute and can be used in many different ways.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly where to find these free Christmas embroidery designs plus provide some ideas on how you can use them.

Why collect free Christmas machine embroidery designs?

There are a number of reasons why should collect free Christmas machine embroidery designs.

Have you ever been stuck trying to come up with a gift idea for someone, but then you see something and realize you have found the perfect thing? You may get that same type of inspiration by checking out these free embroidery designs.

Another reason why you should grab these freebies is because free designs aren’t always free forever. So, it makes sense to hunt for these little gems, download them and file them away for future projects.

Has it ever occurred to you that free machine embroidery designs may just inspire you to broaden your machine embroidery skills?

If you’ve been hesitant to try a new technique like free standing lace, appliqué or in-the-hoop projects, now you have a chance to experiment without spending any money. And you may just get a gift or some new home decor made in the process!

So, whether you are just learning how to embroider, or have been doing it for many years and want something different from your usual patterns, these free Christmas designs could be a good way to add some creativity into the mix.

Why do websites offer free Christmas machine embroidery designs?

Offering free machine embroidery designs is a great marketing strategy for sites who want customers to get to know them. If you like the quality of their free designs, you are more likely to purchase from them in the future.

Another reason why a website might offer some free Christmas designs is to collect your email address. By signing up, you are agreeing to receive their newsletter full of sales promotions for their paid designs.

Some sites offer free designs on pages that contain advertisements. So, even if they are giving the Christmas machine embroidery designs away for free, they are still making money from the advertisements.

What types of free Christmas machine embroidery designs can I find online?

There are all kinds of different styles out there! You just have to be willing to look. I have found adorable appliqués, funny filled embroidery designs, elegant free standing lace designs and even holiday in-the-hoop projects – all for FREE.

The only limitation to some of these free embroidery designs is that the design may not come in a ton of different sizes or formats. But, you can resize the design (while maintaining the proper density) using programs like Embrilliance Essentials or SewWhat-Pro.

You can also convert the embroidery design into different formats using SewWhat-Pro, Embrilliance Essentials as well or one of the other free embroidery file conversion tools.

Ready to download some free Christmas designs?

Here we go. I’ve found tons of Christmas themed freebies: filled designs, appliqué, free standing lace and even in-the-hoop projects.

Free filled machine embroidery designs

Santas, Santas and more Santas

This tipsy Santa embroidery design looks like he might have had one too many drinks. If you or someone you know can relate – especially when playing Santa on Christmas Eve, this may just be the perfect free Christmas machine embroidery design for you. Stitch it on some green kitchen towels. It may serve as a great reminder not to overdo it.

There are a few other silly Santas available for free on the SWAK website.  Here’s another crazy Santa in his sled that would be fun to stitch out on some kitchen towels. And, yet another Santa in a different bold, graphic style which is probably the most versatile of the bunch. Looking for a sneaky Santa? Check out this Santa with a Ho, Ho, Ho on the EmbroideryDesigns.com site. Or maybe you like this goofy Santa holding a gift? You can find this one on the EmbroideryDesigns.com website as well.

If you are looking for a simpler looking Santa, check out this Santa Outline Embroidery Design.

Or, if you prefer a more vintage look, I would recommend, this free Santa face design from Ann the Gran’s. It does take a while to stitch out but it has a lot of detail and looks great when it’s all done.

Other Christmas themed designs

There are plenty of other free Christmassy embroidery designs beyond all of the Santas.

This sweet Christmas tree embroidery design is made up of letters that say “we wish you a merry Christmas.” It’s a clever design and a sweet sentiment.  Stitch it out on some linen hand towels and hang them in your bathroom around the holidays.

If you are looking for some other unique Christmassy designs to holiday up you home decor that would be well-suited for adding on a name or monogram, check out the North Pole sign, this candy cane, the cute little puppy in a Christmas stocking, these simple Christmas ornaments, or these attractive Christmas Candles.

Here’s a cute little snowman on the skis embroidery design who might just be on his way to deliver Santa a letter. If you stitch this out on some plain pajamas – BAM – you have Christmas jammies.

Another fun free Christmas themed design that I think is absolutely adorable is this little row of Christmas stockings with happy holidays in a friendly handwritten, cursive font.  You could honestly stitch it out there, but I’m thinking it would make for some festive cocktail napkins.

Borders

This floral trim embroidery design versatile little border element that you could stitch on just about anything to make it a bit more Christmassy. You could stitch it in the corners of  napkins and placemats for a festive holiday table. Or you could even embroider this design on a plain little dress to make a special holiday outfit.

Another super versatile element that you could duplicate and flip is this Christmas Ivy Embroidery Design. Just put a name, monogram or initial in between.

