Halloween is all about spooky stories and dressing up as characters like witches, but the history of witchcraft has a real lineage that comes down from Salem and even further back that also should be acknowledged. Whether you consider yourself a witch or just want to give a more historic slant to your Halloween decorations, check out these great cross stitch patterns inspired by real witches.
First up is this design from Little Stitcher Shop about historic witches and their familiars. The designer notes that these women — Alice Kyteler, Alice Nutter, Isobel Gowdie and Martha Carrier — were accused of witchcraft in different countries and times, and most of them were killed for it. The familiars shown were either actually associated with them or an animal that might have been linked to them at the time and place they lived.
Speaking of historic witches, Night Spirit Studio has a series of patterns inspired by woodcuts of witches and demons from a book published in 1720. This one is “The Devil’s Flight,” which shows a demon and witches marauding in the night. This pattern uses a single color and measures 136 by 107 stitches. It comes out to 9.7 by 7.6 inches, or 24.7 by 19.4 cm, on 14 count fabric.
The witches sampler from Contrary Peri brings a classic look to a more modern project. This one is also a single color project, and the designer recommends using 18 count fabric, which will come out to 9 by 11 inches, 22.8 by almost 28 cm. It measures 162 by 198 stitches.
Giving house rules a witchy twist, there’s this wisdom of a witch pattern from The Crafty Grimalkin. It includes good advice for witches and others, like love the earth and follow the phases of the moon, and is decorated with familiar animals and pumpkins. If I’m reading the notes properly it uses eight colors. It measures 156 by 208 stitches and the designer recommends 32 count linen for stitching.
