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Take a trip to our gallery. Every cross stitch pattern you see is free. No memberships, no donations, no "free with registration." Zero, zip, nada. Just click and get started.
Or, if you're new to needlework, go to my "How to ..." page. There you'll find everything you need to begin your adventure. And faster than you think!
You see, Mom taught me embroidery before I was ten. We started with useful things and applied iron-on transfers. Flowers, animals, butterflies, birds and angels took form. Plain white fabric came alive with color.
Fast forward (more years than I care to mention!). Three dresser scarves embroidered by my Grandmother surfaced. No transfer. They were completed just by counting threads. That's when I learned about counted cross stitch.
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And after my first project, I was hooked. A Birth Record, a Family Tree, a Wedding Record, a baby quilt, Christmas decorations and greeting cards . . . I was off and running!
I don't just like cross stitch. I love it! I spend every otherwise idle moment working, designing or writing about it. I enjoy it most when I'm working on a gift. People appreciate them so much, I call each one "my gift of time."
We stitch all of our designs and provide a photo of each one. That is your guarantee that each chart can be stitched as it is presented, without you having to make changes on the fly. (Nobody likes to rip out stitches!)
Painting with thread.
So dive in now! Use the table of contents below or the search box at the top of this page. No matter what your skill level, you'll find everything you need right here. Great original cross stitch patterns. Lessons, how-to tips, detailed photos, even videos.
Oh, and did I mention? It's free!
Keep on Stitching,
| Better Cross Stitch Patterns Blog The Cross Stitch Blog keeps you up to date on all the changes and additions to the better-cross-stitch-patterns.com Web site. |
| Now Stitching at Better Cross Stitch Patterns.com Now stitching at Better Cross Stitch Patterns.com. See my latest works in progress as I design and stitch them. |
| Our Shop Our shop pays tribute cross stitch. In it you'll find items that honor the craft in other art forms--framed prints, ceramic tile, keepsake boxes, mugs--the trappings of a cross stitcher's life. |
| Free Cross Stitch Charts Dozens of free cross stitch charts for beginners and advanced. One-day project or complex design, you'll find patterns you'll be proud to stitch. |
| Baby Cross Stitch Animals Our baby cross stitch animals reflect the special connection between babies and animals, whether real or plush. Add a special touch to his bib or outfit with these designs. |
| Cross Stitch Bookmark Designs A cross stitch bookmark offers a quick, easy project for a weekend or a little at a time in your busy schedule. Choose one of our free designs. |
| Christian Cross Stitch Patterns Your free source for elaborate Christian cross stitch patterns. More being added regularly, and you can watch as we design new ones. |
| Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns Printable Online Christmas comes even earlier for cross stitchers, so get a quick start with our Christmas cross stitch patterns. |
| Baby Cross Stitch Designs Dozens of cute baby cross stitch designs to choose from for afghans, quilts and other applications. |
| Find a cross stitch heart pattern for any occasion Whatever the occasion, a cross stitch heart can express the right sentiment. Valentine's Day, Christmas or any day of the year, you'll find a heart to fit your mood. |
| Baby Cross Stitch Patterns If you have a baby or know someone who does, you'll appreciate the baby cross stitch patterns of baby toys, all enclosed in a heart motif. |
| Free Cross Stitch Alphabet Patterns Printable Online You'll find several free cross stitch alphabet patterns, with more added often. When personalizing your needlework project, using the right alphabet can make a big difference. |
| Adapt a Cross Stitch Alphabet to Fit Your Pattern Learn how to select the ideal cross stitch alphabet to complement your pattern and fit it in the space you have. |
| Elongated Alphabet 26 Printable Cross Stitch Pattern Alphabet 26 offers a taller, slimmer set of letters for those times when you have plenty of vertical space but not much length. |
| Getting Started, aka, Quick Start in Cross Stitch Essential tips about getting started on a cross stitch project, and some information about reading our charts. Beginner or cross stitch master, there's something here for everyone. |
