Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Designer Spotlight: Lola Crow Cross Stitch

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If you’re looking for cross stitch patterns with a gothic twist, you can find them at Lola Crow Cross Stitch. This Etsy seller based in Oregon describes their shop as having “adorably unusual cross stitch patterns” and I have to say I agree.

My daughter would love just about everything in this shop, from the creepy Christmas village (done as a stitchalong, it features six designs including a holiday tree decorated with skulls, a ghoulish set of carolers and a headless horse-drawn carriage, each one fitting in a 4-inch hoop so you can use them as ornaments) to the ghastly gnome in a poison garden. That one is 119 by 114 stitches (or 8.5 by 8.1 inches/21.6 by 20.7 centimeters on 14 count fabric) and uses 25 colors.

The pattern that caught my eye, though, which is shown above, is the greenhouse of oddities. This one was also done as a stitchalong but you can purchase the full pattern now. This one has so many cool details, from the wrought-iron greenhouse frames to a ton of different creepy plants, all of which are based on real, naturally occurring plants. There’s a corpse flower, of course, pitcher plants and other oddities that are poisonous, carnivorous, parasites and other weird plants.

You can also stitch in a scientist of your choice, as well as a skeleton, crows and other fun stuff. In all it uses 30 colors and measures 218 by 160 stitches, or 15.6 by 11.4 inches, which is 39.6 by 29.0 cm.

If you’re not into things that are quite that weird, they also have a series of cats in windows, not all of which are creepy (also reaching cats and cats in boxes, and some cats on shelves, too); chickens and goats; holiday patterns for Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas; and some cool (OK, maybe a little creepy, too) crows.

If you are or you stitch for someone who is a little on the darker side, these patterns are a lot of fun. Check them out at Lola Crow Cross Stitch.

[Photo: Lola Crow Cross Stitch]

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Crow Cross Stitch Patterns

In all my years writing about cross stitch, I don’t think I’ve ever had a post dedicated to crow cross stitch patterns. That’s a shame, because crows are cool, and they’re a great motif to use in the fall that has a bit of a Halloween/spooky vibe without necessarily being all pumpkins and ghosts (though we have some of that, too). 

Actually, these little crow cross stitch patterns from LaSelva Design could be up in the house year round, especially if you’ve made friends with crows or are trying to cultivate your own murder. This set of four patterns is each worked in four colors, and they’re shown in 3-inch hoops, though they vary in size a little bit. 

This Art Nouveau crow from Needle Lot Designs is stunning and reminds me a bit of a tarot card. It would be the perfect thing to stitch for a witchy friend. It measures 74 by 98 stitches, which comes out to 5.25 by 7 inches or 13.4 by 17.8 cm on 14 count fabric. It uses 14 colors and has no backstitching. 

Or keep it monochrome with PandoraXstitch‘s cross cross stitch pattern. I love how this one looks like a woodcut, and it shows you that even stitching in a single color you can make something really interesting. This design is 283 by 284 stitches, which is a little more than 20 inches or 51.5 cm not quite square on 14 count fabric. The pattern includes measurements for other counts if you want to make it a different size. 

The Book of Lost Keys design from Haunted Frames feels a little more Halloween, but it doesn’t have to be. It tells the story of a mama crow whose baby is locked in a cage, but the mama has the key. The design is shown worked on 18 count fabric and measures 109 by 79 stitches. That’s 6.1 by 4.4 inches, or about 15.5 by 11 cm. It uses four colors of regular floss as well as gold metallic floss. 

Speaking of more Halloween, I love this spooky cake stand featuring a crow and other characters from Ulysses Blue Stitching. You’ll find a creepy cake, eyeball in a jar, owl, ghosts and more haunting this house. It uses nine colors and measure 109 by 143 stitches. That’s 7.4 by 9.8 inches or 19.78 by 25.94 cm on 14 count fabric. 

I also like this kind of folk art crow (or raven as the pattern calls it) sitting on a pumpkin from MIYAstitch. This one measures a manageable 71 by 81 stitches and uses seven colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to a little more than 5 by almost 6 inches (or 13 by 15 cm). 

Another pumpkin and crow pattern (this time with a witch hat) comes from My Lovely Embroidery MB. This dare I say cute design uses seven colors as well ans is 81 by 80 stitches. That measures 5.79 by 5.71 inches, or 14.7 by 14.51 cm, on 14 count fabric. This one uses full and three-quarter stitches as well as French knots.