Oma’s Place offers a candy cane border design that could be used in a similar manner and is maybe even a bit more kid appropriate.  You could stitch it out on a plain ruffle t-shirt or a baby onesie to create a simple Christmas look.

Ann the Gran also has a cute little free Christmas holly leaves corner embroidery design.  You could stitch this out on the corners of a napkin to make a festive Christmas place setting.

Redwork Christmas embroidery designs

Redwork embroidery designs are comprised of visible stitch lines, and they tend to have a vintage look to them. Since they are comprised of just lines, they also tend to stitch out quite quickly.

Kreative Kiwi offers a SET OF SIX adorable Santa redwork embroidery designs featuring Santa doing all sorts of activities such as going down the chimney, driving his sleigh, riding a shooting star and more.  If you wanted to present someone with a set of cohesive Christmas dish towels, this would be the perfect set of designs to use.

Oma’s Place offers a very pretty Christmas tree redwork embroidery design for free.  Maybe it’s just me, but inside this tree, I actually see a cross, so the design is a bit religious as well.  Needless to say, this would be a quick stitch on anything you want to make a bit more Christmassy.

Christmas themed appliqué designs

Prefer stitching out appliqué designs as opposed to embroidery? No problem.  There are plenty of free Christmas themed appliqués available as well.

I know Christmas is about much more than the gifts. But a big old appliqué present with a bubbly bow sure is cute, especially stitched out on a simple sweatshirt for a little kid. And – you can even coordinate the top with a hair accessory or a skirt by making a second piece out of the appliqué fabric.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the free appliqué design from SWAK: “Jesus is the reason for the season.” This is a really pretty design and an important sentiment.  You could even stitch this out on a textured fabric like burlap, frame it and add it to your holiday home decor.

Here’s another fun and super versatile appliqué design – a simple reindeer face appliqué. You could use this design on both boys and girls clothing, home decor, accessories and more.

Free Christmas free standing lace designs

Free standing lace (FSL) lends itself to Christmas ornaments, and not surprisingly, you can find quite a few free FSL Christmas ornaments. SWAK offers a free FSL stocking ornament and a sweet little FSL angel ornament. Kreative Kiwi has a free 3D FSL angel ornament.

Free in-the-hoop Christmas designs

Guess what? It’s not just Christmas embroidery and appliqué designs that you can find for free. There is a treasure trove of free Christmas-themed in-the-hoop items as well. Here are a couple of my favs.

Christmas coasters are an easy in-the-hoop item to make, and these free Christmas beer and wine coasters are a perfect way to toast the holiday.  You can even use them as place cards by adding a name when stitching out the design.

There are loads of different in-the-hoop Christmas ornaments you can make, but you don’t often find them as freebies. The Gingerbread in-the-hoop ornament from Oma’s Place is an exception – 100% free, cute and quick to stitch.

If you are interested in making in-the-hoop photo frame ornaments – check out my previous post where I show you how to do it. You can get the file for free in my resource library.

Snap tab key chains are another quick and easy in-the-hoop project perfect for beginners. And around the holidays, you can even use them as present toppers or stocking stuffers. Oma’s Place offers a free Gingerbread snap tab keychain that looks awesome made from brown sparkly vinyl.  If you decide to make some – don’t forget your keychain hardware and snap kit.

Frequently asked questions about free Christmas embroidery designs

What type of free Christmas embroidery designs can I find?

You can find a wide variety of free Christmas embroidery designs, including redwork, appliqué, free standing lace and in-the-hoop items.

Where can I get free Christmas embroidery designs?

There are several websites that offer free Christmas embroidery designs, including Oma’s Place and SWAK Embroidery. You can also find free Christmas embroidery designs in my resource library.

Are there any special instructions for using free Christmas embroidery designs?

Yes, each design may have specific instructions for use and if so they should be followed. Some designs may recommend or require the use of a special stabilizer or special thread, so be sure to read all instructions carefully before beginning.

Additionally, many free Christmas embroidery designs will have copyright information included with the design and it is important to follow those guidelines as well.

Do I need any special software for free Christmas embroidery designs?

Yes and no. If the free embroidery design comes in the right embroidery file format for your machine – then you can just download the design and load it onto your embroidery machine. But, if it’s in a format not understood by your machine, you can pretty easily convert it into the format you need.

You will also need embroidery software like Embriliance Essentials or SewWhat-Pro to combine these free designs with a name or a monogram.

Ready to start stitching out some free Christmas machine embroidery designs?

I hope you have gotten inspired by all of these free Christmas machine embroidery designs. Who would have guessed that embroidering for Christmas could be this cheap? What’s stopping you from stitching out some of these designs and see what you can come up with?

Do you have any other free designs that are your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

xo

Julie

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