Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint
This freebie from Brigitte Dadau is a repeating motif that puts me in mind of a shamrock. And no, it’s not just because the chart is presented in green. It’s because the motif that repeats has three points. Patterns like this can be used to fill in backgrounds, as bands for towels, as borders, or as any other part of a project you can imagine. What might you use this design for today? Get the free chart.
Looking for more Shamrock charts and cross-stitch patterns? Check these out on Etsy
I think most of the time when we make cross stitch projects, we are pretty conventional in how we choose to display them. We might mount them on a board of some sort, or show them in a frame.
Sometimes we might make special kinds of projects that are displayed or used in different ways, such as making cross stitch bookmarks, holiday ornaments or badges.
Or we might stitch onto fabric that isn’t meant to be for cross stitch at all, such as adding a monogram to a set of napkins or stitching a design or some words on an apron or something cute on a tea towel.
But there are more things you can do with cross stitch beyond this handful of options.
Craft with Cartwright has a list of 26 different ways you can display finished cross stitch projects, which are sure to get your imagination going.
I love this list as a way to think about making cross stitch gifts for people for the holidays or other occasions. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to make a big thing and frame it (though the one Christmas gift I’m working on is going to be framed).
We can make magnets or iron on patches for clothes (that’s one I hadn’t thought of before!). There are lots of different ways to make ornaments, from tiny frames to making a little stuffed pillow or pincushion style ornament.
You can make wall hangings, or gift tags, or even make your own frames if you want to frame your pieces for display.
There are so many great ideas in this list and I don’t want to give them all away, so head to Craft with Cartwright to check them all out. There are tutorials to all of the different projects and presentation ideas, so you’re sure to find something to spark a new project idea for you.
[Photo: Craft with Cartwright]
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