There’s something special about creating your festive decorations, and with a bit of creativity and a needle in hand, you can add a personalized touch to your Christmas. In this article I’ll show you how to stitch your very own realistic mistletoe Christmas ornament.
Use the completed stunning hoop to add a touch of magic to your mantel or as a beautiful wall decoration. Let’s get started and make this holiday season uniquely yours!
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Project Overview
PROJECT SIZE: approx. 14x13cm (5.5×5.1in)
STITCHES USED: back stitch and satin leaf stitch
Just a quick word before we start. This whole project began as a little experiment. I was curious to see if I could stitch mistletoes more realistically, and you know what? The end result turned out so beautiful that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you!
What makes this pattern stand out is those satin-like berries that seem like they’re about to pop right out of the hoop – super realistic and impressive!
To make these lifelike berries, I used wooden beads, wrapping them up in thread. It’s a bit more time-consuming and can get a bit tricky when the bead is almost entirely covered, making the needle a bit stubborn. But don’t worry – I’ll cover the whole process in the tutorial below.
If you find this method too challenging, you can stitch the berries as small clusters in French Knot or, even easier, you can use already red-dyed beads.
I stitched the pattern on a 7-inch hoop, but you can adjust the size of the pattern when you’re printing it so it fits your needs and purpose.
Tools and Materials
For the most part of this project, your regular tools will do the trick. Depending on your berry stitching approach, you might need a few extra materials. I’ll lay out all the options below.
MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED
- Mistletoe pattern – download from my Free Pattern Library
- Linen, linen blend, or cotton fabric
- Embroidery needle size 3 – if you are wrapping the wooden beads in thread or stitch them in French knots
- Embroidery needle size 5 – if using pre-dyed beads
- Stranded cotton embroidery thread
- Embroidery hoop size 7”
- Wooden beads 8mm – if you are wrapping the berries in thread
- Pre-dyed red beads 8mm – if you are using pre-dyed red beads
- Washable Transfer Pen
- Sharp Scissors
As you can see, I’ve included two types of needles in the list. The stitching part of this pattern requires all 6 strands of thread, so you’ll need a needle that can handle all of them. A needle size 5 should be suitable for the job and great for attaching the normal red beads to the fabric.
If you are stitching the berries in French knots you need a Milliner needle size 3. Milliners or straw needles, are the recommended needles for knotty stitches.
Same goes if you decide to go with the wrapping the beads in thread method. You’ll need a steady needle that you can push harder for those last few tricky wraps.
So, as a general rule for this pattern:
- if you’re using pre-dyed red beads – use a needle size 5
- if you are wrapping the wooden beads in thread or stitch them in French knots – use a Milliners needle size 3
Download the Free Mistletoe Pattern
Download the Mistletoe pattern from my Free Pattern Library.
To get access to the Free Pattern Library fill out the form below and I will send you an email with your password. You can read more about my Free Pattern Library here.
The pattern you have downloaded is full size, so when printed on A4 paper will have the exact size to fit into a 7-inch hoop. You just need to have the Fill Entire Paper option selected.
NOTE: If you don’t have access to a printer, you can just trace the pattern directly from your monitor onto A4 paper, then trace it onto your fabric.
Mistletoe Color Palette
This pattern uses just two colors, and to to capture the authentic mistletoe look, I opted for a rich and vibrant red – DMC 817 (Coral Red Very Dark) for the berries and a deep green – DMC 319 (Pistachio Green Very Dark) for the leaves.
You can check the Mistletoe Color Palette article for the DMC to Anchor and RGB thread color conversion chart, or take a look at these color palettes that feature the same lively reds and rich greens:
Transferring the Pattern
To transfer patterns manually onto light fabrics you can use a lightbox or a window.
- Print your pattern: If you don’t have access to a printer, you can trace the pattern onto a piece of tracing/baking paper.
- Plugin and turn on the lightbox: Place the printed pattern on the lightbox, then place your fabric on top of the printed pattern. If you don’t have access to a lightbox, place the printed pattern over a window and secure it with masking tape, then place the fabric on top of it and secure again.
- Secure the fabric: Secure your fabric with masking tape.
- Trace the pattern: Trace over the pattern’s lines with the tool of your choice. You can use a washable tracing pen or a very fine-tip pigment liner (0.05 or 0.1).
This is how my traced pattern looks like. If you notice I marked the places where I’ll place the berries as small dots.
Doesn’t matter how you’ll end up stitching the berries – French Knots or beads, just tiny dots should be enough.
Stitching the Mistletoe Stems
Back Stitch – 6 strands of thread in DMC 319 (Pistachio Green Very Dark).
We’ll be stitching the stems in back stitch. Start by coming up one stitch length forward, then insert the needle back one stitch.
1. Come up again one stitch forward. You will go back down right at the beginning of your previous stitch.
2. Continue in the same manner by coming up one stitch forward, then back down at the beginning of your previous stitch.
3. When you reach the section where the leaf overlaps the stem, just leave that space empty.
4. Repeat this process and when you complete the entire left stem secure your thread on the back and start again with the small stem in the middle.
