Small Cross-Stitch Patterns

Ranked #519 in Arts & Design, #5,659 overall

GOOD THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES

There are many beautiful cross-stitch patterns out there - intricate, detailed, elaborate, tons of colors. But really - who has time to complete something like that? If your goal is getting your projects done, you've come to the right place! I've collected lots of great sources for you with mostly free small cross-stitch patterns of varying complexity. Browse through and enjoy! I'll be continually updating and adding so don't forget to check in regularly.

 

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: MY CRITERIA

What I was looking for in patterns

Not every small cross-stitch pattern made the grade here. I wanted patterns that passed a certain muster, ones that would be worth the investment of time, no matter how small it was. Here's what I was looking for ...
  • Size - Anything below 100 stitches I defined as small. Many of the ones I found are more in the 30-50 stitch range. Exceptions were made for long narrow designs that would work nicely on towels, bookmarks, borders, etc.
  • Sufficient detail - I wanted things that had shading and a certain level of complexity. Small doesn't have to mean boring or primitive.
  • Unique design - There are only so many yellow duckies you can do before you start to fall asleep. I wanted designs that didn't look like everything else out there.
  • Free!! - Do I need to explain this one? :-)

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: FLORALS

Pretty flowers in pink, yellow, blue, lavendar

SHOWING OFF THOSE CROSS-STITCH PROJECTS

Hoopup inspiration piece. by craftapalooza
All Vadered Up by whateverjames
Nessie2 by Sew Technicolor
Nessie1 by Sew Technicolor
Thank The Maker (Chart) by whateverjames
Hoopup Inspiration Mosaic - KAWAII! by craftapalooza
Strawberry. #lizziekate #crossstitch by craftapalooza
WhateverJames Theater by whateverjames
Maul Glasses by whateverjames
kitty cross stich - almost done by maryfrancesmain
automatically generated by Flickr

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: PATTERN BOOKS

Loading

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: ANIMALS


  • Chickens - Two chickens hanging out. 70Wx58H

  • Bunnies and birds - Checkerboard bunny and four seasonal bird designs. All in the 57Wx57H range.

  • I Love My Dog - How about you? A cute pooch deserving of love. 62Wx58H

  • Whale Spraying - Cute whale lets off a spout of joy. 98Wx100H

  • Rabbit Hyacinth - Shy little bunny hides behind a potted flower. 41Wx45H

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: CHRISTMAS


  • Gingerbread Man Scissors Fob - Smiling little gingerbread man could also be used for an ornament. 27Wx46H

  • JOY Ornament - Joy with an ornament making the 'O'. 51Wx68H

  • Christmas Angels & Designs - A design for each year from 1986-2005. Mostly angels, but a few of the Madonna and Baby Jesus.

  • Happy Holidays Snowman - Cute snowman with a bird on his shoulder. 67Wx79H

  • Trumpets - Christmas trumpets designed for a bookmark. 15Hx87W

  • Waiting for Santa - Little birds decorate their birdhouse in anticipation of a visit. 37Wx51H

  • Helper Elf - Everybody can use an extra hand during the holidays! 90Wx106H (Click the designer's name to see more of her stuff. Quite cute!)

  • Angels Galore! - Seven cute flying angels that would make nice ornaments if done on perforated paper.

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: BLOG BLAB

Beautiful Zelda Tapestry Cross-Stitched in Stop Motion
by Susana Polo | 3:36 pm, February 17th So, earlier this week my roommate finally gave me the motivation to, by voicing an affirmative desire for, starting to put together a cheery cross stitch sampler (bordered by curling vines and fruit) of Cave ...
Learn to Cross Stitch at Morrisville Library
Want to learn how to cross stitch? We will teach you Friday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 pm All materials will be provided. See you then. Kiddies Korner, our preschool story hour will meet Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 9:30 am We will be hearing stories about hats; ...
Cross-Stitch Cool
ARTIST Inge Jacobsen was pleased when her cross-stitched Vogue covers were featured on VOGUE.COM - but she didn't expect it to lead to her first big job. "The team from Georg Jensen, the Danish jeweller, saw my Vogue covers on VOGUE.

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: ALPHABETS


  • Free Patterns Online - 45 different ones, including Greek.

  • Monograms - Make your own monograms for towels and more.

  • Bear ABCs - Teddy bears snuggle up to capital letters that you can change to whatever color you need.

  • Nautical Alphabet - Letters with the different nautical signal flags

CROSS STITCH DESIGNS

Cool designs from Zazzle available on a ton of products!!

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: HOLIDAYS

Other than Christmas

CROSS-STITCH PATTERNS AND SUPPLIES

Bid until your craft closet is full!!

Loading

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: OTHER DESIGNS

Just some stuff I liked

  • Square of colors - A square with kind of a kalidescope design. 58Wx58H

  • Antique Fire Engine - Cute little truck complete with driver. 122Wx74H

  • Snowman Winter - Snowman, snow shovel and snowflakes all say Winter.

  • Coffee - Start the day off right with a cup of joe. 68Wx62H

  • Summer Tree - A tire swing and lots of green leaves definitely make this a summer time tree. 45Wx46H

  • Crayon Bookmark - Six crayons make a colorful bookmark design. 29Wx82H

  • Baby Girl and Baby Boy - Birth announcements in pink and blue. Both 70Hx51W

  • Heart & Flowers - Detailed little heart designed for use in a card. 34Wx31H

  • Careless Love - French-style clown dropping hearts from the pile in his hands. 100Wx100H (check her other designs for two more clowns in the series.

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: RELATED ITEMS

Loading

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: SITES TO EXPLORE

Find that special something you're looking for

There are lots of great small cross-stitch patterns out there that maybe didn't quite meet my criteria for this lens, but are perfect for your project. Or maybe you're willing to pay a buck or two for a pattern. Below are some sites I found that were either too extensive for me to choose from, weren't entirely free or didn't have those extra special designs. Enjoy!!
Artecy
Lots of nice little designs available here, along with others. Generally, the small cross-stitch patterns are in the $2 range and available for online delivery.
Rainbow Gallery
Lots of great small patterns include a couple of series of the months of the year, some holiday designs and others.
Stitch Alley
I have a few of their 177 free designs listed above. You can only download one free design at a time without making a purchase and have to register with the site to do so. But these are some great small designs that might be worth your while!

SMALL CROSS-STITCH: WATCH AND LEARN

Cross Stitch In 5 Minutes from Yarn Tree
by yarntree | video info

153 ratings | 255,285 views
curated content from YouTube

STITCHERS EVERYWHERE SAY ...

Got a source for small cross-stitch patterns that I might have missed? Want to share your joy for cross-stitching? Just want to comment on my lens? Leave your mark here!

submit

by

Flynn_the_Cat

I've been crafting since elementary school when I was introduced to the joys of plastic canvas. (Gotta love the 70s!) Since then, have made too many cross-stitch... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Tons of Small Motifs! 

Highly rated by other stitchers

Donna Kooler's 555 Cross-Stitch Sampler Motifs

Amazon Price: $4.22 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Twice As Many In This One! 

The Cross Stitch Motif Bible: 1000 Motifs in Easy-to-Follow Color Charts

Amazon Price: $8.83 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

The Perfect Gift for Your Cross-Stitcher 

Easy Cross-Stitch Pattern-a-Day: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar

Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now