Designer Spotlight: Ulysses Blue Stitching

I have been holding onto this Etsy shop to share with you when we got a little closer to Christmas, because as of this writing 17 of the designer’s 39 cross stitch charts have a Christmas theme. I think we’re close enough, so here’s Ulysses Blue Stitching!

This Australia-based shop has a focus on sampler-style projects and, as I mentioned, there’s a lot of Christmas going on. There are several different advent calendar themed stitching projects, and I think my favorite is the one shown here. I love all these little holiday houses, and they’d be a great way to use some thread out of your stash to make all the houses different colors if you like.

As it was designed it uses 10 colors and has a stitch area of 209 by 209 stitches. That makes a finished project of 14.6 inches square, or 37.9 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric, but the pattern includes options for higher count fabric if you want to make it a little smaller.

These advent projects would be a lot of fun to do as an advent project, so you have it finished for Christmas and to use as decor through the season in years to come.

In addition there are more projects involving houses, as well as a snowman and fox, Santa and a cardinal, and a super cute cake stand sampler that looks like a tree covered with ornaments.

If Christmas isn’t your thing, there are more traditional sampler patterns, several of which have an American/patriotic feel, as well as some Halloween patterns to work on for next year (there’s a Halloween advent calendar, too, which I love). There are also a handful of patterns with a bee theme if you’re into that.

Check out all the stitchy goodies at the Ulysses Blue Stitching Etsy shop!

[Photo: Ulysses Blue Stitching]

I started writing this one as a designer spotlight kind of post, and then I realized when I was almost done with it that I had actually featured this designer before. It was in late 2024, so I’ll forgive myself for forgetting, but it’s worth taking another look at Mama Witch Cross Stitch. It looks like the shop has changed a bit since the last time I looked in, and you all just needed to see this amazing pattern anyway.

In the listing this one is called “whimsical opossum,” because of course it is. This little creature is sporting a straw hat and playing a banjo next to a crock of moonshine and surrounded by a wreath of pumpkins, mushrooms and other fall icons. Clicking through the images, though, I see it’s also called Possum Song, which is also pretty great.

Either way, the design is 144 by 130 stitches, which comes out to 10.29 by 9.29 inches, or about 26 by 23.5 cm on 14 count fabric.

This is not the only possum pattern offered by this shop, but you get the vibe from this one.

And to quickly check in on the rest of the shop, there are a great number of Halloween themed cross stitch patterns here, too, many with a sort of dark whimsy like mermaid skeletons, cat witches and a pumpkin-headed rider on a skeleton unicorn, to name just a few.

Another category worth noting, though it is much smaller, is “sad Victorian ghosts,” which features ghosts (sometimes in Victorian garb, sometimes not) going to the pub and the library, hanging laundry and taking a bath.

There are also a lot of Christmas designs, some sweet and some snarky, and a few creepy ones, too. Other categories include the new for 2026 “sunny patterns” (similar style motifs just with brighter colors and lighter backgrounds), as well as bookmarks and mini cross stitch designs.

[Photo: Mama Witch Cross Stitch]

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