Original cross stitch patterns and beginner guides
Original, beginner-friendly cross stitch charts with clear color keys, plus plain-language guides to fabric, floss, needles, and every basic technique.
Everything needed for a first day of cross stitch: the supplies, how one cross is made, and a tiny original blossom chart to stitch right away.
What Aida counts mean, how the count changes the size of a finished design, and how to choose, cut and prepare the fabric before stitching.
Which tapestry needle size suits each Aida count, why the tip is blunt, how to thread several strands, and how to tell when a needle is the wrong size.
How six-strand floss works, how to separate strands without tangles, how many strands to use on each Aida count, and how to store and organize your thread.
An original five-pointed star in full crosses, with an amber outline, a golden body and a glowing pale center. Chart, color key, sizes and stitching order included.
Five original repeating borders in full crosses: zigzag, scallop, vine, checker and diamond chain. Learn how to repeat each one to any length and how to turn the corners of a frame.
A simple original heart chart in full crosses only, with a dark outline, a pale highlight and a soft shadow. Includes the color key, size table and stitching order.
An original round honey bee in flight, with striped body, pale blue wings and backstitched antennae, charted in five colors.
An original symmetric butterfly with coral upper wings, teal lower wings and a navy outline, charted in six colors.
An original small songbird perched on a leafy twig, with a blue back, rust orange breast and pale belly, charted in seven colors.
An original small wreath of leaves, rose pink blossoms and tiny blue flowers on a round vine, with an open middle sized for a stitched initial.
An original bunch of five lavender sprigs tied with a rose pink bow. Shaded purple flower spikes fan out above slim sage stems, all in full cross stitches.
An original daisy with eight white petals, a shaded golden center, a slim stem and two leaves, charted for sky blue Aida so the white petals stand out.
An original tiny toadstool with a spotted red cap, shaded stem and tufts of grass, plus how to mount mini designs on greeting cards and gift tags.
Six original mini fruits on a 9 x 10 grid: strawberry, cherries, lemon, pear, apple and watermelon. Full cross stitches only, with a chart, color key and size table.
Nine original tiny motifs, each fitting inside a 9 x 9 square: heart, leaf, star, house, cup, flower, moon, sailboat and tree. Stitch one on a scrap or all nine as a small sampler.
Wash, press, center and tighten your stitching, then gather or lace the back and cover it with felt. A step-by-step guide to framing cross stitch in an embroidery hoop.
An original tall bookmark design with four alternating blossoms, honey diamonds and a teal frame, plus three ways to finish it: felt-backed, fringed or on Aida band.
Pick a topic to see every pattern and guide in that category.
An original round honey bee in flight, with striped body, pale blue wings and backstitched antennae, charted in five colors.
An original three-tier Christmas tree with a gold star and colored baubles, plus step-by-step instructions for finishing it as a flat hanging ornament.
An original tiny toadstool with a spotted red cap, shaded stem and tufts of grass, plus how to mount mini designs on greeting cards and gift tags.
An original small wreath of leaves, rose pink blossoms and tiny blue flowers on a round vine, with an open middle sized for a stitched initial.
Wash, press, center and tighten your stitching, then gather or lace the back and cover it with felt. A step-by-step guide to framing cross stitch in an embroidery hoop.
An original block alphabet of 26 capitals, each five stitches wide and seven tall, in full crosses only. Includes simple rules for spacing names, centering words and building monograms.
Pick a small motif, thread two strands, and learn the basics as you go. Every chart and guide on the site is free to read, no sign-up needed.
