Stitch Designs with a Classic Look from Kathy Barrick

Today’s designer spotlight is on Kathy Barrick, a designer based in Maryland who gives a classic look to her projects.

When I opened her Etsy shop one of the first designs I saw was this one all about different words for blue, which I thought was funny because my daughter’s school lets the teachers teach whatever they want for the last two weeks of school and one of the teachers last year taught a class on the history of blue. Which seemed kind of weird to me but apparently there’s a lot to know about blue, and this particular project was inspired by a book written by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1814 all about blue.

In addition to that you’ll find alphabet samplers, old-fashioned birds, classic holiday themed projects and more.

Another one that caught my eye was this autumn themed pin drum, which is apparently just a different size and shape of pincushion (I got excited for a second thinking it was for knitting needle storage, since knitting needles used to be called pins). It uses five colors and measures 170 by 78 stitches and has a cute little velvet pumpkin on top, so it’s useful and decorative.

Since I’m writing and sharing this around Halloween I also can’t resist pointing out the Halloween birthday sampler, which would be fun to make for anyone born in October or who loves spooky season. It features a witch in a graveyard with cats and bats and it would be fun to stitch that part even without the words around it. Or make it just as it is even if you don’t know someone born on Halloween! It uses 14 colors (she used silk but there’s a DMC conversion as well) and measures 106 by 82 stitches.

Check out all of her pretty, classic designs at her shop on Etsy.

[Photo: Kathy Barrick]

If you’re looking for a ton of easy cross stitch designs to use for Christmas projects, look no further than Claire Crompton’s The Ultimate Cross Stitch Christmas Collection, which includes more than 500 charts for tiny stockings, angels, ornaments and much more.

The book covers the materials you’ll use to create the projects, how to add beads and other embellishments, stitching techniques and instructions for finishing projects shown in the book.

You’ll find ideas for using the patterns such as making greeting cards, ornaments, wall hangings, napkin rings and patches, as well as ideas for adding stitching to ready made or semi-homemade gifts. There are also tips for framing and hanging projects, making an advent calendar and designing your own Christmas sampler.

The charts are arranged by theme like Christmas classics (bells, horns and candles), garlands including stockings and mittens, Christmas carols, advent motifs with numbers to make your own calendar, St. Nicholas, nativity projects, snowmen, Santa’s sleigh, snowflakes and snow themed projects, Shaker-style Christmas designs, Santa’s helpers and reindeer, tree decorations, snowy scenes, robins and other birds, angels, Christmas trees, penguins, baby’s first Christmas, Victorian-inspired designs, sweets and treats, Christmas flowers, child themed patterns, stitches for gift tags, fairies, bears both teddy and otherwise, 12 days of Christmas patterns, projects to work on linens for the table, sentiments for cards or other projects, and several sets of alphabets and numbers you can use to design your own projects.

There’s a really cute parcel alphabet that has the letters on presents and there are also elves and a Santa worked in, which would be cute for a project for a child or to make a sign for your house.

Patterns are shown several to a page with one key for all of the projects. The projects don’t say how big they are so you’ll have to count stitches on the chart and figure out how big they will be based on the fabric you are using.

Still, this is a nice, large collection of holiday themed cross stitch designs, which is great for people who like stitching projects big and small for Christmas.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Have you read?