Want a festive crochet accent that does double duty? This cheerful little gingerbread face — worked as a simple round in brown yarn, piped with snowy white icing, and finished with a tiny red bow — can sit under your Christmas mug or hang on the tree. The difference between the coaster version and the ornament version is just one small finishing change, so a single pattern covers both jobs.
What you’ll need
- Brown yarn for the main body (worsted or DK both work)
- White yarn for the surface-crochet icing border
- Red yarn for the smile and small festive details
- A crochet hook to match your chosen yarn weight
- A yarn needle for weaving in ends and sewing pieces
- 8 mm safety eyes for the Christmas ornament finish (or small felt circles if yours will be a working coaster)
- Felt fabric to cover the backside of the coaster version
The pattern: Gingerbread Coaster & Christmas Ornament
Save1. Icing-Edged Gingerbread Coaster & Ornament
The body starts with a magic ring and grows outward through joined rounds of double crochet — ten stitches, then twenty, then forty, building a broad, even circle that never cups upward if you keep checking your increases. Once the brown base is done, the icing goes on directly on the surface: a slip knot in white yarn worked between the bars of the final round, stitch by stitch around the face’s edge, so the white detail hugs the cookie like real piped icing.
The personality comes last — two black safety eyes, a red embroidered smile with rosy cheeks, and a small red bow shaped separately and sewn on. For the coaster finish, fasten off the final round cleanly and glue a felt circle to the back to hide the yarn ends and give it table-sturdiness. For the ornament finish, work a chain loop at the top edge before fastening off and hang it straight on the branch.
Video tutorial: Littlespot’s gingerbread coaster & Christmas ornament tutorial
Tip: keep the white surface crochet relaxed enough to sit on the fabric — yank it tight and the whole circle will cup and curl.
Caring for your gingerbread crochet pieces
- Dust, don’t wash: The ornament finish keeps its shape best with a lint roller or soft brush.
- Spot clean coasters: Dab with a damp cloth and mild soap, then air dry flat — never wring a felt-backed piece.
- Mind the heat: Cotton yarn is the safer pick under hot mugs; keep acrylic versions away from boiling-hot pots.
- Store flat between seasons: Tuck finished pieces into a breathable cotton bag, away from direct sun and moths.
- Choose kid-safe eyes: If little ones will handle the ornament, embroider the eyes from black yarn instead of using safety eyes.
That’s the pattern — one cheerful gingerbread, two jobs. Make a stack of coasters for the cocoa season, string a few ornaments for the tree, and you’ll have a whole fresh batch of gingerbread on the hook before your drink cools. Happy Christmas crocheting!
Pattern inspiration for this pattern comes from the gingerbread coaster and ornament pattern at diycrafts.life (tutorial video by Littlespot) — all descriptions above are my own, and the video tutorial belongs to its original creator.
