Black History and Juneteeth Cross Stitch Patterns

Juneteenth is the celebration of the news that enslaved people had been freed finally reached the state of Texas on June 19, 1865. The day is the newest national holiday in the United States, and is celebrated as a second Independence Day.

I was looking around for Juneteenth cross stitch patterns, and I actually didn’t find that much specific to Juneteenth, so if you know of any sources please let me know!

I did find this Sweet Land of Liberty cross stitch design from Siren Stitchworks on Etsy. The design, which is based on motifs from 19th century and includes the date June 19, 1865, is 79 by 119 stitches. This would be lovely on an off-white or tea-dyed fabric to add a little more rustic flair.

Snail Fishes Stitches is an Etsy seller but they have also shared a few free patterns on Pinterest, including two versions of a pattern inspired by the Juneteenth flag. The flag features a star inside a starburst with an arching horizon line in blue and red behind it. The full flag version is 21 by 13 stitches or a little less than 1 by 1.5 inches on 14 count fabric. It uses five colors. The other version is circular, and 43 by 43 stitches or a little more than 3 inches around and uses four colors. (For both of these, click on the link, then click view picture and it will take you to a larger chart that includes the color details and more pattern information.)

Mamida Pattern on Etsy has a great collection of Black history and Africa inspired patterns, and their Juneteenth design is a lot of fun, with a raised fist and the colors of the Ethiopian flag (which is often used in Pan African symbology because Ethiopia was never colonized by a foreign power) in the lenses of sunglasses. It measures 111 by 42 stitches and uses four colors. on 14 count fabric it will come out to about 7.9 by 3 inches.

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Juneteenth Cross Stitch Patterns

Cross stitch is not a craft I generally travel with (since I’m not that good at it, I prefer not to be moving while I’m doing it) but I’m sure there are lots of stitchers who would like to take their projects with them when they travel.

Koekoek has a post all about cross stitching on a plane, which is a great plan since it’s lots of uninterrupted time to work. As mentioned in the post, you should be able to bring embroidery needles (which tend not to be that sharp anyway) on an airplane with you.

Regulations in the United States say that scissors with blades up to 4 inches/10 cm are allowed in the cabin, but whether they are allowed by security as you pass through it is up to their discretion. And thread cutters that use a razor blade are not supposed to be allowed at any time.

Alternatives include bringing nail clippers to snip your threads, or pre-cutting thread and placing it on bobbins so you can stitch on the plane. Then pack scissors in your checked bag so you can cut any loose ends or extra long strands later.

Check out the post at Koekoek for more tips on traveling with cross stitch and suggestions for projects to pack when traveling. I’ve also written in the past about this post from Caterpillar Cross Stitch about traveling with cross stitch supplies and, importantly, what to do to make your screening as smooth as possible. And, importantly, what to do if the security agents question your supplies or want to confiscate anything you brought.

And that’s a great tip, too: if you are packing scissors in your carry on but you’re also checking a bag, pack extras there just in case.

Do you have any tips for traveling with cross stitch projects? I’d love to hear them. Also check out my post about planning a travel stitching kit.

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