Review: Cross Stitch for the Earth

If you’re a fan of a nature theme or know a nature lover you want to stitch for, Cross Stitch for the Earth by Emma Congdon has some fun options for you.

The 20 projects in this book include pro-environment sayings and projects featuring animals and nature scenes. Each pattern includes an overview of the stitch count, how many threads were used to stitch the project, finished size and a shopping list. The charts are spread out on two to four pages, so they are pretty good sized for easy reading (only the smallest designs are shown on just one page).

One of my favorites is one illustrating the quote “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” This project is 130 by 190 stitches, and uses 27 colors to illustrate a bear, eagles, whales, jellyfish, mountains and more.

Another cute one is “the world is full of magic,” which includes Arctic animals like polar bears, seals and a narwhal. It is 131 by 197 stitches and uses 25 colors.

There are a couple of round projects that are somewhat smaller (100 by 100 or 101 stitches) that fit in a round hoop for display, such as one with trees and the saying “take care of the earth and she will take care of you.” You’ll also find a set of four little hoops around the 65 by 65 stitch range that would be perfect for hanging in your recycling area, with sentiments like “Earth Day every day” and “Less plastic is fantastic.”

There’s also a stunning and colorful four seasons sample that includes animals and natural scenes. It’s 200 by 130 stitches and uses 23 colors, and would be so fun for a kid’s library or homeschooling space.

The book includes an overview of supplies to help you get started at the front of the book, and a techniques section at the back that includes tips on preparing fabric, how to cross stitch and back stitch, following charts and more helpful info. There’s also a chart at the back listing the DMC and Anchor numbers for all the threads used in the book if you want to substitute.

Cross Stitch for the Earth is a great book for nature lovers and environmentalists who want to illustrate quotes about nature in beautiful stitches.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 20 patterns. Published 2021 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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30 Bookmarks To Cross Stitch For Kids

Back to school time is right around the corner where I live as I write this, and school-themed cross stitch patterns are super cute to make as a teacher gift or to personalize something like a pencil bag or backpack tag.

This school supply cross stitch design from 7StitchesTN is meant to be horizontal, but I think you could turn the letters the other direction (or not) and make this into a bookmark. It can also be repeated to make a border around a project. As shown it is 64 by 30 stitches, which is 6.7 by 2.1 inches/17.1 by 5.4 cm on 14 count fabric. It uses 15 colors.

Italia Print has a little set of school themed cross stitch patterns you can make as a single design as shown, or use individual patterns on different projects. The full design is 76 by 66 stitches, which is about 5.4 by 4.7 inches, or 13.8 by 12 cm, and it uses 18 colors.

Speaking of designs that can be worked separately, there’s also this pattern from Bella Rose Craft, which could easily be divided into its different parts or you could use some of the pieces as a border on another project. The full design is shown in a 4-inch hoop and measures 2.71 by 2.64 inches/6.8 by 6.7 cm on 14 count fabric.

This lovely set of teacher themed cross stitch patterns would be lovely to make as a teacher gift at the beginning or end of the year or for the holidays. From The Stitch Patterns, it is a set of five designs that includes books, flowers blooming from a book, a tulip, pencil cup and pencil drawing a heart. Each one is about 7 inches/17.78 cm square.

This cute class in session design from Plaid Online would be another cute one to make for a teacher. It uses seven colors (including black for the back stitching on the ruler) and is about 2 inches/5.08 cm square.

And Craft with Cartwright has this funny and cute worm and apples design that would be cute for back to school. It uses seven colors and is 78 by 52 stitches, or 5.5 by 3.7 inches/14.15 by 9.43 cm on 14 count fabric. The apples by themselves would be cute on a project, too.

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