Checkered Christmas Teardrop ball with Bow Machine Embroidery Design

Checkered Christmas Teardrop Ornament with Bow Machine Embroidery Design is a downloadable digital file for embroidery machines. The design features a filled checkered Christmas ornament decorated with gold details, a red bow and green branches. It is suitable for holiday towels, table linens, decorative pillows, gift bags and Christmas home textiles.

Please note: this listing contains digital machine embroidery files only. No embroidered item, fabric or physical product will be shipped. An embroidery machine and software or another method of transferring the selected file format to the machine are required.

Design Specifications

Size, Stitch Count and Hoop

Formats: .pes, .pec, .hus, .vip, .dst, .exp, .sew, .dat, .vp3, .jef, .xxx

Design Construction and Project Ideas

The ornament combines filled checkered sections, decorative gold details, a solid bow and stitched green branches. The fabric remains visible around the ornament and between the branches, while the ornament itself contains concentrated areas of fill stitching.

The horizontal format works well on the lower corner of a decorative pillow, the center of a Christmas towel, a table runner, a holiday gift bag or the front of a fabric storage basket. When stitching on a towel, keep the weight of the fabric supported beside the machine so it cannot pull against the hoop.

Companion Designs from the Checkered Christmas Series

These four designs use the same checkered Christmas style and can be combined on coordinated towels, pillows, table linens and holiday gift sets.

Checkered Christmas Ball with a Bow

Checkered Oblong Christmas Toy with a Bow

Checkered Christmas Star with a Bow

Checkered Christmas Ball with Holly

Explore more designs in the Christmas and holiday machine embroidery collection.

Madeira Classic 40 Thread Chart

The original design chart uses seven Madeira Classic 40 colors. The color numbers below are taken from the original chart. Screen colors are approximate and may look different from the physical thread.

Color-block sequence: 1179 → 1039 → 1278 → 1159 → 1003 → 1199 → 1159 → 1168 → 1039.

Find the Nearest Thread Matches

The converter provides the nearest available shades for other thread brands, not guaranteed exact matches. For an important project, compare the suggested colors with a physical thread chart and test-stitch the palette on similar fabric.

Stabilizer Recommendations

For stable woven cotton, linen or decorator fabric, use a firm tear-away or medium-weight cut-away stabilizer. The stabilizer should extend beyond every side of the hoop so the entire embroidery area remains supported.

For terry towels, use a strong backing underneath and a thin water-soluble topping over the pile. The topping keeps the small gold details, outlines and edges of the checkered sections from sinking between the towel loops.

For knit or stretch fabric, use cut-away backing rather than tear-away alone. Hoop the fabric flat without pulling it out of shape. When direct hooping could leave marks, secure the stabilizer in the hoop and attach the fabric with a suitable temporary embroidery adhesive.

Related guides: Madeira Cotton Fix stabilizer, balancing fabric, stitch density and stabilizer, and using temporary adhesive spray for embroidery.

Can Metallic Thread Be Used?

The gold details can be stitched with embroidery metallic thread, but use it only for the color blocks assigned to Madeira 1159 rather than replacing every filled area. Metallic thread is less flexible than regular rayon or polyester and requires a smoother thread path.

• Use a Metallic 80/12 needle; try 90/14 only when the selected metallic thread is comparatively thick.
• Reduce the embroidery speed to approximately 400–500 stitches per minute.
• Lower the upper-thread tension gradually rather than making a large change at once.
• Allow the spool to unwind freely from a separate thread stand if the manufacturer recommends it.
• Check the machine manual before using metallic thread and before disabling or using the automatic thread cutter.

Quality metallic embroidery thread does not automatically damage a machine. However, stiff or poor-quality metallic thread can shed foil, create abrasive debris around guides, affect sensors or accelerate wear on a cutter. Stop and clean the accessible thread path according to the machine manual if metallic residue begins to collect.

See the metallic-thread embroidery guide for additional setup advice.

Should Silicone Lubricant Be Used on Metallic Thread?

Use only a lubricant specifically intended for textile or embroidery thread, such as Gunold Silicone Spray 610 or an equivalent product approved for this purpose. Apply a minimal amount to the thread or to an approved thread-lubricating pad.

Do not spray lubricant into the embroidery machine, tension system, sensors, cutter, bobbin area or directly over the hooped project. Excess silicone can attract lint and transfer to the fabric.

Useful Troubleshooting

Why is a thread nest forming underneath the fabric?

A nest on the underside most often means the upper thread has not entered the tension path correctly. Stop the machine and cut the nest from underneath instead of pulling the hoop. Raise the presser foot, remove and completely rethread the upper thread, check the take-up lever and guides, reinstall the bobbin and replace a bent or damaged needle.

Loops underneath usually point to the upper-thread path. Bobbin thread appearing loosely on top is more likely to indicate a bobbin-path or bobbin-tension problem.

Why does metallic thread keep breaking?

Fraying directly above the needle usually indicates an unsuitable, worn or damaged needle. Random breaks can be caused by restricted spool feed, excessive tension, high speed or an incorrectly threaded guide. Breaks in exactly the same part of the design can indicate a dense overlap, very short stitches or a burr on the needle plate or hook.

Why is the fabric puckering around the ornament?

Hoop the fabric flat without stretching it and use backing larger than the hoop. Do not remove or trim the stabilizer between color blocks. Support the weight of a towel or large textile beside the machine and keep rolled fabric away from the moving embroidery arm.

If puckering appears during the filled checkered areas, strengthen the stabilization before changing thread tension. Do not resize the embroidery file because resizing can change stitch density and registration between the filled sections and outlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the original colors?

Yes. The red, orange and gold sections can be changed to match a particular holiday collection. Keep enough contrast between the light and dark checkered sections so the diamond pattern remains visible.

Can the design be stitched on a towel?

Yes. Use a stable backing underneath and water-soluble topping over the towel pile. Support the towel beside the machine so its weight cannot pull the hoop during the dense filled sections.

Can the design be made smaller?

Reducing the finished file in the embroidery machine is not recommended. The design contains filled areas, narrow outlines and decorative details whose density and alignment can be affected by automatic resizing.

What is included in the download?

The ZIP archive contains the listed machine embroidery formats for the stated design size. Choose the file format compatible with the exact embroidery-machine model before transferring it to the machine.