In 2014 I set myself a challenge of sharing a Christmas craft project every day during December. ⁠It was tough to craft something everyday alongside work, socialising, shopping and other things making my life so busy. But it really helped to get me into a Christmassy mood!

⁠Christmas 2020 is going to be different to most years, if you need something to get you in the Christmassy mood or to keep you busy because you’re not out at Christmas parties then I’ll be showcasing 12 of my favourite Christmas projects every other day during December.

Day 1 is this stitched Christmas card, it’s such a quick make and is great for sending a something personal and handmade to a friend or family member.⁠

What you need …

• Card (I used A6/C6 sized)

• Thread

• Needle (if using beads it will need to fit through the hole)

• Beads & sequins (optional)

• Scissors

• Scrap paper, pencil, ruler (to make the template)

• Paperclips

How to …

• Start by creating a tree template using scrap paper, a pencil and ruler. The size of your template will depend on the size of your card. I made my template by folding the paper in half and drawing a line about 4cm at a right angle to the fold, then measuring up 11cm and drawing a line to create a triangle 8.5cm by 11cm. I then measured notches 1cm apart as this would indicate where I made my holes in the card. Cut out the template

• Open the card out flat and place the template in the centre of the card, once you are happy with the position, use the paper clips to hold it in place.

• Using the needle (or a pin) start making holes in line with the notches. Make sure that you have the card open so you don’t pierce the back of the card. The easiest way to pierce the holes is to lay the card on a surface such as a cushion.

• Take a length of thread and thread the needle, make a neat knot in one end. Bring the needle through the bottom left hole you have just made from the back to the front. Thread on a bead and then take the thread across the card and pass the needle through the bottom right hole to the back. Make sure the thread is pulled tight, but no so tight that the card bends

• Bring the needle through the next hole up on the right hand side (being careful with tension). Thread on a bead and then pass the needle through the next hole depending on the option you want to stitch - you can either use parallel lines or zigzag lines.

• Continue stitching in this way until you’ve reached the top. If you have a sequin then attach this at the centre top point (I used a small bead to attach this, but you could use a smaller sequin or a French knot.

• Before you fasten off check the tension across at the threads is OK then tie a knot as close as possible to the card as you can. Trim off the tails of any knots. If you can’t get the knot secured as you want then a bit of tape can be used.