• Home
  • Suggest A Craft
  • DIY Newsletter

Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

  • About CraftGossip
  • Our Network
    • Bath & Body Crafts
    • Candle Making Ideas
    • Crochet Ideas
    • Cross Stitch
    • Edible Crafts
    • Felting Patterns
    • Glass Art
    • Home & Garden Ideas
    • Indie Crafts
    • Jewelry Making
    • Kids Crafts
    • Knitting Patterns
    • Lesson Plans
    • Needlework
    • Party Ideas
    • Polymer Clay
    • Quilting Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing Patterns
    • Card Making
    • DIY Weddings
    • Not Craft Ideas
  • Giveaways
  • Roundups
  • Store
  • Search

How to Cross Stitch a Family Portrait

May 13, 2023 by Sarah White

Making your family in stitching is a super cute way to decorate your house. You can frame the finished project and hang it by the door, make it into a pillow, photograph it and use it on your Christmas cards — there are so many fun ways to use it. And it’s a great way to document your family’s growth or preserve a time in your life.

But how do you cross stitch a family portrait?

You can work with an actual photograph as inspiration or just line up your family in your mind. This post from Martha Stewart covers the basics of how to draw out people. I love the tips here about the size of people’s heads! Also remember to consider the things that make a person look like themselves, which is often their hair, if they have glasses, and other distinguishing features.

While a cross stitch portrait can’t have a lot of details, making sure you hit the basics of a person will make it look more like them.

Catholic Sprouts has great tips on making your family in pixels, too, and you can use her patterns of her family as a basis for your own if you’re not sure where to start.

More Like Home has a video tutorial on stitching a family portrait if you’re more of a visual learner (note: she mentions her website in the video but when I click the link none of the photos show up and I get a security warning when I try to download her templates, so proceed with caution there).

If you need more help with how to cross stitch a family portrait, or make a stitched version of anyone you want, check out the book Pixl People, which has thousands of options for personalizing people, from body type and hairstyle to clothing and accessories like pets, plants and more than can be included in your designs. Stitch People has a great basic guide to designing people that might be a little less overwhelming in that it helps guide you through the process of selecting the details and producing your chart.

You can also get someone to make a custom chart for you to stitch from, like this one from Overflow Creative on Etsy.

[Photo: Catholic Sprouts.]

 

Next Pattern:

  • 15 Ugly Christmas Holiday Sweaters To Cross Stitch
«
»

Have you read?

Designer Spotlight: Haunted Frames

Cute spooky and fantasy cross stitch patterns is how the designer behind Haunted Frames describes their shop, and I have to agree with them. These designs are cute and Gothic and a little bit spooky all at once. There’s a heavy focus on book themes, which you know I am a fan of, so let’s get into it. 

Stopping first in the books section, there are lots of designs that are literally on book shapes, but if you know my love of both books and cats, you’ll know I had to share the Midnight Book Cart cross stitch pattern. As the name suggests it’s a design with a witchy book cart, complete with a spiderweb, bats flying out of a book and what it describes as a ghost cat (though I would have to make a black cat instead of a white one since I have a black cat, and that fits with the vibe). 

The design is 65 by 97 stitches and is worked in 17 colors. It’s shown on 16 count fabric, which makes it 4.1 by 6.1 inches, or 10.3 by 15.4 cm. 

I also love the winter themed little free library design, which would be perfect to stitch up for the little librarian in your life (or to drop at a neighborhood book space). 

Projects with a book theme make up the majority of the patterns that are categorized in this shop, but you’ll want to scroll through all their patterns to see what else is available, since it doesn’t look like everything is in a category. You’ll find castles and dragons, more cats of course, some more obviously Halloween and Christmas themed projects and those that would suit for spooky season or any other time of year. 

If cute and dark is your aesthetic, you’ll want to check out all the patterns at www.etsy.com/shop/HauntedFrames, which you can find on Etsy. 

[Photo: Haunted Frames]

Categories

Book Reviews Christmas Craft Businesses Craft Inspirations Craft News and Events Cross-Stitch Patterns & Charts Cross-Stitch Product Reviews Cross-Stitch Website Reviews Dogs & Cats Easter flowers Free Patterns Halloween More Cross Stitch Product Reviews spring Subversive Thanksgiving Tutorials and Patterns valentines day

RSS More Articles

  • How to Make Your Own Taco Seasoning (Better Than the Packet!)
  • Amazon Deal Roundup – CraftGossip Picks!
  • Chats on Needlework by Emily Leigh Lowes – A Vintage Stitcher’s Treasure Trove
  • Designer Spotlight: Haunted Frames
  • Press Bubble Animals Crochet Kit with keychain
  • Build Big Memories on a Budget: DIY Cubby House Using Recycled Pallets
  • 12 Handmade Stamped Card Ideas Featuring Bears
  • How To Sew a Banner from felted wool sweaters
  • A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit
  • Printable Animal Flash Cards

Pick Your Blog

  • Sewing
  • Knitting
  • Quilting
  • Crochet
  • Home & Garden
  • Recycled Crafts
  • Scrapbooking
  • Card Making
  • Polymer Clay
  • Cross-Stitch
  • Edible Crafts
  • Felting
  • Glass Art
  • Indie Crafts
  • Kids Crafts
  • Jewelry Making
  • Lesson Plans
  • Needlework
  • Bath & Body
  • Party Ideas
  • Candle Making
  • DIY Weddings
  • Not Craft
  • Free Craft Projects

Copyright © 2025 · CraftGossip | Start Here | Contact Us | Link to Us | Your Editors | Privacy and affiliate policy