Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

How to Help Cross-stitchers in Ukraine

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The news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has left a lot of people wondering what they can do to support Ukrainians during this terrible time. While of course giving money directly to relief agencies is always a great way to help from afar, a lot of crafters online have been wondering about purchasing digital patterns from Ukrainian designers as a way to directly support individuals doing the crafts we love.

There is some reasonable worry that the banking system isn’t working normally right now, so any payments that are made through Etsy or other places might not reach the designers right away, but it’s also true they will need support for a long time to come.

So if you’d like to buy some patterns from Ukrainian designers, there’s a list on Reddit that can get you started. Laura Chieko at Tarsier Stitches has started a Google doc that includes links to Ukrainian relief organizations and Ukrainian cross stitch designers, with emphasis on those who have been sharing their experiences before and during the invasion. (You can also search for shops on Etsy that are based in Ukraine if you want more options.) She also has a video talking about why she wanted to share this information on YouTube.

I’ll be sharing more designers from Ukraine in the coming weeks but the pattern shown above is from Cloudlet Art, which is based in Ukraine and has several designs based on the Ukrainian flag. Check them out on Etsy.

[Photo: Cloudlet Art.]

Download a free pattern from the DMC website.

(You can also search for shops on Etsy that are based in Ukraine if you want more options.)

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Cheerful Sun Cross Stitch Patterns

As I write this, we’re on day three of an expected four days full of rain, so it’s no wonder I wanted to share some sunny cross stitch patterns.

This pretty sun from Anchor via Yarnspirations uses five different shades of cheery yellow. It measures 48 by 48 stitches, or 3.5 inches/8.5 cm square on 14 count fabric.

This smiling yellow sun is a great beginner cross stitch project. The design is from Bella Rose Craft and uses three colors. When worked on 14 count fabric it fits perfectly in a 4-inch hoop.

Add another color and you’ve got this sweet sun cross stitch pattern from Mamas Crafty Basket. It’s also a little larger, at 44 by 44 stitches, but it’s still a great choice for a new stitcher. That comes out to just over 3 inches/7.87 cm on 14 count fabric.

I love this cheerful sun from Sacred Thread Design because it looks like a fancied up version of something a child would draw. This one would be great for a nursery or child’s room, or anywhere that needs a ray of sunshine. It measures 99 by 95 stitches and uses 16 colors. On 14 count fabric it will come out to 7.1 by 6.8 inches, or 18 by 17.2 cm if that’s the way you measure.

If you like your sun with a side of moon, and maybe a planet, this set from Ma Galina Lativa may be what you’re looking for. It’s shown as two different hoops but you could stitch them on the same piece of fabric and frame them together if you’d rather. The sun by itself measures 67 by 66 stitches, while the moon is 52 by 40. 

And to finish up by taking it in a completely different direction, there’s this colorful folk art sun by Tiny House Studio BC. It got let into the party because the sun is smiling, but this is definitely not as easy a pattern as the others I’ve shared. This one uses a whopping 42 colors and is 140 by 175 stitches. That’s 10 by 12.5 inches, or 25.4 by 31.75 cm on 14 count fabric.