Where to Find New Cross Stitch Patterns. What is Your Favorite Place to Get New Cross Stitch?
Posted by Tracey M. Kramer on 30th Apr 2018
Everyone has their favorite place to get new cross stitch patterns. I know I have mine! There are many resources out there to choose from. New patterns can be acquired from the following places: cross stitch magazines, cross stitch calendars, mail order catalogs, Internet websites, physical storefronts, bookstores and your local library. Some of these are easily accessible while others are not so easy to come by.
Cross Stitch Magazines
In my opinion, the best cross stitch magazine of all time (which unfortunately is no longer in business and was loved by many) was Cross-Stitch & Needlework Magazine (C-S & N) . From the time I first subscribed to this magazine, it kept me entertained with groundbreaking stitching techniques, humor we all could relate to, as well as a variety of both large and small projects that kept my creative juices flowing with the desire to stitch so many future projects. Through this magazine, I was introduced to famous needlework artists such as Jill Gordon, Kaffe Fassett, and many more. It breaks my heart that they're gone, and other magazines pale in comparison. I can truly say in every issue, I found at least three to four projects I bookmarked to start sometime in the future, and I have saved every issue from Day One at the beginning of my subscription as I refuse to throw away any issues! They had something for everyone. This was, by far, the best representation of cross stitch I've ever encountered. Back issues of this glorious magazine can be purchased from Esty and Amazon at A close competitor in the running is Just
Cross Stitch Magazine at ( https://www.just-crossstitch.com). If you like small to medium size projects that are not too large or complicated, this is the magazine for you.
A favorite calendar I hold
near to my heart is the annual
Keepsake
Calendar formerly produced by C-S &
N and made available by
Embroidery.com. Every year I
receive one of these beautiful wall calendars including a
booklet with the actual pattern and instructions which tell
you how to make each project, and they even include a bonus
purse size calendar as a free gift. Just think how uplifting
you're going to feel when you turn the page and are greeted
each month with a lovely pattern full of color and interesting
enough that you'll want to keep each calendar at the year end
and never throw it away. The patterns are medium size and
intermediate as far as level of difficulty. For only $24 a
year, a subscription to this calendar is well worth the money.
A favorite of mine that unfortunately is no longer in
existence was the desktop calendar published by Accord
Publishing called
Easy Cross Stitch Day-to-Day
Calendar
which featured small yet powerful
designs that could be put to use for almost anything. These
small yet effective patterns were capable of bringing out the
creativity in everyone who purchased them and will be truly
missed. I have an entire file system of their patterns of
which I plan to use in the future, but as you know, there is
never enough time to stitch all we want to stitch!
When someone mentions
cross stitch catalogs, the ones that come to mind are
Herrschners and The Stitchery. These
two companies provide free catalogs by mail which is helpful
if you do not have access to a computer. Here you will find
a wide variety of quality cross stitch at every level of
difficulty from beginners to expert. Both companies
have a good reputation with customers and have even expanded
their product line to include many other crafts.
Bookstores often carry
books on the subject, and places like Amazon and Barnes
& Noble are no strangers to the art of cross stitch.
If you find a book you are interested in and it has at
least 3 to 4 patterns in the book you would like to make,
then it makes it all worthwhile to buy the book and it's
yours for the keeping.
You
may have not thought of this, but just look up the words
"cross stitch" at your local library and you should be
able to find books that have patterns you could use, or
just make yourself a copy of the actual pattern you are
interested in. All of this is free for anyone
to use.
Cross Stitch Calendars
Mail Order Catalogs
Online Cross Stitch Stores
This market online is huge and there are
many companies to choose from. Some of them even provide FREE
patterns with no strings attached. The following that come to
mind are
Sunrays Creations Needlearts at https://sunrayscreations.com.
Sunrays is a fantastic online store that features very
detailed colorful patterns from beginners to expert and in
every price range. They take pride in providing
realistic looking patterns that capture the spirit of the
artist.
123Stitch at https://www.123stitch.com/ has a
wide variety of new patterns which is continually updated.
Customer service at both of these companies is top-notch and
there is something for everyone. Some Internet stores have a
main theme or specialty like Heaven and Earth Designs who
specialize in mostly fantasy cross stitch, and they have a
wide variety of patterns that contain confetti stitching.
Physical Stores
Stores like
Michaels and Hobby
Lobby
sell their share of cross stitch.
Although their selection is limited at physical locales,
they still have a nice collection of patterns for those of
you who like to actually see, touch and feel the pattern in
your fingertips, and have more to offer at their online
stores if you can't find what you're looking for in the
physical store.
Bookstores
Library