Stitching a Festive Snowman: Step-by-Step Guide
Back in 2021, I stitched this adorable little Snowman embroidery square as part of a series of Instagram videos. Since then, Instagram has changed a lot, and those videos are now harder to find. So, I figured it’d be handy to write everything up here on the blog – just like I’ve done with my other embroidery squares!
In this post, I’ll talk you through how I stitched this snowman design step by step. I’ll cover the threads I used, the stitch types, needle size, techniques, and a few handy tips to make it easier. I’ve also linked to the original videos if you want to check them out. Heads up, though – they were the first stitching videos I ever made, so they’re not super polished 🙈. That said, they’re still packed with tips, and you’ll see exactly how to tackle each section (they get better as you go, promise!). Also, I’m sorry about the quality of some of the images - they are mostly screenshots from the videos (that’s all I have I’m afraid) 🙈
Whether you want to follow the guide as-is or put your own spin on the design, I hope this helps you create something you love. Let’s get stitching!
What materials you need
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
A Snowman embroidery square
An embroidery hoop
Needles
Threads
Scissors
A fabric pen (great for adding any extra details you want!)
Don’t worry, I’ll break down each of these in more detail below so you’ll know exactly what to use and why.
A Hand-Printed Embroidery Square
First up, you’ll need one of my Snowman embroidery squares. These are hand-printed on natural calico fabric, all ready for you to fill with your favourite stitches and thread colours!
You can get your snowman embroidery square from my shop here………
An Embroidery Hoop
I stitched my snowman in a 5” hoop, which fits perfectly with all of my embroidery squares. This size gives you plenty of room to stitch comfortably and even leaves space for any extra embellishments you might want to add.
Embroidery Needles
Using the right needle can make a big difference in how neat and precise your stitches turn out. Embroidery needles come in a range of sizes, and here’s what to keep in mind:
Larger needles create bigger holes in the fabric. If you’re stitching with just a few strands of thread, a large needle might leave gaps or make your stitches shift around.
Smaller needles are great for finer stitching, but if you use one with too many thread strands (like all 6 strands), it can be tricky to pull the thread through smoothly.
To make things simple, I offer needle packs in my shop with 6 needles in three sizes:
Large needles for stitching with 6 strands
Medium needles for 3–4 strands
Small needles for 1–2 strands
Throughout this guide, I’ll refer to these needle sizes so you can follow along easily. You can get these needle packs here:
Embroidery Threads
For this project, I used a mix of DMC and Anchor 6-stranded cotton threads. Both are fantastic brands known for their vibrant colours and durability. I chose these shades from my own thread stash, but feel free to raid your own and pick colours that match your vision for your jolly snowman!
Here are the 7 colours I used for this embroidery:
Scissors
Any scissors will do the job, but sharp, pointed embroidery scissors are best. Their precision makes it easy to trim threads cleanly and get into tight spaces without fraying the ends. If you don’t have embroidery scissors, small sharp scissors from your sewing kit work just as well as an alternative.
Fabric Pen
I love using a heat-erasable pen for adding extra details to my embroidery squares. My favourite is the Pilot Frixion pen – the markings disappear with a quick blast from a hairdryer! Just a heads-up: these pens can sometimes leave faint marks, so it’s always a good idea to test them on a scrap piece of fabric first.
You could also try an air-erasable pen, which works well if you’re stitching quickly. Just keep in mind that the markings can start to fade (or disappear completely!) before you’re finished – especially in a warm room.
No fabric pen? No worries! You can use a pencil instead. Just remember that pencil marks aren’t removable, so you’ll need to make sure your stitches completely cover any lines you draw.
2. The Stitches
Here are the stitches I used for this one:
Chain Stitch
Split Stitch
Long and Short Stitch
French Knots
Turkey Stitch
Stem Stitch
Pistil Stitch
For extra details, I also added:
Backstitch
Fly Stitch
Cross Stitch
That said, you don’t have to stick to these stitches for your snowman! Feel free to mix things up and experiment with different stitches – it’s a great way to give your embroidery a unique twist.
3. Lets Start Stitching
First, place your embroidery square into the hoop, making sure the fabric is nice and taut. I always aim for a drum-like tension because it helps keep your stitches neat and prevents any wrinkles in the fabric.
