Get Inspired by This Gorgeous Butterfly Cross Stitch Pattern

I love sharing really detailed, beautiful and painterly cross stitch designs, but they always make me a little jealous. I feel like I don’t have the patience for such a big project, especially considering the biggest project I’ve ever attempted has barely been started for probably almost two years now. (I will finish it before my daughter graduates high school, which gives me two and a half more years!)

A good example of the gorgeous cross stitching I wish I could do is this peacock butterfly and forget me nots design from XFree.

The colors on this one are just so pretty and the range of colors in the flowers and the butterfly both make them look that much more real.

It’s no surprise that this one uses a whopping 57 colors as well as 7 blends to make that magic.

And then there’s the size. At 160 by 149 stitches, the product description helpfully(?) notes there are 22,830 stitches “in the marathon,” a phrase that made me laugh but is also probably pretty realistic for how it feels like to stitch such a thing.

When finished on 14 count fabric this design would measure 11.4 by 10.62 inches, or 28.96 by 26.97 cm. The pattern includes measurements for other stitch counts if you want to make it a little smaller.

But honestly I think when you’re making a project this big you might as well make it big, right? Such that everyone who walks into the room where it’s hanging after you finish it will notice it.

If you want to take this one on, you can find the pattern from XFree on Etsy.

In the meantime I want to know, what’s the biggest cross stitch project you’ve successfully finished? Do you like big projects or smaller ones? I would love to share more of what you like to stitch, so let me know in the comments!

[Photo: XFree]

Blue Butterfly Cross Stitch Pattern [Cross-Stitch]

33 Free Butterfly Machine Embroidery Designs [Needle Work]

The cross stitcher behind the blog Sirious Stitches is quite into biscornu.

If you’re not, a quick primer: biscornu are three-dimensional cross-stitched objects with eight points, often with an indention in the middle that makes them look a bit like doughnuts without the hole. They can be just about any size and subject you can think of. They’re often used as pincushions but can also be seasonal decor or just decoration for any time of year.

I’ve got a collection of biscornu cross stitch patterns here.

Once you’ve stitched one or several (they are a little addicting) you might wonder what you can add to them to make them even more extra.

It very much depends on the design of your biscornu and the look you are going for, but Sirious Stitches has a great post all about some of the options you might consider.

I don’t want to give you the whole list because you need to go visit and see all of their great biscornu they’ve stitched, but one really easy thing that you can do with a lot of designs is take advantage of that center indent by adding a button, beads, silk flower or another embellishment.

This is great to do just with a basic button from your stash that coordinates with the design and colors of the cross stitching, but it’s extra fun if you have a button that’s on theme, such as a leaf for a fall biscornu or a flower shaped button for a floral design. Add a jingle bell to a Christmas pattern, or a charm if you don’t have a button that coordinates.

Just this one idea is sure to get you thinking about ways to embellish biscornu (not to mention other cross stitch projects) but head over to Sirious Stitches to see all of their ideas for embellishing biscornu to make these already fun projects even more fun.

Have you ever made biscornu? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sirious Stitches]

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