Autumn Cross Stitch Designs (and Other Seasons, Too)

I came across the summer and autumn free cross stitch patterns from Happiness is Cross Stitching the other day, then got stuck in the rabbit hole of her site looking for the other seasons.

In addition to this pretty fall scene, featuring a bird on a fence next to a birdhouse and a tree with fall leaves, I also found a spring design with a little house on it and the winter one with a house and snow-covered trees.

Those patterns are all from 2015; she’s started another series for this year that so far includes the summer and autumn charts. This year’s fall design features pumpkins, dried corn and a bird on one side and a quote from Emily Bronte on the other: “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”

The designs are like little pillow wall hangings or door hangers, and the new one also has a design to stitch on a matching gift bag. How cute is that?

[Photo via Happiness is Cross Stitching.]

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Fall Leaf 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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