Get Your Christmas Stitching Started with Christmas Greetings

I have been cleaning out my office recently and I found this little booklet from Leisure Arts, which seemed appropriate since it’s basically Christmas in July time.

Christmas Greetings has patterns for three different designs that could be used in a lot of different ways. There is a text greeting and a picture with each one, and they are designed to be finished in such a way that they look like open books.

It sounds a little daunting, but the book does provide a materials list and instructions for how such a thing is done (they’re made with adhesive mounting board, batting and cording, as well as ribbon for the “bookmark” and charms to decorate the “pages”).

The charts, designed by Carol Emmer, are lovely and this would be an interesting way to decorate for the holidays, or choose part of any chart to make a wall hanging, pillow or other decor.

Have you ever stitched a book like this? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Leisure Arts.]

Looking for more Christmas Cross Stitch patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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American Flag Cross Stitch Patterns

Niche Stitches is a United States based Etsy shop that sells, by its own description, “bookish and modern cross stitch patterns.” You’ll also find patterns related to video games, movies, and more.

There is definitely a fantasy focus when it comes to these patterns, with several designs based on characters and quotes from the A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, both of which are by Sarah J. Maas. You’ll also find dragons, a magic rabbit and more designs.

In the video gaming section there are patterns with game controllers and designs from Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing New Horizons.

The designs that really caught my eye were the seasonal ones, because they are heavy on designs inspired by The Muppet Christmas Carol. Here’s one of my favorites, a pair with Gonzo as the narrator and Rizzo as Tiny Tim telling us why they are in the story.

This one is set up as two separate patterns, with Gonzo measuring 106 by 153 stitches, which comes out to about 7.6 by 10.9 inches, or 19.3 by 27.7 cm on 14 count fabric. His design uses 15 colors. Rizzo is 93 by 137 stitches, or 6.6 by 9.8 inches/16.8 by 24.9 cm on 14 count fabric, and it also uses 15 colors. These might be a little big to hang on the tree but you could hang them next to each other on the wall.

There are also a few Halloween patterns and a section of animal cross stitch patterns, most of which are birds, with an elephant and giraffe thrown in.

This is a great shop to visit if you’re into fantasy books and cross stitch, but there are some great designs even if you’re not into that genre. Check out Niche Stitches on Etsy, and be sure to let me know if you have a favorite cross stitch designer I haven’t featured yet!

[Photo: Niche Stitches]

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