Share Your Love of Cross Stitch with a DMC Kit

If you’re looking for a gift idea for a fellow cross-stitcher, something to drops hints about wanting for yourself, or a gift that allows you to share your favorite craft with someone else, you’ll want to check out the great cross stitch kits that DMC produces.

Their designer collection includes cross stitch, embroidery, needlepoint and punch needle projects, with everything you need to complete them in a compact package.

They sent me Herbs by Nathalie Weinzaepflen, a French designer and illustrator, to review. The kit is packaged in a pretty, small box that includes the cross stitch fabric, all the thread that’s needed and a single needle. There are general cross stitch instructions as well as a large chart for the particular pattern, with text published in several languages (but there are lots of illustrations for the basics, too).

This particular design is for intermediate stitchers and includes a collection of flowering herbs along with their Latin names worked in back stitching. It would be lovely to stitch up for a kitchen or sunroom.

In addition to this design there are several other French inspired project kits. Another design from Weinzaepflen is inspired by Provence, while designs from Anna Matvieiev, a Ukrainian designer living in Germany, feature the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe and a cafe in Montmartre.

These kits are all rated for intermediate to advanced stitchers, though there are a couple I think stitchers with less experience could complete. It’s hard to find good gift ideas for cross stitchers, but this is a fun option to ask for or to get for someone else.

The full designer collection highlights designers from around the world and features classic and contemporary styles using a range of needle arts skills. If you’re interested in embroidery, needlepoint or punch needle you can check out the full collection on their website and buy the kits direct from DMC.

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it.

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page.

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count.

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches.

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs.

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery. You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch.

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example).

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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