A free bargello design for Christmas

This free bargello design will introduce you to the techniques of bargello needlepoint.

What will I need?

I worked this bell on 27 count Linda evenweave but you could use 18 count mono canvas.

DMC stranded cottons in the following colours:

500, 501, 502 and 503 (greens)
930, 931, 932, 800 and 775 (blues)
DMC stranded metallic gold

Download the bargello needlepoint pattern to begin. You will need a colour printer to print the chart.

You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open and read this chart. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will open so you can download without leaving this page).

If you want to open the file in your browser window, you can just click on the link. However, if you want to download the file to view later, then right click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save File As." Then select where you want to save the file on your hard drive. Once you have saved the file, locate where you saved it, and double click to open. In order to print, open the downloaded file, and select the "Print" option from the menu.

About the design

This little Christmas bell design uses a traditional bargello needlepoint pattern known as trees. I have used pine greens for the trees and blue for the sky beyond. Each tree is topped with a golden candle. The bell has a golden clanger and is hanging by a golden ribbon over a branch of a pine tree. The green colours are used in order from darkest at the bottom of the tree. The sky is worked in the opposite direction with the darkest blue tone at the top of the bell.

How to stitch the free bargello design

Each stitch is worked over 6 canvas or fabric threads using 4 strands of cotton (floss). Visit the threads page for a video showing an easy way to separate the strands without getting in a tangle. By separating and then recombining the strands you will get a smoother stitch. You may also like to try using a laying tool to improve the finished effect.

Step down/up one thread for each subsequent stitch. Begin at the top with the dark green triangle (500), then by establishing the darkest blue (930) zigzag row. Leave spaces to add the gold stitches later. Change to the next lighter shade of blue (931) for the next row, missing out the green stitches of the treetops. Continue in this manner to the base of the bell.

Tip. Use more than one needle. Thread a different colour in each and "park" them out of the way when not in use. This saves a lot of rethreading!

I hope you have enjoyed stitching my free bargello design. Why not experiment with different colours and send me a photo of your results?

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