A Welcome Warning about Witches

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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Get Witchy with Potion Bottle Cross Stitch Patterns

One of the most common supplies for cross stitch, aside from fabric, needles and floss, is an embroidery hoop. A hoop isn’t needed for every project, and indeed there are some stitchers who prefer not to use them at all. I generally don’t use a hoop when I’m working on a small cross stitch project, especially something that’s shape isn’t conducive to using a hoop (like a bookmark).

But embroidery hoops can be really helpful for cross stitch because they hold your fabric at an even tension, which allows you to stitch more evenly without any more work on your part. It’s great for beginners to use hoops because the tension on the fabric can both help make your stitches more even and make the holes in the fabric a little easier to see.

I’ll admit to always just buying whatever hoop is available in the right size when I’m ready to start a project without giving it much more thought than that. But there are things you should consider when choosing among the different kinds of hoops, which Caterpillar Cross Stitch covers in their great guide to embroidery hoops.

The post walks you through wooden, plastic, spring tension and flexi hoops (which I’ll admit to having never heard of; they’re made of vinyl and plastic apparently), as well as Q-Snap frames, which aren’t really hoops because they’re made of plastic tubes that you snap together in the size and shape you need.

It also covers what size hoop you should use for the project you’re working on and how to actually use a hoop in the right way.

Whether you’re new to cross stitch or more seasoned, you’re sure to pick up a tip or a product to try in this post, so go check it out over at Caterpillar Cross Stitch.

Do you have a favorite kind of embroidery hoop to use for cross stitch, or do you go without? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

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