Here’s how to get that perfect tension:
Place the fabric over the inner hoop and press the outer hoop on top.
Pull the edges of the fabric outside the hoop to smooth out any bumps.
Tighten the screw mechanism until the hoop feels secure.
Gently pull the fabric around the edges one more time to tighten it further.
Your fabric should now feel tight, like a drum, and be ready for stitching!
💡 Tip: Keep an eye on your fabric’s tension as you work – it can loosen with stitching. If that happens, just tighten it back up as needed.
4. Step-by-Step Stitching Guide
The Scarf
Start by stitching the scarf. For this, I used Chain stitch to create a cute, knitted effect. I began with the section of scarf that’s underneath the top wrap, and stitched rows of chain stitches all going in the same direction.
Stitch – Chain Stitch
Thread colour – Anchor 170
Number of strands – 3
Needle size – Medium
Now, I have to warn you – these are the very first stitching videos I ever made 🙈. They’re a bit rough around the edges – bad lighting, no embroidery stand, and a little shaky at times. It’s a little embarrassing looking back on them after three years, but hey, you can still see what I’m doing, which is the main thing!
Oh, and I love that I mention needle minders in this video – even though I didn’t sell them back then! Well, fast forward, and now I do sell them in my shop! I don’t think I had even dreamed of designing my own needle minders back then 😊
The Snowman Body and Face
Next, stitch the snowman’s body and face using Split stitch. This is one of my favourite filling stitches – it’s so relaxing and you don’t have to overthink where each stitch goes.
I used two strands of light grey and a light blue thread combined to create this lovely coloured texture. Start at the bottom of the body and stitch overlapping rows working upwards. Try to keep the stitch lengths random so there’s no noticeable pattern.
I stitched over the scarf tassels so I could add them later and went straight over the eyes and mouth.
Stitch – Long and Short Split Stitch
Thread colours – Anchor 394 and Anchor 159
Number of strands – 4
Needle size – Medium
*It’s nice to see that I’ve made a little progress – I’m actually using a stand in this one!
✨ A Little Tip:
Keep the stitches more vertical in the center and angle them to follow the curve of the body on the outside.
You can also try stitching with just one colour for a different effect – it’ll give the snowman a whole new look!
The Nose
Next, stitch the nose using Long and Short Stitch. I stitched three bands of colour: a yellow band at the top, an orange band in the middle, and a darker orange band at the bottom. Then, I blended the three bands together. To make the colour changes easier, I drew the three bands onto the nose before I started stitching.
Stitch – Long and Short Stitch
Thread colours – DMC 742, Anchor 925 and Anchor 326
Number of strands – 2
Needle size – Small
This section is split into 2 videos:
Start with the yellow band at the top of the nose. Fill this section with horizontal long and short stitches, and add a few yellow stitches into the orange band below to help blend them together.
Next, stitch the middle orange band in the same way. Add a few orange stitches into the yellow band above to blend, and a few stitches into the darker orange band below.
Finally, fill the bottom section with the darker orange, again adding a few stitches into the orange band above.
I kept blending by adding a few stitches over the top of each band until I was happy with the smooth transition.
✨ Alternatives you might like to try:
You could stitch the entire nose using just one colour, or mix a couple of colours, like we did with the body.
You could also try using Satin Stitch (with either vertical or horizontal stitches) for a different effect.
The Eyes and Mouth
He definitely looks much happier with a face! For the eyes, stitch 2 French Knots, and for the mouth, stitch 4 knots. I used 3 wraps for the eyes to make them larger and 1 wrap for the mouth to keep them smaller.
Stitch the knots through the stitches filling the face, so they sit neatly in place.
Stitch – French knots (with 3 wraps for the eyes, 1 wrap for the mouth)
Thread colour – Anchor 401
Number of strands – 4
Needle size – Medium
The Scarf Tassels
Add some fun, 3D tassels to the end of the scarf using Turkey Stitch. These are perfect for creating texture – though I do find them a bit fiddly! But trust me, it’s totally worth it. I stitched the tassels using the same colour as the scarf, but you could use a contrasting colour for a fun pop.
Stitch – Turkey Stitch
Thread colour – Anchor 170
Number of strands – 3
Needle size – Medium
✨ A Little Tip
Make your tassels longer than you think you want them, then trim them down to the final length. Just be careful – you can always trim more off, but you can’t add it back unless you unpick and restitch.
