Stitch a Summer Scene Because You Know You’re Ready

We are so. close. to the end of the school year here. Literally counting down the days. We’re especially excited this year because we’re heading to the beach for our vacation within days of the end of school.

If you’re longing for the beach, too, this beach hut cross stitch pattern might not actually make it better, but at least it will keep you in the summer spirit.

The pattern was designed by Anna Field for her book Sand Sea and Cross Stitch, and is presented on Sew and So. It features a sun, fish, waves and a little striped cabana, all of which sounds pretty perfect to me right about now.

The design uses eight colors and is the perfect size for a card or a wee wall hanging.

The rest of the book looks super sweet, too, if you have a nautical theme in your home.

[Photo: Sew and So.]

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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