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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Review: Cross Stitch for the Earth

Non Stop Stitch is an Etsy shop based in Ukraine with a dizzying quantity and variety of cross stitch patterns.

They tend to the cute/whimsical and colorful, with lots of flowers, animals, fantasy designs and some classic Ukraine inspired motifs.

How about this super sweet Ukrainian boy and girl design? With folk inspired clothing and adorable animals, these characters can be stitched together on one piece or separately. The images were designed by Nadiia Nagorna. The boy measures 50 by 96 and uses 22 colors and blends, while the girl is 62 by 94 stitches and uses 27 colors and blends.

Both projects involve full and half cross stitches, as well as backstitch and French knots. They are classified as intermediate patterns.

The largest category on the site is Christmas patterns, with more than 200 options, ranging from cute animals to ornaments, Santas, snowmen and more. There are also plenty of patterns for both Easter and Halloween if you like seasonal stitches.

In addition you’ll find lots of animal designs, from bears and foxes to cats and dogs, mice and elephants, birds, bunnies and bugs. And extensive flowers and plants section includes pretty bouquet cross stitch patterns, stitched wreaths and seasonal scenes, as well as food cross stitch patterns, like a swag of chili peppers, mushrooms on a postage stamp, persimmons and cherries.

The fantasy and magic category leans heavy on whimsy with cute dragons, a one-eyed monster with dragonfly wings, a mermaid listening to music, and a green bearded river spirit covered in lily pads.

And that’s not even to mention other sections like food and drinks, houses and landscapes, lighthouses, people/babies/dolls and more. There’s so much to choose from there’s no way to really categorize it all, so why don’t you head over to Non Stop Stitch and do some scrolling. I’d love to hear if you make one of their patterns!

[Photo: Non Stop Stitch]

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