Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Designer Spotlight: Natalka Studio

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Natalka Studio is an Etsy shop based in Ukraine with a wide variety of cross stitch designs, including realistic, detailed designs with women doing various things, holiday patterns, geometrics and more.

One of the biggest categories in the shop is called girl cross stitch, which features detailed designs of women with flowing hair doing things like drinking coffee, dancing and carrying flowers. There are seasonal projects in this category as well as a couple having to do with hobbies.

I like the knitting one, of course, and almost shared the sewing one as the featured pattern above until I realized the thread is coming off a cone on the floor and there’s no pedal for running the machine.

The one I am sharing here isn’t actually in that category but it is really cute. Little Girl with Watermelon uses 21 colors and measures 73 by 73 stitches. That’s 5.21 inches or 13.3 cm square if you work it on 14 count fabric. I love her messy hair and the little dress and matching bows. You could also change the colors if you have a little girl who isn’t as into pink (or doesn’t have brown hair).

The largest category on the page is animals, and there you will find wild animals like monkeys, pandas and sloths; ocean creatures such as rays, an octopus and a blue tang fish; frogs, dogs and geese, among others. 

There are also a lot of Christmas cross stitch patterns, which include a lot of traditional motifs and some more whimsical themes. I like this one of Santa resting by the fire with his boots off.

In addition to all these you’ll find pretty flowers, a bunch of mostly floral bookmarks, a whole big set of patterns with lemons, and a lot more. The fruits and berries section (if you like fruits other than lemons) would be perfect for decorating your kitchen or breakfast area.

Check out all the great patterns they have to offer at Natalka Studio on Etsy.

[Photo: Natalka Studio]

Have you read?

Project Hail Mary Cross Stitch

The movie Project Hail Mary came at the perfect time for us to continue our space joy after the Artemis mission, so let’s keep the fun going with some Project Hail Mary themed cross stitch projects. 

Of course a lot of these projects feature the words “amaze amaze amaze,” like this one from Sew High School, which just features the words worked in a range of planetary colors. The design is 105 by 72 stitches, and uses a whopping 60 colors, but you could always use fewer if you like. Having each word in a single color or using variegated thread would be nice, too. On 14 count fabric this one measures 7.5 by 5.14 inches, or 19 by 13 cm. 

Or stitch Rocky along with the iconic phrase with this design from John Gudmann Art. The pattern listing is low on details such as size or number of colors used, but it’s such a cute one I wanted to share it anyway. 

There’s also this one from Milo Can Stitch, which is 89 by 91 stitches, so just about 6.5 inches/16.5 cm square. It uses 17 colors and looks like Rocky is doing a little dance, which is fun. 

Another classic line from the book and the movie is “You sleep, I watch,” which feels kind of perfect for a baby’s room. This design from Carefree Cat Shop uses 11 colors and measures 49 by 37 stitches. That’s 2.8 by 3.7 inches, or about 7 by 9 cm, on 14 count fabric. 

Soft Muse Studio Store reminds us you sometimes just need someone to be brave for with this design featuring Rocky and Grace. At 215 by 215 stitches, the finished project uses 13 colors and measures 15.4 inches, or 39 cm on 14 count fabric, which will fit in a 10-inch hoop. Other fabric counts are included if you want to make it smaller. (This designer has several cute Project Hail Mary cross stitch patterns so be sure to check them all out.)

I also love this colorful spacewalk design from Mercury Stitches. It is 50 by 70 stitches, which comes out to 3.6 by 5 inches (9.1 by 12.7 cm) on 14 count fabric. It uses 17 colors and is all full cross stitches, as well as some backstitching.