How to Cross Stitch on Paper

One of the crafts I want to try more of this year is embroidery on paper. It’s a fun way to add texture to a collage or just make a picture funnier or more interesting. I have this idea of trying to embroider on a canvas I’ve painted, but I don’t know if I’ll take it taht far.

For our purposes, doing cross stitch on paper is a fun way to make greeting cards or something to add to other projects.

There are a few different options when it comes to cross-stitching on paper. The first is to buy and use perforated paper made for cross stitch. This paper is heavy weight and I have seen it in 14 count and 18 count varieties.

You can stitch on the paper pretty much the same way you would stitch on fabric, but check out this post from Catkin and Lillie for more details on how to stitch on perforated paper, how to finish projects you make with it and what to use them for.

They also have a conversation hearts cross-stitch pattern in their free pattern section (scroll to the bottom) that was made to use on perforated paper if you want to practice.

Another option is to use heavy weight paper and add your own holes to stitch in. Stitched Modern has a simple little house cross stitch pattern that they use as a tutorial for how to stitch on paper. In this case you’ll print out the pattern and use the image as a guideline to form your holes.

In this case you’re literally stitching on top of the pattern, but you can also print the pattern out on thinner paper and use it as a guide for where to put your holes (or just measure and draw a faint grid on the back of your paper so you can evenly space your holes) and then stitch the design from there.

Have you ever done cross stitch on paper? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photos via Catkin and Lillie and Stitched Modern]

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How and Why to Cross Stitch on Plastic Canvas

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it.

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page.

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count.

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches.

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs.

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery. You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch.

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example).

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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