More Fun Sampler Style Cross Stitch Patterns

I recently shared some fun birth announcement cross stitch patterns, as well as talking about a designer who reproduces historic sampler designs.

This post is sort of a mashup of those two, highlighting the designs from Cherry Lane Design, because when I was browsing her website one of the first things that caught my eye was this alphabet sampler birth announcement pattern.

It’s so sweet, complete with the letters of the alphabet in different fonts and colors, and a little stitched thing that starts with each letter (balloons, mailbox, rainbow, zebra, etc.). There’s still space for the baby’s name, birthdate and weight. It’s definitely not a quick project but it is super cute!

I also like this sort of sampler style wedding announcement, which features books, a giant monogram of the couple’s last initial (assuming the couple will share a last name) as well as their first names, the date of the wedding, and some flowers and other frills. I love the idea of stitching titles on the books or making the covers meaningful to the couple in some way.

Check out her other designs as well. There are flags for the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom that are really pretty and different from the usual flag design because they’re made with starburst shapes rather than straight rows of stitching. She also has some floral designs, other styles of announcements, and a few holiday designs as well.

Visit her website to see more! I will note it doesn’t look like she’s updated her blog or any social media in a couple of years, but as far as I can tell it looks like the website is still functional for sales. If you try to buy something and find that it doesn’t work, please let me know and I will update or take this post down.

Cross-Stitch Graph Paper is specially designed to provide a structured layout, allowing you to easily translate your ideas onto the fabric. Each sheet features a grid of squares that correspond to individual stitches, making it simple to plan and execute your cross-stitch designs. You can purchase Cross-stitch graph paper here.

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Cross Stitch Birth Announcements

One of the most common supplies for cross stitch, aside from fabric, needles and floss, is an embroidery hoop. A hoop isn’t needed for every project, and indeed there are some stitchers who prefer not to use them at all. I generally don’t use a hoop when I’m working on a small cross stitch project, especially something that’s shape isn’t conducive to using a hoop (like a bookmark).

But embroidery hoops can be really helpful for cross stitch because they hold your fabric at an even tension, which allows you to stitch more evenly without any more work on your part. It’s great for beginners to use hoops because the tension on the fabric can both help make your stitches more even and make the holes in the fabric a little easier to see.

I’ll admit to always just buying whatever hoop is available in the right size when I’m ready to start a project without giving it much more thought than that. But there are things you should consider when choosing among the different kinds of hoops, which Caterpillar Cross Stitch covers in their great guide to embroidery hoops.

The post walks you through wooden, plastic, spring tension and flexi hoops (which I’ll admit to having never heard of; they’re made of vinyl and plastic apparently), as well as Q-Snap frames, which aren’t really hoops because they’re made of plastic tubes that you snap together in the size and shape you need.

It also covers what size hoop you should use for the project you’re working on and how to actually use a hoop in the right way.

Whether you’re new to cross stitch or more seasoned, you’re sure to pick up a tip or a product to try in this post, so go check it out over at Caterpillar Cross Stitch.

Do you have a favorite kind of embroidery hoop to use for cross stitch, or do you go without? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

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