Nativity Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern (Free PDF)
A simple nativity scene in silhouette: Mary kneeling, Joseph standing, the manger glowing in the middle, the stable roof and posts, and the star shining above. Only three colors, and most of the stitching is one dark shade, so it goes fast.
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What you need
The full chart is 51 stitches wide and 41 high: 710 full cross stitches in 3 DMC colors, rated easy. On 14-count Aida, cut a piece at least 10 × 9 in (25 × 23 cm), which leaves 3 in spare on every side, and a 6-in hoop holds the whole design. One skein of each color is enough.
| DMC thread | Stitches | Spread over | Thread | Of a skein | If it is out of stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3371 Black Brown | 616 | 10 areas | 8.2 m | 34 % | 938 Coffee Brown Ultra Dark |
| 725 Topaz Medium Light | 56 | 6 areas | 0.7 m | 3 % | 19 Autumn Gold medium Light |
| 3822 Straw Light | 38 | 8 areas | 0.5 m | 2 % | 745 Yellow Pale Light |
Thread for 2 strands on 14-count (how it is worked out).
Reading this chart
The exact center (column 26, row 21) is bare fabric, so your first stitch is 4 squares away: Straw Light at column 26, row 25.
Black Brown has the largest connected block, 570 stitches. Black Brown is the most scattered: 616 stitches in 10 separate spots.
A row uses about 3.4 separate runs of thread on average; the busiest is row 29, with 7. 66 % of the grid stays bare fabric, which makes this one quick for its size.
Budget roughly 3.5 hours to 7 hours (how we estimate that). New to charts? Read how to read one.
Finished size
| Fabric | Finished size | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 11-count | 4.6 × 3.7 in | 11.8 × 9.5 cm |
| 14-count | 3.6 × 2.9 in | 9.3 × 7.4 cm |
| 16-count | 3.2 × 2.6 in | 8.1 × 6.5 cm |
| 18-count | 2.8 × 2.3 in | 7.2 × 5.8 cm |
Ideas for using it
- Christmas hoop for the living room
- Church or Sunday school gift
- Christmas card
Stitching tips
- Stitch it on navy or midnight-blue Aida with the silhouette in black for a night sky.
- Use a metallic gold for the star and the glow.
- Add a line of text underneath with the alphabet pattern, such as O Holy Night or the year.
Free for personal use, and you may sell a few pieces you stitched yourself. Details in the terms.
More christmas and winter patterns
All Christmas cross stitch patterns · All free patterns · Turn your own picture into a chart like this