Beeswax Candle with Holly Cross Stitch Pattern

About this Christmas candle cross stitch pattern

A chubby beeswax candle smiles out from a wooden plate, with closed happy eyes, pink cheeks and a small flame burning on top. Cream wax drips down its sides in thick runs, and a ring of twigs and red berries sits around the wick. Holly leaves and clusters of berries spread out around the plate on both sides.

It’s a cozy Christmas piece for a kitchen, a mantel or a reading corner, and the warm golds keep it looking good after the holidays too. For a second piece with the same holly and berries, try the Kittens in a Gift Box, or browse all our free Christmas cross stitch patterns.

What you need

• Fabric: 14-count Aida in white, cut to at least 17“ x 17“ (3“ around the design for hooping and framing).
• Thread: 14 DMC colors, about 15 skeins in total, stitched with two strands. The main colors are 939 Navy Blue – Very Dark (2,390 stitches), 3856 Mahogany – Ultra Very Light (1,721) and 3862 Mocha Beige – Dark (1,306).
• Needle: a size 24 tapestry needle.
• Stitches: full cross stitches only, with no backstitch.

Difficulty and stitching time

It’s rated Intermediate. The candle’s body blends several warm golds and peaches, and the berries and holly need careful counting around the plate. At 10,389 stitches it takes roughly 104 to 173 hours at a steady 60 to 100 stitches an hour. About half of the fabric stays bare, so the background takes no time at all.

Tips for stitching this pattern

• Buy two skeins of the outline color. The outline is 939 Navy Blue – Very Dark, not black, and it is the most-used color (2,390 stitches). It reads as near-black on the fabric but stays softer.
• Keep the two berry reds apart. 3831 Raspberry – Dark (247) and 815 Garnet – Medium (184) shade each berry. In warm evening light they look almost the same, so label them and work the berries in daylight.
• Stitch the flame last. The flame is a small area of 728 Topaz, 3854 Autumn Gold – Medium, 3823 Yellow – Ultra Pale and B5200 Snow White. Doing it after the candle is filled keeps the pale yellows clean, with no dark fibers dragged into them.

Size, fabric and framing

On 14-count Aida the finished design measures 10.4“ x 10.2“ (26.4 x 25.9 cm). On 16-count it comes out at 9.1“ x 8.9“, and on 18-count at 8.1“ x 7.9“. A 14“ x 18“ frame leaves room for a mat.

A dark green or red mat picks up the holly and berries. On 18-count it is small enough for a round 10“ hoop, finished with a ribbon to hang. For more designs to keep up after Christmas, see our winter cross stitch patterns, where it is compared with six other designs.

What’s in the free PDF

• A cover page and a one-page overview with a preview of the design
• The chart, split across as many printable pages as you choose, in color or black and white, with a symbol for every DMC color, center lines, a mini-map showing which part of the design each page covers and a color key on every page
• The thread list: DMC number, color name, number of stitches and skeins to buy for each color
• The finished size on 11-, 14-, 16-, 18- and 28-count Aida