Tropical Bird Cross Stitch Patterns

The weather is hot where I live as I write this, which has me thinking of the beach and more tropical climates, because if you’re going to be hot at least you should be somewhere pretty, right?

If a tropical vacation isn’t in the cards for you, maybe you can stitch up some colorful birds instead? These would be great for a beach-themed room or as part of your summer decor no matter where you live.

This collection started with the Lovebirds pattern from DMC, available from LoveCrafts. These pretty parrots are worked in hues of red, yellow and orange, but you could make them with cooler colors as well. They’re sitting on a tree branch and surrounded by flowers.

The watercolor look of this rainbow colored parrot from Laser Arts Designs on Etsy makes it look so fun to stitch. The pattern listing doesn’t say how many colors it uses but does note their patterns use 20-25 colors max. The design is 151 by 205 stitches, which comes out to 10.8 by 14.6 inches or 27.4 by 37.2 cm on 14 count fabric.

This toucan pattern from Sam Xstitch is nice and cooling to look at because of all the greens. It is 97 by 97 stitches and uses 22 colors. On 14 count fabric that comes out to just under 7 inches, or 17.6 cm on each side.

A cockatiel is another classic tropical bird, but if you don’t want one for a pet you can stitch one up with this pattern from Stitch Junction. I love how realistic it looks, particularly the branch the bird is sitting on. This pattern uses a whopping 60 colors to get that super-realistic look, so maybe if you start it now it will be ready to hang next summer. The design is 200 by 200 stitches and comes out to 14.29 inches or 36.29 cm on each side if you use 14 count fabric. The pattern includes sizing all the way down to 32 count if you want to go that small.

Winter Birds Cross Stitch Pattern

Two Birds on a Branch

Works by ABC sells both PDFs and paper patterns of many of its designs, which include temperature projects, intricate designs that look like lace, floral designs and more.

The patterns are only organized by PDF or paper, so you’ll just have to scroll through to see all the options.

There are fractal designs, holiday projects (including Hanukkah), mandalas, snowflakes, seasonal patterns, biscornu and more. (Learn more about biscornu here.)

The lace inspired designs are the ones that really caught my eye, so let’s take a closer look at one of those. This one is just called exquisite lace, and that’s a totally valid name because that is what it is.

This single color design is all full cross stitches, but because of the size and level of detail I’d still say it is best for intermediate to advanced cross stitchers. The design is 205 by 331 stitches and it is shown worked on 36 count linen stitched over two threads. The 36 count is equivalent to 18 count Aida, so that makes the finished project 11.4 by 18.4 inches, or 28.9 by 46.7 cm.

It’s really pretty on the gray fabric shown but would be great with any dark color like blue, green or black as well.

There are actually four more listings in the paper pattern section than there are in the PDF section, but I assume for the most part any pattern that you can get in one format you can get in the other. Patterns that are printed appear to be $2 more expensive (based on the few that I checked) and there is a charge for shipping but it’s nice to have the option if you like a printed pattern and don’t have an easy way to print at home.

Check out all the available patterns in print and digital form at Works by ABC. And be sure to let me know if you know of a designer who should be in the spotlight!

[Photo: Works by ABC]

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