Cactus Cross Stitch Patterns

It’s the time of year when I can feel summer coming on even though we’re still firmly in springtime. It makes me want to start crafting projects with more of a summery feel to them, which is probably why I was recently drawn to look up some cactus cross stitch patterns.

Witch Stitch has an adorable little cactus in a pot pattern that wouldn’t be too hard for a beginner. It uses seven colors and has a little backstitch for the spikes.

This set of little cacti from Ugly Duckling House are cute all together on a hoop, but they’d also be cute stitched individually on different projects. Napkins for summer picnics, anyone? The full project is about 7.1 by 6.4 inches (18.8 by 16.3 cm) and 14 count fabric, and it uses 25 colors. There’s a little back stitching to make the spikes on a couple of the cacti, but you can leave them off if you don’t want to do it. Note: this pattern is no longer free but can be accessed on their membership site.

Another little sampler of mini cactus patterns is available from Nikki Pattern on Etsy. This design has four little cactus patterns in pots with geometrical designs on them. The set measures 71 by 108 stitches, which is 5.07 by 7.71 inches or 12.88 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric, and uses 14 colors.

Looking for something a little more realistic? Check out this set of four cactus in pots from Goffin Design (which I just profiled the other day). This one uses 20 colors and measures 207 by 108 stitches, which comes out to 4.79 by 7.71 inches or 37.56 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric.

Or if you really want a challenge, try this cactus collection from Patrones a Puntadas. This stunning realistic cactus cross stitch pattern uses a whopping 82 colors in 217 by 276 stitches. This would be a true labor of love for a dedicated stitcher who loves cacti, but how pretty it would be on your wall!

Christmas Cactus

Cute Little Cacti to Cross Stitch

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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