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

Traditional cross stitch designs and samplers with a primitive twist are the specialty of The Sub Rosa Design, an Etsy shop based in Hungary.

The largest section in the store is the Halloween/Thanksgiving section, which includes plenty of witches, crows and pumpkins. One that caught my eye is called Pumpkin Angel, a primitive design that looks like a woman with a pumpkin head with wings standing by a gate with pots of sunflowers.

The design is 199 by 67 stitches, which comes out to about 6.8 by 4 inches/17.5 by 10 cm stitched on 32 count linen as shown.

There are also a lot of Christmas patterns, heavy on Santa and snowmen and reindeer. The Easter and spring section includes projects with birds, lambs and rabbits with an old-fashioned feel.

There’s also a large number of sampler cross stitch patterns, taken from historical designs with their original stitchers names and dates on them. I like Lily Hall’s floral design that was originally stitched in 1884. It’s so fun to look at these (or stitch them!) and think about the women (or more accurately probably children learning to stitch) who made the originals and what their lives were like all those years ago. And how cool it is that we’re still doing the exact same thing all these years later!

In addition to holiday and sampler themed projects, there are also patriotic (Americana) designs, a few projects with bees, and a couple of patterns called Sweet Rosie, which seems to be a character stitched in the projects.

You can check out all of their designs at The Sub Rosa Design. If you check them out I’d love to know what patterns you try and how it goes for you!

Have a cross stitch designer you love who should be in the spotlight? Let me know in the comments.

[Photo: The Sub Rosa Design]

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