Seasonal Cross Stitch with a Primitive Spin

This week’s designed spotlight is on Twin Peak Primitives, the design home for a duo of twin sisters from the Netherlands. Their work covers a lot of different subjects, including holidays, American patriotic designs, sampler-style stitches and more.

Since I’m writing this before Halloween, I wanted to point out in particular their Halloween designs. (Links here are Etsy links, but you can also buy direct from their website if you’re in Europe.)

They recently released a new Gothic Halloween collection for 2023 that includes nine different Halloween patterns, all worked in black. There are mini samplers, a biscornu, a triangular design and some small ornaments. The designs include a sampler with the alphabet and skulls, a Gothic crow, a threatening bee, the witches of Salem, a creepy wedding ceremony, another alphabet design with a witch on a broom and pumpkins, a pumpkin with skulls on its surface, a larger skull design and the biscornu, which has a geometric design.

There’s also a haunted chateau design that features a spooky looking house surrounded by crows, nights, and other details, along with an alphabet, the word Halloween and the year. In all they have 31 Halloween designs, which you can find here. A couple more of my favorites are the bus going to Salem and Silent Phantoms of the Night, but be sure to scroll through if you’re looking for new designs for the season.

In addition to the Halloween designs there are lots of American themed patriotic designs and pastoral scenes, winter and Christmas designs, and lots of mini collections with small patterns on a theme, like gingerbread, St. Patrick’s Day and holiday ornaments.

On their website they also have a nice collection of freebie patterns, most of which have a holiday theme. You’ll find some cute fall and Halloween designs there as well.

[Photo: Twin Peak Primitives]

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American Flag Cross Stitch Patterns

If you’re a fan of detailed and colorful cross stitch patterns, Design for Cross Stitch might have a pattern you want to try. This Etsy shop is based in Spain and has more than 50 designs with a focus on animals, holidays and landscapes.

I’m just going to start with the first pattern that caught my eye when I visited the site, which is this Sakura by the Lake project. This pattern is 200 by 200 stitches and the whole background is stitched, so it’s definitely not for a beginner, but it’s stunning and would be amazing to make for someone who loves Japan. Despite the detail it only uses 24 colors. Worked on 14 count fabric it will measure 14.64 inches, or 37.19 cm.

There are a few other landscape designs, including a canal in Venice and a few cabins in the woods.

The shop also has some cute animal cross stitch, with big, round faces and often holding a warm beverage. Holiday projects focus on Christmas and Halloween. Most of the patterns have a cute, chibi-like feel, but there are some that are more detailed and realistic as well. Take for examples the flower patterns, which are full of details and soft colors.

You’ll also find some fun bookmark cross stitch patterns with a watercolor feel, as well as some that look kind of like paint pouring turned into stitches.

If this sort of stuff sounds like fun to you, check out their Etsy store at Design for Cross Stitch.

Do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who I haven’t featured yet? Let me know in the comments or share more about them by clicking on “suggest a DIY” at the center top of the page and let me know the details. I’d love to share the designers you’re enjoying with a wider audience.

[Photo: Design for Cross Stitch]

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