Colorful Cross Stitch Designs for All Seasons

When I first opened the website for Caterpillar Cross Stitch, my featured designer this week, the first thing I noticed was all the color.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking at lots of Christmas and winter-themed patterns, all green and red and white. Or because lots of these designers do samplers that are often monchrome.

Whatever the reason it feels like I haven’t seen this much color in a set of cross stitch designs in a while and I am here. for. it.

Caterpillar Cross Stitch is a UK-based designer who sells patterns, project kits, accessories and merchandise. They have lots of different seasonal designs, with an emphasis on Christmas, as well as florals, cross stitch quilt designs and more.

Since it’s almost Christmas as I write this, I wanted to share the 12 days of Stitchmas design, which features the elements of the song arrayed in a Christmas tree shape made out of balls. With their designs you have the option of buying a full kit of supplies with your choice of fabric (you can also add on a needle minder and project bag if you like) or just the PDF of the pattern.

And of course the Christmas jumper pattern caught my eye since I’m a knitter. So cute!

For a non-holiday option I love this Bloom and Grow pattern, featuring an array of wildflowers in colorful pots.

These designs look like just the thing to get those of us heading into the cold and gray part of the year through it with some fun crafting.

Caterpillar Cross Stitch also does an every other month subscription box, which is a full kit for a project with additional goodies. The first one for 2024 is Easter themed, though the others have not yet been revealed. They can be shipped worldwide and shipping is free for UK residents.

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

Cross Stitch Christmas Gift Tag Patterns

Christmas Word Art Cross Stitch Patterns

Christmas Sampler Cross Stitch Patterns

If you’re looking for a ton of easy cross stitch designs to use for Christmas projects, look no further than Claire Crompton’s The Ultimate Cross Stitch Christmas Collection, which includes more than 500 charts for tiny stockings, angels, ornaments and much more.

The book covers the materials you’ll use to create the projects, how to add beads and other embellishments, stitching techniques and instructions for finishing projects shown in the book.

You’ll find ideas for using the patterns such as making greeting cards, ornaments, wall hangings, napkin rings and patches, as well as ideas for adding stitching to ready made or semi-homemade gifts. There are also tips for framing and hanging projects, making an advent calendar and designing your own Christmas sampler.

The charts are arranged by theme like Christmas classics (bells, horns and candles), garlands including stockings and mittens, Christmas carols, advent motifs with numbers to make your own calendar, St. Nicholas, nativity projects, snowmen, Santa’s sleigh, snowflakes and snow themed projects, Shaker-style Christmas designs, Santa’s helpers and reindeer, tree decorations, snowy scenes, robins and other birds, angels, Christmas trees, penguins, baby’s first Christmas, Victorian-inspired designs, sweets and treats, Christmas flowers, child themed patterns, stitches for gift tags, fairies, bears both teddy and otherwise, 12 days of Christmas patterns, projects to work on linens for the table, sentiments for cards or other projects, and several sets of alphabets and numbers you can use to design your own projects.

There’s a really cute parcel alphabet that has the letters on presents and there are also elves and a Santa worked in, which would be cute for a project for a child or to make a sign for your house.

Patterns are shown several to a page with one key for all of the projects. The projects don’t say how big they are so you’ll have to count stitches on the chart and figure out how big they will be based on the fabric you are using.

Still, this is a nice, large collection of holiday themed cross stitch designs, which is great for people who like stitching projects big and small for Christmas.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Have you read?