Nightmare Before Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns

It’s time to head to Halloweentown and stitch up some fun Nightmare Before Christmas cross stitch patterns!

Even if you’re new to cross stitch you can make this simple Jack Skellington cross stitch pattern from StitchNSkulls. Because the fabric is white there’s not a lot of stitching to do, and the hoop makes it look just like a face. It measures 69 by 54 stitches and would fit nicely in a 6-inch hoop.

This Zero cross stitch pattern from Sydney Stitches Co also looks pretty easy, though the white is stitched on it so it uses four colors. The design is 76 by 96 stitches, or 5.4 by 6.7 inches/13.7 by 17 cm on 14 count fabric.

Another cool round design comes from Witty Stitch Co, which has Jack looking like the full moon and Oogie Boogie stretched out below. The design is 120 by 120 stitches and uses four colors.

The chibi style characters in this little set from Sokol Felt are so cute I don’t know how you could resist stitching them all. But of course you can just do one or two of your favorites if you’d rather. They’re all slightly different sizes but each fits in a 5-inch hoop, and they use a variety of colors depending on the design.

Speaking of the whole crew, Good Morning Maui has another cure version of the crew with the quote “Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it.” It measures 100 by 124 stitches and uses 20 colors. The finished project is 7.1 by 8.9 inches, or 18.1 by 22.7 cm.

If you’re looking for something a little more complex, check out this collection of Jack and Sally patterns from Leila Stitch. Each design in 90 by 90 stitches and uses 14 colors.

Or try this gorgeous stained glass style Nightmare Before Christmas project from Ananterra Cross Stitch. This one is a whopping 225 by 704 stitches and uses 87 colors, which makes me feel a little faint just typing it, but what an amazing thing for a superfan of the movie to make or to receive? On 14 count fabric that comes out to 16.07 by 50.29 inches (40.8 by 127.7 cm), but sizing for other counts is given as well if you want to make it smaller.

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it.

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page.

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count.

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches.

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs.

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery. You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch.

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example).

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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