Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Herbs to Cross Stitch for Your Kitchen

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Even though we’re getting close to spring, I’m not quite ready to call it planting time where I live. I am, however, quite ready to have fresh herbs right outside my door again. Maybe for now I just have to settle for some herb cross stitch patterns. 

This design from Mary Stitching is a study in green, with 12 different herbs worked in five colors. It’s so interesting how different they all look even with a limited color selection. This one is 277 by 279 stitches if you cross stitch the whole thing, but you can always pull out your favorite herbs to stitch individually. If you make the whole thing in one piece on 14 count fabric it comes out to 17.1 by 16.1 inches, or 43.4 by 41 cm. The pattern has measurements for other counts, too, if you want to make it smaller. 

Another one you can stitch all together or make smaller pieces is this herbal teacup collection from Dots and Spots Shop. These aren’t strictly all herbs; there are some flowers in there, too, but I’ll allow it because I think it’s pretty. This project uses 26 colors if you stitch the whole thing, and runs to 209 by 312 stitches. On 14 count fabric that’s 14.92 by 22.28 inches, or 37.9 by 56.6 cm. This one also has suggestions for smaller counts to make a slightly smaller project. 

Need help keeping track of which herbs and spices do what for your kitchen witch projects? This kitchen witchery chart from Cross Stitch For You should help you out. Now you know that basil is good for courage, money, wisdom and protection, and is also delicious. This project uses 29 colors and measures 180 by 220 stitches. That’s 12.86 by 15.7 inches, or 32.66 by 39.91 cm, when worked on 14 count fabric. 

And if you’re gearing up for planting some herbs in a window box, you can embellish it with these cross stitch plant markers from Susan Bates via gathered. These pretty designs for rosemary, chive, sage and thyme show the herbs in bloom and give us hope for growing things to come. 

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Have you read?

Cross Stitch Cards for All Occasions

I have never stitched a greeting card, but I kind of like the idea of it. It’s a card and a gift all in one, and hopefully one the recipient will hang onto for years to come. 

This collection of easy and colorful greeting card cross stitch patterns from Susan Bates (via Gathered) are a great place to start if you want to stitch your own greeting cards. 

These text-based designs cover a lot of card-sending events, such as:

  • get well soon
  • happy birthday
  • thank you
  • thinking of you
  • congratulations
  • anniversary
  • new home
  • good luck

The lettering is done in gradients and there are other details like hearts and stars, a house key and a gift, depending on the text. There are full cross stitches and back stitch on all of the cards, and they use 15 colors for the cross stitching and six for the back stitching (and just two colors are used for both, so it’s 19 colors total). 

The designs vary a bit in size but the biggest one is 52 by 67 stitches, which comes out to 3.75 by 4.75 inches or 9.5 by 12 cm when worked on 14 count fabric or 28 count evenweave. The text suggests beads are also used in the patterns but there’s no note of them in the key, so go wild and add some beads if you like. 

Designs are worked on a price of 6 by 8 inch/15 by 20 cm fabric and then mounted to a card with a colorful baking piece of card stock behind it. This is easy to assemble with whatever cardstock greeting cards you have on hand.

You can get the free charts as a PDF from Gathered. 

Have you ever stitched your own greeting cards? I’d love to hear about it, or let me know if these inspire you to try. 

[Photo: Susan Bates via Gathered]