Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Celebrate the Year of the Rat in Cross Stitch

by

I think I share the Chinese New Year chart for the coming year from The Art of Cross Stitch every year around this time. I love this simple, striking designs, and they are a great way to honor the new year.

The coming year is the year of the rat, and you can grab the pattern on Etsy for $4.95. It uses five colors and measures 69 by 78 stitches, or 5 by 6 inches on 14-count fabric.

There are designs for each astronomical year, so you can stitch up a whole set if you like.

[Photo: The Art of Cross Stitch, via Etsy.]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Designer Spotlight: Bad Stitched

I came across the Etsy shop Bad Stitched when I was looking for bookmark cross stitch patterns and found their adorable pride bat bookmark, which I didn’t share then because I was going for more of a back to school vibe, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you love rainbows and bats. 

This Etsy shop is big on whimsy and color, but not on organization, as there are not categories. Still, as of this writing there were only a little more than 60 patterns, so it’s small enough to scroll through. 

In keeping with the theme of the bat bookmark, there are a lot of designs with animals and insects in different colors. Another one that caught my in this neon cicada with a crescent moon and stars. This one is 85 by 70 stitches and uses 16 colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 6 by 5 inches, or 15.4 by 12.7 cm. 

You’ll also find patterns with animals such as mice, a snail, a jellyfish, a wolf, a corgi in a birthday hat, a fat seal and other bat designs. There are several mushroom designs, a pirate frog, and a scuba diving ghost (among other ghostly designs). You’ll find cats and mythical characters, a mouse thinking about eating strawberries and more. 

There’s also an ebook full of mushroom designs, and another of creepy creatures for Halloween and beyond. There’s also a Pantheon bundle, full of gods, goddesses, characters from mythology, three amphora designs and a Greek inspired font. 

If these sorts of designs sound like something you’d like to stitch, check out Bad Stitched on Etsy. 

Know of a cross stitch designer (or are you a cross stitch designer) who should be featured in the designer spotlight? Let me know by leaving a comment or sending a note through the “suggest a DIY” link at the top of the page. 

[Photo: Bad Stitched]