Cross Stitch for the Beach

This time of year I always start thinking about vacations, and while I don’t think I’ll be seeing the beach this year, I could stitch up one of these beach themed cross stitch patterns, which would be perfect if you live near the beach or have a beach house to decorate.

First there are these teeny projects from Bella Rose Craft. This set of minis includes a seagull and a starfish, and they are each shown in their own 1.5 by 2 inch/3.8 by 5 cm frames, though the pattern has them together on one chart. The gull is 17 by 20 stitches and the starfish is 16 by 16.

Speaking of seagulls, I love this little seagull sampler that also includes anchors, sailboats and a life preserver, among other summer symbols. This one is from Bees on Toast Shop (would love to know the story of that name!) and uses only full cross stitches and 8 colors. The sample is shown in a 6-inch hoop.

If you want to get literal with your beach stitching, try this project that says beach and includes sand, sea, sun and lots of other fun stuff within the letters. The design is from Stitchrovia and measures 252 by 85 stitches. On 14 count fabric that would be 18 by 6.1 inches, or 45.7 by 15.4 cm. Sizing for other fabric counts are included if you want to make yours smaller. The pattern uses 21 colors.

Stitch up a project that says “wish you were here” or “wish I were there” with this one from The Little Art Veranda. It shows two chairs on the beach in front of what I’ve decided is the sunset (which kind of looks like an egg, but I like it). It uses 9 colors and only full cross stitches. It’s 140 by 140 stitches and fits perfectly in a 10 inch hoop if stitched on 14 count fabric.

Or make the beach modern art with this fun wave design from Box and Fox worked in three shades of blue. It measures 110 by 10 stitches, which is 7.8 inches or 19.96 cm square on 14 count fabric. Despite the dramatic look this would be a great option for someone new 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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