✨ You might like to try:
You could also try Pistil Stitch for the tassels. I show how to do this version in the video as well.
The Hat Top
For the main part of the hat, use rows of Chain Stitch just like you did for the scarf. Start with a row of stitches along each edge of the hat, then add a vertical row in the center. Next, fill in the rest with more rows of chain stitches, angling them to follow the shape of the hat.
Stitch – Chain Stitch
Thread colour – Anchor 170
Number of strands – 3
Needle size – Medium
Although I don’t actually stitch this in Video 7, I do explain how I did it.
The Hat Brim
Next, stitch the brim of the hat using rows of horizontal Stem Stitch. I used 6 strands to make it nice and chunky – after all, we don’t want his head getting cold!
Stitch – Stem Stitch
Thread colour – Anchor 394
Number of strands – 6
Needle size – Large
✨ Tip:
The shorter you make these stitches, the more twisty they’ll look. So feel free to experiment with your stitch length to get the effect you like.
The Hat Pom Pom
The final touch for the snowman! Start by stitching Pistil Stitches around the outside of the pom pom to create the fluffy bits with the pistil stitch tails. Then, fill in the middle with French Knots to finish it off.
Stitch – Pistil Stitch and French Knots with 2 wraps
Thread colour – Anchor 394
Number of strands – 3
Needle size – Medium
✨ You might like to try:
Stitching the pom pom with Turkey Stitch for a super cute 3D effect.
The snowman is now fully stitched! At this point, you could call it finished—but I couldn’t resist adding some wording and snowflakes around the edge to personalize mine. This is a great way to make your snowman truly your own!
The Wording
I freehand drew my extra details, but if you’re not feeling confident, you can always create a template on your computer, print it out, and trace it onto your fabric.
Stitch – Backstitch
Thread colour – Anchor 401
Number of strands – 3
Needle size – Medium
* I show you the stitching for this in video 9.
💡 My Little Tip: Tie off and start a new thread for each word to avoid thread shadows showing through the fabric.
Other stitches you could try for lettering include Chain Stitch, Split Stitch, and Whipped Backstitch (though whipped backstitch can be tricky if you’re working with very tiny backstitches).
Experiment with the number of strands too—using more strands will give you thicker lines, while fewer strands will give a finer look.
The Snowflakes
This is such a lovely way to finish off the snowman.
Stitch – Fly Stitches for the larger snowflakes, and Cross Stitch for the smaller ones
Thread colour – Anchor 401
Number of strands – 2
Needle size – Small
Oh, and I noticed I got the embroidery stand I currently use in this video! I still love it!
And that’s it! The stitching for this Snowman is now complete. I think it looks so lovely, especially sitting on my dresser next to my twinkling tree 🎄
5. Finishing and Displaying your Embroidery
First, don’t forget to use a hairdryer to remove any heat-erasable pen marks that might still be showing.
You can frame your finished embroidery in the same hoop you used for stitching, which is one of my favourite ways to display my embroidery projects. To do this, trim away the excess fabric, leaving about a 4 cm ring all the way around.
Next, stitch a running stitch about 1 cm from the fabric edge using 6 strands of thread, leaving unknotted tails at the start and finish. Gently pull these tails to gather the fabric, then tie a knot to hold it in place.
The best part about this method is that it’s not permanent! If you decide later to add more to your embroidery, you can easily remove the running stitches and continue stitching until you’re happy with the design.
You can also turn your embroidery into a cute hanging banner with one of my banner kits. This way, you can hang your beautiful embroidery anywhere in your home. These kits are designed to pair perfectly with any of my embroidery squares.
You can find the banner kits here……..
Step back and admire your beautiful work!
I hope you enjoyed this project! Be sure to check out my other embroidery blog posts, some of which include links to live stitching videos so you can stitch along with me. I also have 12 other embroidery square designs available in my shop that I think you'll love for some relaxing creativity.
You can find them all here……….
And don’t forget to tag me on social media when you show off your beautiful work—I’d love to see it!
If you enjoyed this blog and would like to support my work, feel free to visit my Ko-fi and leave a tip - every little bit helps keep the creativity flowing! 🌸
Enjoy your stitching!
Until next time,
Liz x