Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

A Cool Gift You Can Cross Stitch

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cross stitched planter box

Normally we think of cross stitching as happening on gridded fabric, but you can cross stitch anything that has holes, as we have seen from stitched peg boards and chain-link fences and other amazing large-scale projects.

You can also add holes to something to make it cross-stitchable, like paper. Or wood.

This wooden planter box has been drilled with holes so that the word Merry could be stitched on the side, but you could stitch whatever you like to make it holiday themed, or use a person’s initials or a simple image, whatever you like.

Check out the full DIY (and what’s on the other side of the planter box) at Consumer Crafts.

[Photo: Consumer Crafts.]

Have you read?

Cross Stitch Patterns for Trucks with Christmas Trees

I don’t know why a vintage red truck with a Christmas tree in the back became an iconic Christmas cross stitch pattern, but you might be surprised by how many of them I found. Let’s take a look at a few Christmas truck cross stitch patterns. 

I started with this free cross stitch pattern from Ugly Duckling House, which also has a wreath on the front of the truck for extra holiday cuteness. The design uses 16 colors and is 46 by 49 stitches. On 14 count fabric it comes out to about 3.3 by 3.5 inches, or 8.3 by 8.9 cm. You can grab that pattern when you enter your email address on the website. 

DMC takes it to another level with the tree being tied to the top of the truck, which is driving past a mountain stitched in the background. This one is also a free pattern, and the listing doesn’t give a ton of information, but it is pretty. 

Another one in a similar vein is this design from Actually Makeable, which has the tree tied in the back of the truck, which has a bit of snow on it, and there are snowy trees and a shape in the background that could be a cloud or a mountain. It measures 126 by 51 stitches and uses 17 colors. On 14 count fabric it will be 9 by 3.6 inches, or 23 by 9 cm. The back stitching is optional but does help to define the design. 

The watercolor look of this one from Ethno Ua Stitch is so pretty, but it uses 37 colors to get that painterly effect. The design is 138 by 165 stitches, and it includes full cross stitches and back stitching.

If you’re looking for an easier option, this one from Etamine Patterns looks pretty straightforward. I love how the tree almost looks like an applique. It uses six colors and is 109 by 120 stitches. 

Laser Art Designs has another version with a giant tree in the back of the truck and the words Merry Christmas at the bottom (which you could of course leave off if you want). This design uses four colors and comes out to 8.3 by 5.7 inches, or 20.9 by 14.4 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric.