Cross Stitch a Masterpiece with DMC

I was looking through the free cross stitch patterns at DMC the other day (always a worth use of time because they’ve got some great stuff!) and I came across this set of patterns that are tiny representations of famous works of art.

First there’s The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, which will use lots of your yellow thread and give you a lot of practice back stitching. The design is 77 by 50 stitches and uses 17 colors. There are five different colors of French knots and five colors of backstitch (one of which is not already used in the cross stitching itself).

On 14 count fabric the design comes out to 3.5 by 5.5 inches, or 9 by 14 cm. On the model some of the French knots looked like beads to me, which would also be a fun addition.

Then there’s Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. This one uses 20 colors and includes some backstitching, but just a single color on this one. The design is 55 by 69 stitches, which comes out to 5.1 by 4 inches stitched on 14 count fabric (that’s 13 by 10 cm). The pattern page for this one shows it stitches on a little zip topped bag, which sounds like a lot of work if the bag was made before it was stitched on, but it’s still really pretty.

Finally there is a cross stitched version of The Scream by Edvard Munch (I’d like this one on a bag for period products, LOL). This one is 66 by 50 stitches and calls for 17 colors. There are French knots in one color and back stitch in four colors, all of which are already used in the design.

On 14 count fabric this one would be 3.5 by 4.7 inches, or 9 by 12 cm.

You can always make them bigger by using a fabric with a smaller count, or just keep them little! They’re all rated as intermediate cross stitch patterns, but being allover stitching (and often lots of finishing details) you definitely want a few bigger projects under your belt before you try these.

[Photo: DMC]

I started writing this one as a designer spotlight kind of post, and then I realized when I was almost done with it that I had actually featured this designer before. It was in late 2024, so I’ll forgive myself for forgetting, but it’s worth taking another look at Mama Witch Cross Stitch. It looks like the shop has changed a bit since the last time I looked in, and you all just needed to see this amazing pattern anyway.

In the listing this one is called “whimsical opossum,” because of course it is. This little creature is sporting a straw hat and playing a banjo next to a crock of moonshine and surrounded by a wreath of pumpkins, mushrooms and other fall icons. Clicking through the images, though, I see it’s also called Possum Song, which is also pretty great.

Either way, the design is 144 by 130 stitches, which comes out to 10.29 by 9.29 inches, or about 26 by 23.5 cm on 14 count fabric.

This is not the only possum pattern offered by this shop, but you get the vibe from this one.

And to quickly check in on the rest of the shop, there are a great number of Halloween themed cross stitch patterns here, too, many with a sort of dark whimsy like mermaid skeletons, cat witches and a pumpkin-headed rider on a skeleton unicorn, to name just a few.

Another category worth noting, though it is much smaller, is “sad Victorian ghosts,” which features ghosts (sometimes in Victorian garb, sometimes not) going to the pub and the library, hanging laundry and taking a bath.

There are also a lot of Christmas designs, some sweet and some snarky, and a few creepy ones, too. Other categories include the new for 2026 “sunny patterns” (similar style motifs just with brighter colors and lighter backgrounds), as well as bookmarks and mini cross stitch designs.

[Photo: Mama Witch Cross Stitch]

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