Have You Worked a Stamped Cross Stitch Project?

When I was first learning to cross stitch as a teen in the 1990s, I remember there being a lot of beginner kits available where the cross stitch pattern was stamped onto the fabric for you to stitch. This process eliminates the need for a printed pattern because you just stitch the colors as you see them printed on the fabric.

It’s a fun way to get started stitching, but I hadn’t really thought about stamped cross stitch in a while before I came upon this article from Caterpillar Cross Stitch talking about the differences between stamped cross stitch project and regular counted cross stitch patterns and why you might choose one over the other.

It mentions that stamped cross stitch isn’t just for beginners any more. There are actually a lot of designers that do stamped cross stitch with varying degrees of difficulty (and I found this cool tree of life project on Amazon as an example).

One benefit of these kinds of projects is that all the supplies you need are also included, so it can be a good way to build up your thread stash if you don’t use all of the supplies on the project included in the kit.

Of course when it comes to counted cross stitch projects with printed patterns you stitch onto fabric without guidance, there is a lot more variety in the kinds of projects and the skill level involved. Almost anything you are interested in you can find a printed pattern for, which is certainly not the case when it comes to stamped cross stitch patterns.

Still, stamped cross stitch patterns give you a great extra bit of guidance that can help build your confidence, regardless of your skill level.

Have you ever worked a stamped cross stitch pattern? I’d love to know what you think.

[Photo: Fred’s Haberdashery via Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

There are so many fun ways you can go when stitching Halloween cross stitch patterns or giving your place a slightly spooky or witchy vibe any time of year. I love the look of little potion bottles, whether they’re real bottles lined up on the mantle or shelf or cross stitched versions like these.

The gorgeous Elixir of Life cross stitch pattern from Makaronka Stitch is decidedly not Halloween in its vibes, so it would be fun to stitch and display any time of year. This is also definitely not a pattern for beginners, as it uses 37 colors and 34 blends to make the beautiful colors. It also uses full and half cross stitches, back stitch and French knots. The design measures 82 by 115 stitches, which comes out to 5.8 by 8.2 inches or 14.88 by 20.86 cm on 14 count fabric.

If you’re looking for something a little smaller but still a lot of fun, check out this set of six potion bottles from MIYA Stitch. I love how each bottle seems to have its own personality, from one with a pumpkin and witch hat to one with crystals, mushrooms, or a butterfly and flower. The patterns are 60 by 88 stitches each. That’s 4.3 by 6.3 inches or 11 by 16 cm on 14 count fabric. The full set uses 26 colors and blends.

Or try this set of five mini potion bottles from Plenty of Strings. I love the colors on these and they’d look great as a set on one piece of fabric or individually stitches as shown. Each one fits in a 3-inch hoop.

These minis from Giselles Cross Stitch are really cute, too, though they are meant to be worked together as one piece. The whole pattern uses 26 colors and measures 93 by 107 stitches, which comes out to 6.6 by 7.6 inches or 16.8 by 19.4 cm on 14 count fabric. They’re perfect on black or a dark blue fabric.

I also like this bigger set of potion bottles from SamXstitch, which is meant to be stitched as a set but you could also work individual bottles in their own frames if you’d rather. The full design uses 10 colors and is 123 by 173 stitches. Taht comes out to 8.78 by 12.36 inches/22.31 by 31.39 cm on 14 count fabric.

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