How to Help Cross-stitchers in Ukraine

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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Summer is the time for sweet treats, whether eating them or stitching them. This collection of patterns is full of designs that are good enough to eat. Almost.

This year of ice creams from Simone Balman Art is lots of fun, and you could also stitch up these treats individually if you’d rather. The full piece is 210 by 300 stitches, though it’s not full coverage. It uses 25 colors and comes out to 13.6 by 20.1 inches, or 34.5 by 51.2 cm, as shown on 14 count fabric.

These mini Popsicles from Mariana Gonclaves ART as super sweet and quick to stitch. These would also be a fun border to another summer project. The full design is 43 by 46 stitches, which is 3.1 by 3.3 inches, or 7.8 by 8.3 cm, on 14 count fabric.

Sam X Stitch has this fun sweet treat sampler, which again would be fun to stitch as individual pieces (maybe on napkins?). In all it calls for 18 colors and measures 153 by 153 stitches. That comes out to 10.93 inches or 27.75 cm on 14 count fabric.

Another great sampler is this one with ice cream and other sweet treats from Cute Patterns by Maria. At 119 by 132 stitches total, working the full pattern would be about 8.6 by 9.4 inches, or 22 by 24 cm on 14 count fabric, and it uses 33 colors. You can also stitch individual designs, which range in height from 35 to 45 stitches, and in width from 11 to 28.

This collection of four sundae patterns from Stichrovia would be fun to make for a kitchen or a teen’s room. Each pattern is around 40 by 50 stitches, so they should fit in a four or five inch hoop if worked on 14 count fabric.

Or stitch up one of the treats from Stitch Chart Studio‘s collection of seven ice cream cross stitch patterns. These range in size and in number of colors needed, but most would fit in a five or six in hoop (and one in a four inch hoop).

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