Sarcastic Space Cross Stitch

The words “sarcastic space cross stitch” aren’t really words I expected to be typing all in a row like that, but I don’t know what else to call this design from JP Crochet.

I mean, the designer calls it “funny sarcastic romantic” so I guess I can’t say this is the cross stitch you make when you want to break up with someone?

It is actually pretty cute, with a retro future rocket, crescent moon and clouds, with the words “I need more space.” This one would be fun to stitch for a space-loving kid or adult.

Whether the love literal space or the more sarcastic sense of space doesn’t really matter much in this case. Maybe they like both? Perfection.

This design measures 111 by 139 stitches and uses eight colors. The yellow and orange palette is perfect for a traditional retro space design, but there are no rules here if you want to make the “smoke” rainbow colored or shades of purple or whatever.

If you stitch it on 14 count fabric it will be about 7.8 by 9.8 inches, or 20 by 25 cm.

The design is shown on white fabric, which makes sense because the background of the night sky is dark blue, but it might also be fun to do this on a black background and save yourself a bit of stitching by leaving the sky part plain fabric.

Either way because the sections of each color are generally large (and it wouldn’t really matter if you put the stars in exactly the same spots they are shown in the pattern), this would be a fine design for a beginner or someone with more stitching experience. I also like the idea of doing French knots or beads for the stars if you want to make it a little fancier.

The pattern is available for free on the JP Crochet website.

[Photo: JP Croche]

Most of the cross stitch projects I make are pretty small and not something I would consider heirloom quality (though I am working on a big project for my daughter that I hope to have done for her high school graduation in two years that I hope is something she’ll want to keep forever, but that’s another story).

But it is definitely possible to cross stitch projects that will stay around for generations, and one prime example of that is a cross-stitched linen tablecloth.

Linen tablecloths are classic, while stitching one can be a big project, depending on the size of your table, it doesn’t have to be really complicated.

Koekoek has a good, detailed post about figuring out how much linen you would need to make a tablecloth that you can cross stitch and/or embroider on (they also sell tablecloth linen in their shop if you don’t already have some or a linen tablecloth you already use). Of course for a project like this you’d want the best fabric you can find and afford, because you’ll be stitching it for a long time and hopefully using it for years.

The post walks through how to measure your table and determine how much fabric you’ll need including the drop you’ll want and hems. It includes the math for rectangular and square tables as well as circular tables, which helps take the guesswork out of buying fabric. It also talks about preparing the fabric and making mitered corners if you have a square or rectangular table, which will help the tablecloth sit nicely on your table.

The tutorial doesn’t include specific patterns to use for your tablecloth, but it does advise keeping it simple because this is a really big project. You can start with a motif in the center or doing borders, and this is a project you can add to through the years by, say, stitching a symbol for each family member or adding names, wedding dates, etc. and making it a real record of your family.

Would you ever cross stitch a tablecloth or have you done so? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Koekoek]

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