Stitch a Lovely Tree of Life

This time of year is a great one for thinking about nature, not only because the world seems to be coming back to life for those of us in the northern part of the world, but also because this month has both Earth Day and Arbor Day in it.

It might just be time to cross stitch a tree.

And why not make it a tree of life? This lovely free pattern from CrossStitchPattern.net uses a single color, but you could pick any color you like, or stitch the leaves on the tree green if you would rather.

This would be a great one for the front of your favorite canvas shopping bag.

[Photo: CrossStitchPattern.net.]

There’s no question that the Tree of Life’s origins pre-date the Celts as it is a powerful symbol in Ancient Egyptian mythology. Archaeologists unearthed items portraying “tree of life” motifs during excavation works. Different religions call it by different names, each with its own mythology. It seems every religion has an interpretation of the tree of life. For Adam and Eve, the tree was their symbolic connection to Divinity. For Hindus, it is the eternal Banyan tree. Judaism has a fascinating symbolism you will notice this looks very similar to the Assyrian Tree of Life. Looking for more tree of life crafts? Check these Tree of life blog posts out.

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

As I write this, we’re on day three of an expected four days full of rain, so it’s no wonder I wanted to share some sunny cross stitch patterns.

This pretty sun from Anchor via Yarnspirations uses five different shades of cheery yellow. It measures 48 by 48 stitches, or 3.5 inches/8.5 cm square on 14 count fabric.

This smiling yellow sun is a great beginner cross stitch project. The design is from Bella Rose Craft and uses three colors. When worked on 14 count fabric it fits perfectly in a 4-inch hoop.

Add another color and you’ve got this sweet sun cross stitch pattern from Mamas Crafty Basket. It’s also a little larger, at 44 by 44 stitches, but it’s still a great choice for a new stitcher. That comes out to just over 3 inches/7.87 cm on 14 count fabric.

I love this cheerful sun from Sacred Thread Design because it looks like a fancied up version of something a child would draw. This one would be great for a nursery or child’s room, or anywhere that needs a ray of sunshine. It measures 99 by 95 stitches and uses 16 colors. On 14 count fabric it will come out to 7.1 by 6.8 inches, or 18 by 17.2 cm if that’s the way you measure.

If you like your sun with a side of moon, and maybe a planet, this set from Ma Galina Lativa may be what you’re looking for. It’s shown as two different hoops but you could stitch them on the same piece of fabric and frame them together if you’d rather. The sun by itself measures 67 by 66 stitches, while the moon is 52 by 40.

And to finish up by taking it in a completely different direction, there’s this colorful folk art sun by Tiny House Studio BC. It got let into the party because the sun is smiling, but this is definitely not as easy a pattern as the others I’ve shared. This one uses a whopping 42 colors and is 140 by 175 stitches. That’s 10 by 12.5 inches, or 25.4 by 31.75 cm on 14 count fabric.

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