11 Festive Christmas Crochet Appliqué Free Patterns

When is it too early to celebrate Christmas? Not if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, entrenched in wintry days! Not to worry, Christmas in July is celebrated not only by those in the Southern Hemisphere, but also ironically by those in the Northern Hemisphere.

But even if you don’t, it’s never too early to get started with your crochet projects now, so you don’t get overwhelmed by the time December rolls over!

Just like all appliqués, these small crochet designs are a fantastic way to use up your scrap yarn stash while adding a touch of holiday spirit to your creations. You can attach them to various items like hats, scarves, stockings, or even use them as ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree.

Creating these Christmas appliqués is a breeze, as they require basic crochet stitches that are easy to master! The majority of these appliques can be made entirely with single crochets. Additionally, due to their small sizes, appliques take only 10-15 minutes to make!

This post contains a wide range of designs, from adorable reindeers and snowmen to tasty gingerbread men and candy canes!

1. Mini Sweater and Stocking Ornaments

Free pattern by me available here!

These cute candy cane mini sweater and stocking ornaments would fit perfectly on your Christmas tree! Both work up extremely quickly and would make a great side project! You can also hang them on a keychain if you don’t have a tree!

If you’ve always wanted to crochet a life-sized sweater but were intimidated by the size and time it would take to make one, you can try out your skills with this mini sweater! Its construction is the same as a life-sized sweater, so if you can crochet this, you can crochet a bigger one after scaling up the pattern!

The pattern also contains photos to help you along with the more complicated steps!

2. Gingerbread Men Applique

Free pattern by Repeat Crafter Me available here!

Too lazy to bake an army of gingerbread men only to see them inhaled and gone in a couple of minutes? Here we have an army of inedible, but no less cute gingerbread men!

The pattern starts off with a round of doubles for its torso. All the limbs are part of the main body, and not sewed on. The eyes and buttons are pom-poms glued on, but you can choose to do a French knot and embroider them if you’re out of pom-poms! Here’s a quick tutorial on how to do a French knot in crocheted projects.

3. Holly and Berry Applique

Free pattern by Maria’s Blue Crayon available here!

This cute little applique would be perfect for adding a festive touch to your hats or stockings! The vibrant green leaves and bright red berries just bring a sense of freshness and celebration.

The berries are crocheted individually, then sewed on to the leaves. The leaves are crocheted in one go. This pattern is very short and simple! The post also provides a video tutorial.

4. Christmas Tree Applique

Free pattern by Golden Lucy Crafts available here!

How adorable would it be if you turned this Christmas tree applique into an ornament and hung it on your Christmas tree? Christmas tree-ception! This tree would also look great on a Christmas card.

This tree consists of the main body, the trunk, and the baubles, which are all crocheted separately than sewed together. If you’re not a fan of sewing, considering skipping this one!

5. Reindeer Applique

Free pattern by Passionate Crafter available here!

These goofy reindeers and their sweet faces are looking forward to accompany you throughout the holiday season!

Each reindeer consists of seven parts you must crochet separately and sew together: its head, snout, a pair of antlers, a pair of ears, and last but not least, its adorable red nose.

6. Christmas Baubles Applique (easy!)

Free pattern by Raffamusa Designs here!

This bauble pattern is very easy to follow! The post includes patterns for two sizes: small and large. The small version consists of just one round of doubles, while the large version has two rounds. Both are then topped off with a little cap, which is then sewed on.

This pattern helpfully includes a video tutorial! I love that you can use literally any color you want for these baubles to create a collection of colorful baubles!

7. Angel Applique

Free pattern by Golden Lucy Crafts available here!

What’s angelic about this design is its heart-shaped body and wings! Truly a unique pattern! The head is a normal round of doubles, but I imagine you could also choose to make it a heart instead!

Its halo is a simple chain sewed on to the head. You can also embroider eyes if you wish. The buttons are a cute stylistic choice!

8. Snowman Applique

Free pattern by Maria’s Blue Crayon available here!

What a cute little snowman we have here! This would be perfect to sew on a side bag or a cardigan. The post includes a video tutorial.

The snowman is one crocheted piece; no need to sew the head on its body! The scarf is sewed on to cover the join between, and its carrot nose is embroidered with orange yarn. Safety eyes were used, but you can embroider it instead if you prefer to keep the applique flat!

9. Candy Cane Applique

Free pattern by Raffamusa Designs available here!

Here are some simple candy canes to crochet! The pattern provides two options: one to the left and one to the right. What’s cool is the entire pattern consists of just a chain and one row! Yes, that’s really it! The stripes are embroidered, but they’re also very quick to do!

10. Santa, Reindeer, Elf Emoji Appliques

Free pattern by Golden Lucy Crafts available here!

Here we have a silly emoji three-in-one; a Santa, a reindeer, and an elf! They all start with the same base pattern: the face, which can be accessed here. This project does have a lot of parts to sew on, but the results are so worth it, wouldn’t you agree?

11. Christmas Lights Applique

Free pattern by Repeat Crafter Me available here!

This one project is a nice one if you’d like to mindlessly crochet. Churn out a stack of lights for each color, then string them all at once with black yarn, and before you know it, you’ll have enough garland to string across your whole house!