15 Last-Minute Cross Stitch Gift Ideas You Can Still Finish

Every year I tell myself I’ll start my Christmas stitching in September. Every year it’s somewhere around mid-November when I actually pick up the needle. So I’ve become rather good at small, fast gifts that still feel special. These are my favorite cross stitch gift ideas when time is short, sorted by how long they take.

The short answer: the quickest cross stitch gifts are small designs under about 40 x 40 stitches: gift tags, cards, mini hearts, ornaments, bookmarks and mini hoops. A tag takes an evening, an ornament or mini hoop takes a weekend or a few evenings, and a bookmark takes about a week of evenings.

Finishing is half the fun with these. My guide to finishing and framing cross stitch covers every method mentioned below.

How much can you stitch before Christmas? (quick maths)

The honest answer depends on two numbers: how many stitches the design has, and how fast you stitch.

1. Count the stitches. Width x height gives the box, but most designs don’t fill the whole box. For a typical ornament, about two thirds to three quarters of the squares are stitched. A 40 x 40 design (1,600 squares) has roughly 1,100 to 1,200 stitches.
2. Time yourself. Stitch for 15 minutes on a design you know, count the stitches, and multiply by four. That’s your stitches per hour. Many people land somewhere between 100 and 200 full stitches an hour, but everyone is different, and confetti, color changes and backstitch all slow you down.
3. Divide. Stitches ÷ stitches per hour = hours.

Then plan backwards from the day you’ll hand it over, and leave room for finishing, glue drying and the post. Here are rough times for the gifts in this list, at 150 stitches an hour:

Gift	Typical size	Approx. stitches	Stitching time	Plus finishing
Gift tag	15 x 15 to 20 x 20	150 to 300	1 to 2 hours	30 minutes
Card motif	25 x 25 to 30 x 30	400 to 650	3 to 4 hours	30 minutes
Ornament	30 x 40 to 40 x 40	800 to 1,200	5 to 8 hours	1 hour
Mini hoop	36 x 40	about 1,000	about 7 hours	1 hour
Bookmark	28 x 100	1,800 to 2,200	12 to 15 hours	1 to 2 hours

My post on how long it takes to cross stitch has more on estimating your own speed.

One-evening gifts (gift tags, cards, mini hearts)

1. Stitched gift tags. A tiny heart, star or tree of 15 to 20 stitches, glued onto a card tag with felt behind it and finished with twine. They turn a plain parcel into a keepsake, and people keep them for the tree. My Stitching Gift Tags & Labels printable has tag shapes ready to cut.

2. A card with a window. Aperture cards have a cut-out front and a fold-over flap. Stitch a 25 x 25 motif, tape it behind the window and fold the flap over. A single snowflake in white on pale blue aida is beautiful.

3. Tiny heart magnets or pins. Stitch a 12 to 15 stitch heart, glue it over a circle of card, back it with felt, and glue a magnet or a brooch back on. Perfect for tucking into a stocking.

4. A jar-topper circle. If you’re giving cookies or jam in a jar, stitch a small motif on a circle of aida that sits under the jar’s ring or tied over the lid. It takes one small design and no finishing beyond trimming.

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One-weekend gifts (ornaments, bookmarks, mini hoops)

5. Felt-backed ornaments. A 30 to 40 stitch design, glued over card and backed with felt. No sewing needed, and they look lovely in a little set. My guide to making cross stitch ornaments walks through it.

6. A mini hoop ornament. The same small design, finished in a painted 3 or 4 inch hoop with a ribbon loop. It’s the gift I make most.

7. A bookmark. Long, slim and very useful. A bookmark takes longer than an ornament, so start one early, or choose a design with plenty of empty fabric. How to make a cross stitch bookmark has three finishing methods, including a no-sew one.

8. A kitchen mini in a frame. A 3 inch design like a teacup or a jam jar, in a small frame or hoop. My Pocket Pantry Minis were designed for exactly this, and they make a sweet set for a kitchen wall.

9. A stitched coaster. Acrylic coaster blanks with a slot for a small piece of stitching are easy to find in craft stores. Stitch a 30 x 30 square motif, trim it to the insert, and pop it in.

Gifts for teachers and neighbours (batch-stitch ideas)

When you need eight of something, pick one small design and repeat it.

10. A set of matching ornaments. One simple tree or star, stitched in a row on a single piece of fabric with 2 inches between each. Finish them assembly-line style: cut all the cards, then glue all the fronts, then all the backs.

11. Keyring fobs. A tiny design stitched on 10 or 14 count plastic canvas, trimmed one hole outside the stitching and fixed to a split ring. Plastic canvas doesn’t fray, so there’s almost no finishing.

12. Gift tags with a name. Stitch the same tag design for everyone, then add each person’s initial in backstitch. It looks personal and takes only a few extra minutes per tag.

Gifts for mom and grandma (the heirloom touch)

These take a bit longer, but they’re the ones that get framed and kept.

13. A mini sampler with initials and a year. A simple band of hearts or a little house with a row of initials underneath. Even a 50 x 40 design feels like an heirloom when it’s dated.

14. A birth flower. A small botanical of their birth month flower is thoughtful and personal. My Birth Flowers, Volume 1 designs are bigger (50 x 80 stitches), so allow two to three weeks of evenings.

15. A pincushion or biscornu. For a grandma who sews, a small stuffed pincushion or a biscornu is useful and pretty. It takes an evening or two of finishing, so leave a little extra time. The Biscornu Gifts patterns each come with a finishing guide.

Personalising with names and dates

A name or a date is the quickest way to make a small gift feel made-to-measure.

• Plan the letters first. Chart them on graph paper with a simple alphabet so you know how much space they need. Small backstitch letters are the fastest.
• Leave room. Cut your fabric with the extra lettering in mind.
• Keep it short. Initials and a year often look better than a full name on a small piece.
• Or write it on the back. A fabric pen on the felt backing is quick and still lovely.

Wrapping and gifting your stitching

• Wash and press it first if it has any marks. Here’s how I wash cross stitch.
• Let glue dry overnight before you wrap anything.
• Add a little card with the date, the design name and a note that it’s hand-stitched. People love knowing that.
• Protect it in the post. Slip flat pieces between two pieces of card in the envelope.
• Wrap simply. Brown paper, twine and a stitched tag is all you need.

Running out of time? Gift the pattern and the supplies

If December arrives faster than expected (it always does), there’s another option that’s just as thoughtful: give someone the makings of a project.

Print a small PDF pattern and tuck it into a little bag with a piece of aida, the floss from the key, a tapestry needle and a hoop. Add my beginner’s guide to cross stitch link on a card, and you’ve given someone a whole new hobby.

For the stitcher in your life who already has everything, my list of gifts for cross stitchers has plenty of ideas that aren’t more floss.

Need patterns? The Cozy Christmas Ornaments collection is all small, quick designs, and there are three free Christmas ornament patterns to start with tonight. Happy (speedy) stitching.

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