Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

A Welcome Warning about Witches

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This cute Halloween cross stitch pattern would be the perfect thing to hang on or near your door to let people know exactly who they are dealing with.

It’s from Durene J Cross Stitch on Etsy and features a pretty cute looking witch who is nonetheless threatening to turn anyone they don’t want coming to call into part of the potion.

The details on this one are really great, from the goo spilling out of the cauldron to the flask full of eyeballs in the witch’s hand. I love the cat looking on suspiciously, the pile of spell books with a skull on top, the potion bottle and pumpkin completing the scene. Super cute.

The finished pattern is 113 by 195 stitches, which comes out to 8 by 14 inches when stitched on 14 count fabric or 28 count evenweave.

I like the look of it on a colored background as shown, but it would be lovely stitched on white fabric, too.

To complete this design you’ll need to be able to make full and fractional stitches, do back stitching and make French knots. The pattern doesn’t say how many colors are used, but I have a feeling it’s a lot!

If you’re new to partial stitches, I shared a guide to stitching partial stitches in cross stitch here. It also covers back stitching so you should be all set with that information, whether it’s new to you or just a refresher.

Looking for more cross stitch patterns with witches? I love this Best Witches one, which I think would also be great by the door. Or check out Calling All Witches and stitch up these ladies to look like your crew of friends. And don’t miss the chance to stitch up a bit of Witch’s Brew with this funky teacup cross stitch pattern.

[Photo: Durene J Cross Stitch]

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Designer Spotlight: Curious Carrie Designs

If you like seasonal samplers and cross stitch patterns with a primitive twist, you’ll enjoy the collection from Curious Carrie Designs.

You’ll find alphabet designs, biscornu, patriotic projects and more. The summer category is the largest on the storefront, with Americana and floral designs. There are also categories for the other seasons and more general designs.

One of my favorites is this pretty sunflower cross stitch pattern, which is shown styled as a biscornu but it wouldn’t have to be. The pattern features sunflowers and bees and a little beehive. It uses 12 colors of floss and each side of the pattern is 51 by 51 stitches, which comes out to 3.64 inches or 9.2 cm square.

I love the fabric she used for the sample, which she actually dyed purple herself, but it would also be pretty on a purchased light blue or other color if you don’t want to dye your own.

There’s also a whole set of themed biscornu with a four letter word on one side (crow, home, love and snow, to name a few) along with a seasonal pattern on the other side.

The shop has a rather small selection at around 90 patterns as of this writing, but it’s a nice collection of traditional looking designs heavy on samplers and biscornu designs, so if those are things you like you’ll want to be sure to check it out. Visit Curious Carrie Designs on Etsy to see all her pretty designs.

Are you a designer or do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t made it into the spotlight yet? (You can see all the featured designers in the craft businesses category on the page.) Let me know in the comments, or you can submit more detailed information by clicking on “suggest a craft” at the center top of the page.

[Photo: Curious Carrie Designs]