India-Inspired Cross Stitch Patterns

I try to make an effort to share cross stitch patterns for a range of celebrations through the year, not just ones that I participate in. And one of the celebrations I try to note each year is Holi, which is not the easiest holiday to find things for, since search engines think you’re searching for something else and just don’t know how to spell.

I’ve tried this before and came up with some Holi cross stitch patterns and projects with an Indian flare, and I’ve got more of that today. These would be great for decorating any time of year, of course, whether you’re of Indian heritage or want to remember your travels to that country.

For instance there’s the Little India pattern from Neni Design Crafts on Etsy. This design features Ganesha, the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Temple, Lotus Temple, Hawa Mahal, India Gate, Tomb of Mohammed Shah – Lodhi Garden, Amritsar Golden Temple and the Jantar Mantar observatory. It measures 160 stitches square, which on 14 count fabric comes out to 8.9 inches or 22.6 mm. It uses 29 colors.

MIYA Stitch has another great cross stitch pattern featuring the Taj Mahal on a silhouette of an elephant. This on has sort of Holi colors and the splashes of color around the elephant are reminiscent of the colored powder used in Holi celebrations. This design is 192 by 123 stitches, and it uses 35 colors as well as some blends with those colors.

This lotus flower mandala from Author Embroide Design uses colors I associate with Holi and looks like it would be really fun to stitch. It’s 131 by 263 stitches, which comes out to 8.19 by 16.44 inches, or 20.80 by 41.75 cm and it uses 20 colors.

I’m sure there are lots of pretty lotus flower mandala cross stitch patterns out there, but here’s another one I love from Magic Stitch World. This one has a more muted palette and while it calls for 23 colors, this would also be really pretty done in a few shades of variegated thread to make the stitching a bit easier. It measures 76 by 104 stitches, which is 5.5 by 7.5 inches (13.8 by 18.9 cm) on 14 count fabric.

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Cross Stitch Patterns to Celebrate Holi

The post over at The Crafty Mummy has the click-baity title of “Is there a right or wrong way to cross stitch?” Of course the answer is no. As with any other craft, as long as you are happy with the results you’re doing it right and no one should try to convince you otherwise.

That said, there are things that you can do to make your cross stitch a little better if you aren’t totally happy with the way your projects are looking. They might not be considered the “right way,” but they are important things to think about and if you want to deviate from these “rules” at least you’ll know that you’re doing it.

You can head over there to read all the tips, but it’s things like making sure your stitches are all going in the same direction (meaning you stitch the bottom legs of a row all in the same direction, then work back and stitch all the top legs in the same direction). You wouldn’t think something like that would make a huge difference until you don’t do it and then you can’t unsee it.

Most of things things aren’t rules so much as they are reminders to be consistent in what you are doing as you work a project. So however you start doing things like stitch direction or the number of strands of floss (I might even add using a hoop versus not, since the hoop can stretch the fabric and change the tension of the stitches a bit) you should continue in that way throughout the project in order for it to look its best.

Head over to The Crafty Mummy to read the rest of her list, then come back here if you have something to add. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: The Crafty Mummy]

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