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.

Artmishka Cross Stitch is an Etsy shop based in Italy with lots of whimsical and colorful designs and an emphasis on animals, flowers and landscapes. Let’s take a closer look!

The animal section is by far the largest, and it includes everything from realistic birds to cartoony cats, a set of little chick ornaments for Easter and a blackwork butterfly, to name a few. There are little animals in clothes and scarves, and this sweet folk art style owl in modern colors.

This one (and lots of them, really, I think) was designed as nursery decor, and it calls for 10 colors, which you can of course change up to suit your decor, nursery or otherwise. The design is 95 by 95 stitches, which comes out to about 7 inches or 18 cm square on 14 count fabric or 28 count evenweave stitched over two strands.

Another large category is flowers, which includes birth month flower designs, flowers that look hand drawn and colored, floral wreaths with teapots and wedding floral cross stitch designs.

The sampler section includes a variety of small patterns, images with words, colorful geometric and floral designs, and a few holiday patterns. Christmas designs include stamps, Christmas trees, stocking, snowmen and a cute box of snowflake shaped Christmas cookies in a box with a mug of hot chocolate, to name a few designs.

There are also a fair number of designs in both the landscape and cottage categories. These include iconic landmarks and colorful sunsets, and buildings from beach houses to a mushroom cottage, book shop and a cottage with flowers bursting out of the roof. There’s also a section called girl, which has designs of a little girl in different outfits and situations and some other characters.

Other categories on the site with smaller numbers of patterns include boy designs, princesses, plants, hobby themed designs (sewing, knitting, baking), art and bookmarks. There are also a handful of cross stitch kits, all of the little girl character.

Check out all of the fun designs at Artmishka Cross Stitch.

[Photo: Artmishka Cross Stitch]

Have you read?