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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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]