Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Cross Stitch a Masterpiece with DMC

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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]

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Seagull Cross Stitch Patterns

Summertime is beach time, which also means it’s seagull time. Let’s stitch up some of our favorite scavengers of the shore. 

This little seagull stamp from Easy Patterns Only is super cute and fun to stitch for any lover of the sea. At 23 by 27 stitches, it uses six colors and measures 1.64 by 1.93 inches or 4.17 by 4.9 cm on 14 count fabric. 

I also love this silly little seagull from Stitchissimo. This one is 24 by 35 stitches and uses five colors. On 14 count fabric it’s just 1.7 by 2.5 inches, or 4.4 by 6.4 cm. 

Go for a more traditional flying gull project with this one from Silverberry Designs. It uses six colors and measures 2.21 by 4.43 inches (5.6 by 11.3 cm) on 14 count fabric with a stitch count of 31 by 62. 

Use seagulls to share your love with this pattern from Yellow Birdie Stitches. Share it with the person you love more than a seagull loves chips (you could change it to fries pretty easily if you prefer the American term). It’s 63 by 60 stitches and uses 10 colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 4.5 by 4.25 inches, or 11.4 by 10.9 cm. 

And speaking of fries, Happy Sloth Patterns offers this seagull with a face full of chips. It uses nine colors and is 60 by 49 stitches. On 14 count fabric that’s 4.3 by 3.5 inches, or 10.9 by 8.9 cm, which fits nicely in a six-inch hoop. 

Or stitch up some carousing gulls with this pattern from Non Stop Stitch. It looks like these seagulls are about to get into a fight! The design uses 22 colors and blends and measures 145 by 75 stitches. That’s 8.94 by 4.31 inches, or 22.7 by 10.95 cm on 14 count fabric. 

For a more stately seagull sailor, check out this pattern from Mansarda Cross Stitch. This one combines cross stitch and an embroidered background, though you could leave that out if you don’t do embroidery. It calls for 20 colors and one blend, and measures 83 by 88 stitches. The sample was worked on 56 count linen 1 over 2, but you can use regular Aida fabric if you prefer.