Have you started writing your Christmas cards yet? Well hopefully not, because I have some homemade hand embroidery card ideas for you to try. I always love receiving homemade cards, and it’s something that I always end up keeping.

Not only do I love receiving them, I love making them. To be honest, I love making most things, (if only I had the time) but there’s something about Christmas that calls for homemade. I guess with so much being mass produced, it’s nice to make things a little more personal.

Just like I always say, this diy is easy to do. I have experimented with different hand-stitching techniques, many of which I had learnt during school, but I definitely needed to refresh myself to fully remember the methods correctly. I'm not going to say I'm a hand embroidery expert, because I am nowhere near, but Youtube is full of amazing and easy to follow videos, so check those out for even more inspiration. This is also a great way to use up any scraps of fabric or crafting felt you have lying around, which you can use for the base of your design. You can fold a thick sheet of paper to make your card, or just buy a card pack like I did. Instead of the usual festive colours, I chose a range of pastels and muted tones.

I’ll start off with my favourite card (and no, I won't be changing my mind), the 'Express Your Elf" card. I made two different versions of this card altering the techniques a little. Version one has a very close straight stitch to create the stripe detail in the socks, whereas on version two, I have used sequins. I guess it depends on how jazzy you want your cards. The booties have been sewn using a chainstitch, and finished with tiny pom poms. For the text, I used a backstitch, and then decorated with a very loose stem stitch in an opposing colour. I think I might have to keep this card for myself.

The snowman is a tradition on Christmas cards, so they definitely had to be included. Despite only using very basic stitches for this card, a lot of detail has gone into it. I started off with a plain square of felt and stitched the snowy ground into place. Using a french knot, I secured the sequins as buttons, and created the eyes. Everything else on the snowman was attached using a running stitch. I even added a couple of tassels to the scarf, knotting it at the top. I experimented a little to apply the trees, by using a brown thread to attach the tree just at the base. These are the little details I love to do. The card was finished off with stars and sequins. Some of the stars are hanging over the felt, but again, I thought this was a nice little detail.

The Christmas jumper is another festive tradition. I slightly wanted to go down the "ugly jumper" route, but I was slightly worried it would just look like terrible sewing. Instead, I took the details I loved from the snowman card and applied a Christmas tree using the repeated straight stitch across the bottom to create the tree stump. Seeing as this tree is a lot bigger, I have added a star too. The candy cane was simply made by layering up stripes of sequins, and I’m not going to lie, I would totally wear that jumper. For the ribbing detail across the cuff, waist, and neckline, I used a single row of split stitches, and finished it off with a running stitch across the top and bottom.

The last two cards may be the simplest, but aren't they just so beautiful? I used a split stitch to create the lettering, which has given them such a lovely texture. For the 'Merry Christmas' card, I used a combination of red and green threads, just to make it even more festive. I layered a few stars and sequins to finish off the design. For the 'let it snow' card, I simply scattered sequins to create a snowy effect.

I hope this has inspired you to make your own cards this Christmas. I have loved working with hand embroidery so much, I have scheduled another post in the last week of blogmas, so check back if you are a fan too. Don't forget to use the advent calendar to keep track! Let me know in the comments below if you usually make your Christmas cards, and include a photo too.