At Winter’s Door

Embroidering a wreath to hang on the door is a simple, heartwarming gesture that invites a sense of welcome and helps us embrace the shortening days with softness.

This week, I’m offering “At Winter’s Door”, a brightly colored piece to embroider at your own pace as we await Christmas.

This wreath combines foliage and fir branches, clusters of berries, and a shimmering ribbon; above all, its composition is shaped by large stylized poinsettias arranged in a rhythmic balance.

Their presence brings the brightness of the season: the green of the leaves is illuminated by the deep, almost incandescent red of the poinsettias.

This is quite a substantial task, which requires a little time and patience.

I suggest we break it down into several chapters so we can proceed calmly, without ever feeling rushed. We will start with the structure of the wreath with its fir branches, then we will go into detail about the foliage, before moving on to the poinsettias, ribbon, and finishing touches.

The pattern needed to make this wreath can be downloaded HERE.

I chose to create this piece on sand-colored linen, whose neutral tone highlights the bright red of the poinsettias and the deep green of the foliage. The ribbon that runs through the composition is embroidered in cream. It is enhanced with gold metallic thread, applied in small touches to suggest the sparkle of the holidays.

The finished wreath measures approximately 12 cm in diameter. This size allows it to be finished in a frame to hang on a door or simply frame.

Here is the range of threads I have chosen to make this wreath. It reflects the atmosphere I want to give to the piece, but these suggestions are only a starting point. Choosing colors and materials is one of the greatest pleasures of embroidery, and I strongly encourage you to let your creativity run wild.

As for the different stitches we will be using, I will introduce them to you as we create the designs. We will start next week by embroidering the fir branches and poinsettia leaves.

Here are the threads I used to make this embroidery.

They form a festive palette, with vibrant reds, deep greens, and cream tones, all enhanced with metallic threads to heighten their brilliance.

For foliage

House of Embroidery stranded cotton and metallic thread from Au Ver à Soie (No. 4)

For poinsettias

 DMC stranded cotton

316

For ribbons

DMC stranded cotton and metallic thread from Au Ver à Soie (No. 4)

Here are two close-up photos of the embroidery, allowing you to judge the color combination. I will choose the shades needed to make the berries and Christmas balls when the work is more advanced.