Funny Valentine’s Day Cross Stitch Patterns

The other day I shared some more typically romantic Valentine’s Day cross stitch patterns with hearts, but if you don’t want to go that route, there are lots of other options.

And some of them are still super cute, like We Beelong Together by Wow Pattern. This cute bee-decked pattern is 43 by 53 stitches and uses four colors, so it’s a quick and easy project even for new stitchers.

If you want to express your love with a Gothic twist, you’ll want to stitch up the Til We Are Ghosts pattern. This one, from Black Waltz Stitching, does have some little black hearts (and ghosts!) but I think it still fits in the not-heart-centric Valentine sentiments. It measures 76 by 80 stitches, which is 5.375 by 5.75 inches or 13.6 by 14.6 cm on 14 count fabric. It also uses four colors.

This one also has a few hearts but I Hate You The Least by Tourmaline Pattern is another good one for this non-traditional list. This one uses six colors and is 86 by 62 stitches. That’s about 6.1 by 4.1 inches or 15.6 by 11.2 cm on 14 count fabric.

These punny and funny cross stitch designs from Whimsy Orchard would be fun to stitch for a significant other or for a friend who needs a pick-me-up. They’re all pretty great, but I love “If we were in a shipwreck, I’d share my door with you.” (There was room!)

And speaking of friends, a couple of the free Valentine’s Day cross stitch patterns from DMC would be great to stitch up for Galentine’s Day or to give to your bestie. Again some of these have hearts but in this case I’m willing to let it slide in the name of friendship. Love You Gal, shown here, is a great one to make for a friend any time of year. It uses three colors, and those bubble letters look like they would be lots of fun to stitch.

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Valentine's Day Bookmarks to Cross Stitch

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it.

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page.

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count.

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches.

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs.

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery. You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch.

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example).

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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