Arthur-Inspired Cross Stitch Patterns

My daughter loved the TV show Arthur when she was growing up, and the other day I came across what I assume is an Arthur-inspired cross stitch pattern that sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for more.

Someday I may have to design a “having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card” bookmark pattern, but for now here are a few Arthur cross-stitch patterns I found.

It all started with this “funny elk with guitar” pattern from Smart Cross Stitch. I assume it’s supposed to be George if he traded his ventriloquist puppet for an axe. The pattern is designed by Nadezhda Mashtakova and is 87 by 113 stitches. It uses full and half stitches as well as a backstitch and has 23 colors. The pattern is free.

From there I found a couple of patterns on Etsy that are more directly about the Arthur television show.

Of course there would have to be Arthur’s clenched fist, which became a meme way back in 2016 but I still see it every now and then. (I never knew the image came from an episode in which he actually hits D.W. for breaking his toy airplane.) The cross-stitch version is from Hot Cross Puns Studio, uses six colors and measures about 7.1 by 4.7 inches when stitched on 14-count fabric.

And speaking of D.W., I also found a cross stitch pattern memorializing when D.W. ate a green potato chip. The pattern is from Dot Dot Dot Stitches, and comes to 5.4 by 5.6 inches on 14 count fabric. I think it’s about eight colors but the pattern information on Etsy doesn’t actually say.

Are you a fan of Arthur? If so, what scene or quote would you like to see made into a cross stitch pattern? Or if you know of other Arthur-inspired cross stitch patterns, I’d love to see them!

Most of the cross stitch projects I make are pretty small and not something I would consider heirloom quality (though I am working on a big project for my daughter that I hope to have done for her high school graduation in two years that I hope is something she’ll want to keep forever, but that’s another story).

But it is definitely possible to cross stitch projects that will stay around for generations, and one prime example of that is a cross-stitched linen tablecloth.

Linen tablecloths are classic, while stitching one can be a big project, depending on the size of your table, it doesn’t have to be really complicated.

Koekoek has a good, detailed post about figuring out how much linen you would need to make a tablecloth that you can cross stitch and/or embroider on (they also sell tablecloth linen in their shop if you don’t already have some or a linen tablecloth you already use). Of course for a project like this you’d want the best fabric you can find and afford, because you’ll be stitching it for a long time and hopefully using it for years.

The post walks through how to measure your table and determine how much fabric you’ll need including the drop you’ll want and hems. It includes the math for rectangular and square tables as well as circular tables, which helps take the guesswork out of buying fabric. It also talks about preparing the fabric and making mitered corners if you have a square or rectangular table, which will help the tablecloth sit nicely on your table.

The tutorial doesn’t include specific patterns to use for your tablecloth, but it does advise keeping it simple because this is a really big project. You can start with a motif in the center or doing borders, and this is a project you can add to through the years by, say, stitching a symbol for each family member or adding names, wedding dates, etc. and making it a real record of your family.

Would you ever cross stitch a tablecloth or have you done so? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Koekoek]

Have you read?