Christmas Elf Hugging a Fawn Cross Stitch Pattern

About this Christmas elf cross stitch pattern

A blond elf with a round red nose and rosy cheeks squeezes his eyes shut in a big grin while he hugs a young fawn to his chest. He wears a red Santa hat with a white bobble, a green knit sweater with red stripes, patched brown trousers and fur-trimmed boots. The fawn, light brown with a cream muzzle, leans its head against his cheek.

It’s a warm, funny Christmas picture that suits a hallway, a child’s room or a holiday gift, and the fawn makes it a good choice for anyone who likes reindeer. The Christmas Elf with a Gift Wagon is drawn in the same style if you’d like a pair; our winter round-up has more holiday designs.

What you need

• Fabric: 14-count Aida in white, cut to at least 15“ x 19“ (3“ around the design for hooping and framing).
• Thread: 17 DMC colors, about 18 skeins in total, stitched with two strands. The main colors are 310 Black (2,407 stitches), 945 Tawny (1,307) and 437 Tan – Light (1,224).
• Needle: a size 24 tapestry needle.
• Stitches: full cross stitches only, with no backstitch.

Difficulty and stitching time

It’s rated Intermediate: the colors are manageable at 17, but the elf and the fawn overlap, and the sweater’s stripes need careful counting. At 10,929 stitches it takes roughly 109 to 182 hours at a steady 60 to 100 stitches an hour. Almost half the fabric (43.8%) stays bare.

Tips for stitching this pattern

• Buy two skeins of 310. 310 Black (2,407 stitches) outlines the whole figure and needs two skeins. Stitching the outline first separates the fawn from the elf’s arms, which are close in color.
• Count the sweater stripes from the hem up. The green 3818 Emerald Green – Ultra Very Dark (883 stitches) and the reds 3777 Terra Cotta – Very Dark (1,086) and 347 Salmon – Very Dark (722) alternate in rows. Start at the hem, where the stripes are straight, and work upward.
• Stitch the fawn before the elf’s hands. 437 Tan – Light (1,224 stitches) and 945 Tawny (1,307) shape the fawn and the elf’s face. Finishing the fawn’s body first lets the hands sit on top of it cleanly.

Size, fabric and framing

On 14-count Aida the finished design measures 8.2“ x 12.1“ (20.8 x 30.7 cm). On 16-count it comes out at 7.2“ x 10.6“, and on 18-count at 6.4“ x 9.4“. A 12“ x 16“ frame hung portrait leaves room for a mat.

A deep red or forest green mat makes it a holiday picture you can bring out from December to January each year.

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