Stitch up a Sweet Diwali Greeting

I try to share cross stitch patterns for lots of different holidays and occasions, even if they aren’t something I’m that familiar with. Thanks to the large Indian population where I live, I have learned a little bit about Diwali through the years and love to share information about this festival of light.

Diwali is all about the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, and it is celebrated by Hindus and other Indian religions. It is celebrated on the Hindu calendar so it moves around between September and November, and the celebrations last for several days.

There are many symbols related to Diwali but one of the most common is the clay lamp or diya, which pays respect to the sun and symbolizes the light of wisdom.

The diya is the focus of this pretty Diwali cross stitch pattern with the sentiment “Spread Light, Spread Joy” and the diya held in two cupped hands.

The design is from Luba Davies Atelier on Etsy, and it measures 125 by 125 stitches. On 14 count fabric that would make it 9 by 9 inches, or 22.68 cm. If you want to make it smaller, using 18 count fabric would make it 7 inches on each side, or 17.64 cm.

I love the look of this using a brightly colored cross stitch fabric, but of course you can use whatever you like and what fits with your decor. You could also change the colors for the hands if you wish to show a darker skin tone.

As it is written the pattern uses 10 colors, and it incorporates full cross stitches, back stitch and French knots.

You can find the pattern on Etsy.

Looking for more Diwali cross stitch patterns? Check out this pattern for a diya, this one showing hanging lanterns and this pretty mandala that’s similar to a Diwali ragnoli.

[Photo: Luba Davies Atelier]

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Cross Stitch Patterns to Celebrate Holi

I’m always looking for different approaches to holidays in different crafts, and this year I’m noticing a lot of cute ghosts. Check out these adorable ghost cross stitch patterns for tons of cute without the creepy.

Cute Patterns by Maria has a set of six adorable ghosts doing ghosty things like reading a book, talking to a crow, decorating with pumpkins and mushrooms and more. Stitch a single one, all six on one canvas, or each on individually to make your own adorable set of ghosts to scatter around the house. Each ghost is 67 by 86 stitches; the full set is 205 by 174 and uses 28 colors.

Another cute set is this little three pattern set of ghosts with pumpkins and mushrooms. Designed by Wild Bluebell Patterns, the dimensions vary on them but they are super cute all stitched and hung together in hoops as shown.

This set of hipster ghosts is meant to be stitched up as ornaments for you Halloween tree or to display individually, or you can make one big piece. These designs are from Artmishka Cross Stitch and show ghosts getting coffee, reading a book, riding a broom and more. The whole set uses 11 colors.

If you have a dog friend in your life you’ll want to stitch up this sweet puppy ghost pattern from Holly Deer Stitch. The puppy is carrying a cute jack ‘o lantern with a candle and the project measures 7.14 by 6.79 inches (18.14 by 17.24 cm) on 14 count fabric. It uses 14 colors.

Find a ghost among the wildflowers with this design by Woven Wild Crafts. They call it spooky but I disagree. The design is 10 inches/25.5 cm square when worked on 14 count fabric and uses 19 colors.

Or keep it super simple with this little fall ghost cross stitch pattern from Crystal Feather Crafts. This little one is 56 by 47 stitches, which comes out to 4 by 3.4 inches or 10.2 by 8.5 cm on 14 count fabric. It uses 13 colors.

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