5. Stitch the small stem in the center in the same manner. When done, do not carry the thread on the back for the next stem. Secure your thread on the back and start again.
6. Repeat the same process until you complete the other big stem. Try to be consistent with the length of your stitches.
Stitching the Mistletoe Leaves
Satin Leaf Stitch – 6 strands of thread in DMC 319 (Pistachio Green Very Dark).
We’ll be stitching the leaves in satin leaf stitch. This stitch is a variation of the classic satin stitch. The difference is you’ll always go down in the same sport at the base of the leaf.
1. Start from the top of the leaf, and go down at the base of the leaf. I like starting from the middle of the shape, similar to the normal satin stitch.
2. Come up at the top of the leaf, a bit to the left of the initial stitch. Then go back down at the base of the leaf, just beneath where you previously descended.
3. Come up again at the top of the leaf, a bit to the left of the second stitch, then go back down at the base.
4. Continue stitching the entire left side of the leaf. Make sure to follow the irregular margins of the leaf.
5. Next, stitch the right side in the same manner, by coming up at the top of the leaf and go down at the base of the leaf.
6. Continue stitching the right side until you complete the entire leaf.
7. Apply the same technique for the rest of the leaves until you complete both branches.
This was the easy part done! From now on, it’ll depend on you how you want to stitch the berries.
I will take you through the trickier option – the one where we’ll wrap the wooden beads in thread. This method might be a bit more challenging, but it’s the most impressive!
Stitching the Berries
For the wrapping – 2 strands of thread in DMC 817 (Coral Red Very Dark).
While wrapping the beads, we’ll be using two strands of DMC 817, each cut to a length of 100cm.
For the berries you will need 8mm wooden beads. I ordered an assorted pack just to test out and make sure I got the right size for this project. For the 7inch hoop, the 8mm ones were just perfect.
Regardless where you live, you can probably order wooden beads in 8mm size from Amazon.
Trim the red thread to a length of 100cm, then go on to separate two strands and thread them through a Milliners needle size 3. Do not create a knot at either of the two ends.
1. Start by sliding the needle through the bead.
2. Don’t fully pull the thread through. Keep a short tail at the end, approx. 4-5cm in length.
3. Hold the short tail with your fingers and pass the needle through the bead.
4. Pull through while ensuring the short tail remains in position. This is just for the initial few wraps.
5. Pass again the needle through the bead.
6. Pull through while making sure the short tail remains in position.
7. Pull both ends to ensure a taut tension. We aim for a tight tension, not a loose one.
8. Proceed to wrap the thread around the bead in a consistent manner. You can use your fingers to adjust how the thread lays on the bead.
9. As you get close to completion, when the bead is almost entirely covered in thread, you’ll notice that pushing the needle through becomes progressively more challenging.
10. Insert the needle as far as possible into the center of the bead, then use a coarse surface to assist in pushing the needle through. Make sure to protect your furniture from damage.
11. Keep going until the entire bead is completely covered in thread.
12. After completion, trim the short tail as close to the center of the bead as possible.
13. To create a lifelike berry effect, push the remaining thread into the bead, using the back of your needle.
14. Keep the other end as is, as we will use this longer tail to secure the bead to the fabric in the next steps.
For efficiency, I pre-wrapped all 23 beads in thread before attaching them to the fabric. Take your time and enjoy the process. This step might take a bit of time.
While it might require some practice initially, once you get the hang of it, it’ll become easier and quicker.
Ensure you don’t cut the ends, leaving the long tail as it is. This extended tail will be essential for attaching the beads to the fabric.
Now with all the bead prepared it’s time to attach them to the fabric.
Thread the needle with the long tail, using the same Milliners needle used for wrapping the beads.
Go down into the fabric in the dots you traced earlier.
Draw the thread through the fabric until the bead is secured and positioned atop the fabric.
Turn your hoop around and secure the thread by gently pinching the fabric. Having the fabric slightly looser within the hoop will help, but ensure it’s not overly lax – just not extremely taut.
Next, pass the needle through the loop that has just been created to provide additional reinforcement.
Ensure there is sufficient thread at the end to tie another knot, then trim any excess thread.
Due to the beads being somewhat heavy, I prefer an added level of security. Tie one or two more knots, then trim any excess thread.
And these are the gorgeous berries done! If you weren’t aware they were stitched, you might mistake them for the real thing!
As I mentioned earlier in this tutorial, there are several alternative stitching methods for this pattern.
It’s possible that the process may seem tedious or finding the appropriate wooden beads might be challenging. In such cases, consider stitching the berries in small clusters using French knots.
Alternatively, for a simpler and less time-consuming approach, use pre-dyed red beads.
Regardless of the method you opt for, I trust that this pattern has brought you joy and will become a lovely addition to your decorations this year.
Remember that you can download the Halloween pattern from the Free Pattern Library. To access it just fill out the form below and I will send you an email with your password.
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How do I download a pattern? I don’t see a pdf so is it simply copy/paste? Thanks for the beautiful pattern(s).