Free Christmas Crochet Applique Patterns

By Jan Bay

This collection brings together original free Christmas crochet appliqué patterns with complete written instructions for each finished design, so you can choose a motif for blankets, stockings, ornaments, gift bags and other holiday crafts.

Worsted Weight Yarn for Crochet Appliqués

Free Christmas Crochet Applique Patterns in This Collection

I wanted this collection to be useful rather than just long, so every design you see here leads to a complete pattern you can actually make. Right now that gives you six finished appliqués from four pattern pages: three gingerbread designs, a reindeer face, a Christmas tree and a six-point snowflake.

You don't have to use them one at a time, either. The gingerbread pieces naturally belong together, while the reindeer, tree and snowflake make an easy little winter woodland group. Or pick one motif and repeat it across a blanket border, stocking, gift bag or set of ornaments. I'd rather repeat one good design than crowd a project with every Christmas symbol I can fit on it.

Gingerbread Crochet Appliqué Set

The free Gingerbread Crochet Appliqué Set gives you three coordinated designs on one pattern page: a gingerbread man, gingerbread woman and gingerbread house.

This is the set I'd choose when you want the appliqués themselves to do most of the decorating. The three pieces are different enough to make a small scene, but they still look like they belong together. You could place the man and woman on opposite ends of a blanket with the house between them, use the trio across a Christmas stocking, or make each one separately for ornaments and gift decorations.

The little details matter here. The faces and icing are embroidered rather than added with plastic eyes, buttons or beads. That keeps the surface flatter and makes more sense if you're sewing the appliqués onto a baby-facing craft.

You also don't need all three on every project. The house can stand alone. So can either gingerbread figure. Make the full trio when you want a scene, and keep it simpler when one motif is enough.

Get the free Gingerbread Crochet Appliqué Set pattern.

Reindeer Face Crochet Appliqué

The free Reindeer Face Crochet Appliqué pattern gives you a compact woodland-style face with antlers, a lighter muzzle and embroidered features.

I like this one because it doesn't have to be locked into Christmas. Use the red-nose variation when you want the holiday look, or keep the nose in a natural woodland color and it can move right into a winter nursery project.

That makes the reindeer especially useful if you're making something you don't want to put away the day after Christmas. Pair it with the tree and snowflake for a winter woodland look, or let the reindeer be the only character and keep everything around it simple.

The face shape also gives you a fairly contained motif. It can work where a long full-body appliqué would feel awkward, such as the corner of a blanket, the center of a small bag or the front of a handmade stocking.

Get the free Reindeer Face Crochet Appliqué pattern.

Christmas Tree Crochet Appliqué

The free Christmas Tree Crochet Appliqué pattern is the easiest one in this group to move from project to project because the shape does most of the work. You don't need a face, a lot of embroidery or extra decorations to make it read clearly as Christmas.

I'd use this one when the appliqué is supposed to support the project instead of becoming the whole project. A row of trees can make a blanket border. One tree can sit on a stocking, gift bag or ornament. You can also pair a tree with the reindeer or snowflake without the combination getting too busy.

If you're making several trees for the same project, I'd keep the basic tree construction the same and change the greens rather than changing the shape every time. That gives you some variety without making the group look unrelated.

And you can stop before adding extra decoration. A clean green tree is already recognizable. It doesn't need beads, buttons, tiny ornaments and a dozen other things sewn onto it.

Get the free Christmas Tree Crochet Appliqué pattern.

Snowflake Crochet Appliqué

The free Snowflake Crochet Appliqué pattern has a true six-point construction with defined spokes, side branches and a longer point at the end of each arm.

This one is useful when you want winter without adding another Christmas character. Work it in warm white or cream for a classic look, or use a pale icy shade if that fits the project better. I would keep the color quiet because the geometry already gives the snowflake plenty to look at.

The snowflake can also fill spaces that the more solid appliqués can't. A few spaced snowflakes around a tree or reindeer give you movement without adding another large character. One on its own can work as an ornament, package decoration or winter accent.

Blocking matters more with this design than it does with the solid motifs. The six arms need to sit evenly so the branch structure shows. Follow the finishing directions on the full pattern page rather than pulling the points aggressively into shape.

Get the free Snowflake Crochet Appliqué pattern.

Which Christmas Appliqués Belong Together?

You can mix all of these designs, but I wouldn't automatically put all six on one project. A smaller group usually gives the finished piece a clearer idea.

For a gingerbread project, I'd use the gingerbread man, woman and house together. That's already a complete little collection. Add more Christmas motifs only if the project is large enough to need them.

For a woodland Christmas project, I'd choose the reindeer, Christmas tree and snowflake. The tree gives you the Christmas shape, the reindeer adds the character, and the snowflake fills smaller spaces without competing with either one.

If you're decorating a small item, pick one. A stocking doesn't need to become a sampler of every pattern on this page. One good tree, reindeer or gingerbread figure can be plenty.

Using Crochet Appliqués on Blankets, Stockings and Crafts

Before you sew an appliqué down, decide whether you want it completely flat or whether a small edge should remain free. For anything that will get regular handling, I prefer sewing around the outer edge so the motif can't curl or catch easily.

Use matching yarn or sewing thread and make small, even stitches through the back of the appliqué and the surface underneath it. Keep the stitches secure without pulling so tightly that the background puckers.

If the appliqué has narrow points, antlers or snowflake branches, secure those separately rather than assuming the center stitching will hold everything in place. Those little projecting areas are the first places likely to flip up.

For a removable holiday decoration, sew the appliqué to something designed to be taken down rather than attaching it permanently to a project you want to use all winter. That's especially handy with the reindeer because the natural-nose version can keep working long after the Christmas decorations are gone.

Yarn, Color and Finishing

Follow the yarn weight and hook size given on each individual pattern page because those instructions were worked out for that particular finished motif. If you're combining several appliqués on one project, using similar yarn weights and fibers will help the pieces look like one collection that was made at the same time instead of a pile of unrelated, random Christmas ornaments.

You can check the Craft Yarn Council Standard Yarn Weight System if you're comparing yarn labels. The category number tells you the general yarn thickness, but yarns within the same category aren't automatically identical, so the individual pattern instructions still matter.

For this collection, I'd keep most of the palette around classic red, evergreen, warm cream, gingerbread brown and woodland brown or taupe. A pale icy color can work nicely for the snowflake. You don't need every motif made in exactly the same colors. Repeating a few colors across the group is enough to tie them together.

Once an appliqué is finished, weave in the yarn ends carefully before you attach it to anything. Embroidered features should be secured on the back as well. Don't leave loose knots, long yarn tails or decorative hardware hanging from a baby-facing piece.

Using Christmas Crochet Appliqués on Baby Items

If you're adding one of these designs to a baby-facing craft, keep the finishing simple and secure. Where a character has facial details, those details are embroidered instead of added with plastic safety eyes, buttons, beads or loose bells.

A decorated blanket can be made as a keepsake, playtime item or later-childhood blanket, but it should not be placed in an infant sleep space. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends keeping an infant sleep space bare with only a fitted sheet and no blankets, pillows or other added items.

That doesn't mean you can't make the Christmas project. It just means the finished item needs to be used appropriately.