Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Designer Spotlight: Needleshaped Ltd

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If you like your cross stitch patterns with a gothic twist, you’re going to love the collection of patterns offered by UK-based Etsy shop Needleshaped Ltd. I don’t know if they’re really from a town called Gravesend like their bio (which also calls them “cross stitch conjurers”) says, but I almost wouldn’t care if they made that up to add to their spooky credibility.

Here you’ll find lots of creepy and funny cross stitch patterns, lots of text-based patterns, dark princesses, horror, butterflies and more. There are a few fun tattoo-inspired designs sold as kits (many of their patterns are available both as the pattern alone and as a kit with supplies), as well as designs specific to Halloween and Christmas. There are also pop culture designs, occult inspired patterns and a few that are just funny. 

I wanted to share this oujia board cross stitch pattern just because it shows how much fun you can have even just with one color of thread. (It also is a great example of what I was talking about the other day about how fun the projects are that are worked with black cross stitch fabric, even though that increases their skill level a bit.) It calls for using a piece of fabric that’s 26 by 18 inches (66 by 45.7 cm), which leaves some room around the edges as shown in the photo. You can also get this one as a kit that includes the pattern, fabric, needle and thread, which comes in a plastic package should you want to gift it to someone else. (You’ll need your own embroidery hoop if you use one.)

You can find all of the digital patterns together without the kit selections here for easier browsing, or head to their main Etsy storefront page to check out all the goodies.

[Photo: Needleshaped Ltd]

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Cross Stitch Some Funky Chickens

I’m primarily a knitter, and in the knitting world the “emotional support chicken” has been a big trend probably for a couple of years now (I don’t know how long something has to be popular before you can stop calling it a trend, but whatever).

There are chicken crochet patterns that are popular as well, and now I’ve found a cross stitch chicken pattern that might just become the newest iteration of the emotional support chicken theme.

The Funky Chickens pattern from Satsuma Street are three-dimensional, triangular chickens embellished with felt to make their facial features and tail feathers. The bodies include stripes, curves, speckles and other little designs to mark different parts of their bodies. They’re super cute and not any more difficult to stitch than any other pattern, though of course there’s more finishing than you would normally expect.

The pattern includes designs for three chickens, which are actually a rooster and two hens. The rooster is slightly larger, at 120 by 60 stitches, or 4 by 4 inches/10 cm when finished. The hens are 100 by 50 stitches and come out to 3.25 inches/8 cm when finished. These measurements are for stitching on 14 count fabric or 28 count over two.

The patterns use 13 colors, and if you want to make all three, one skein of each color will make all of them. In addition to your regular cross stitch supplies you’ll need three or four little pieces of felt of different colors to add all the details.

These chickens would be great to use as pincushions, or you could put something heavy in the bottom and use them as pattern weights if you do sewing. They’d also be fun gifts for anyone who likes chickens or needs a little emotional support if you explain it to them.

The pattern is available from Satsuma Street on Etsy.

[Photo: Satsuma Street]