| How To Cross Stitch If you're new to cross stitch, or just want some new, time-saving tips, these simple how to cross stitch lessons supply everything you need. From diagrams and detail photos to video, we have it all. |
| Cross Stitch If you can follow 4 easy steps, you can make a basic cross stitch. Our illustrated tutorial shows you how to cross stitch. |
| Cross Stitch Row Tutorial Easily complete your first cross stitch row with our illustrated step-by-step guide. |
| Sewing Method Cross Stitch How-to Mastering the sewing method of cross stitch will dramatically increase your speed and productivity. Learn how to use it in our easy, illustrated tutorial. |
| Half Stitch How-to Learn how to make a half stitch to smooth edges and round corners using our illustrated tutorial and videos. |
| Quarter Stitch Learn how to make a quarter stitch, used for smoothing and rounding edges, using our illustrated tutorial and videos. |
| Three Quarter Stitch How-to Learn how to make a three quarter stitch and combination stitches using our illustrated tutorial and videos. |
| How to Backstitch Your Cross Stitch Pattern Second in importance only to the cross stitch, the backstitch enhances and defines areas that have already been cross stitched. Learn how with these easy illustrations. |
| Straight Stitch How-to Learn how to use a straight stitch with our step by step illustrated online tutorial. |
| How to Daisy Stitch The daisy stitch, aka lazy daisy or detatched chain stitch, used in cross stitch gives the impression of flower petals. Learn how to daisy stitch for making flowers or decorative borders. |
| French Knot How-to A French knot can form the center of a flower, an eye, curly hair or serve as an accent in a group or scattered in a large cross stitched area. Step-by-step illustrated tutorial. |
| Waste Knot Illustrated Tutorial Cross stitching forbids knots and the bumps they cause, but a waste knot allows you to have your knot and leave it, too. |
| How to Bury the Thread in Cross Stitch You just finished a row of cross stitch. Now what? Bury the thread to secure your stitches without knots or unraveling floss. Here's how. |
| Stitch Over Two Threads If you can count by twos, you can cross stitch over two threads, but you must know where to start the first stitch. Use it to double the size of the pattern or just to make partial stitches easier. |
| Why Floss Coverage Matters Floss coverage becomes an issue when you choose a fabric thread count that differs from the pattern. Too few strands and a lot of fabric shows through. Here are some tips to aid your decision. |
| Separating Floss for Cross Stitch If you routinely get knots in your floss when separating floss strands, this tip will save you lots of time, aggravation and, yes, even money. |
| Metallic Floss Tips for Cross Stitch Using specialty floss for cross stitch can be a challenge, but here are some metallic floss tips for stunning results. |
| Preparing Fabric for Cross Stitch Spending a few minutes preparing fabric for cross stitch can save you from ripping out whole rows of your project or the constant annoyance of frayed edges. Here's how to avoid most mis-steps. |
| How to Join Sides in Cross Stitch You've got a front and a back for your bookmark or ornament... How to join sides? Follow our easy instructions and you'll be done in no time. |
| How to Make Fringe for Cross Stitch Fringe makes a nice addition to many designs on projects like bookmarks, ornaments and pillows. See these instructions for on how to make fringe. |
| Selecting Cross Stitch Supplies You wouldn't use a wrench as a hammer. So why use a sewing needle to cross stitch? Learn how to pick the right cross stitch supplies for the job. |
| Cross Stitch Needles Walk right past the sewing needles. The ones you need for counted cross stitch won't be there. Here's what to look for in cross stitch needles and why. |
| Needle Accessories Readying your needle accessories? Do yourself and everyone around you a favor. Get a needle threader! The floss used in counted cross stitch BEGS for a threader. Don't even try to live without it. |
| Using an Embroidery Hoop for Counted Cross Stitch Some cross stitchers wouldn't think of working without an embroidery hoop and others wouldn't use one if they were free. Here's how to decide whether to use a hoop and which ones to buy. |
| Choosing a Scroll Frame for Cross Stitch Choosing a Scroll Frame? There is no substitute for hands-on experience, but this illustrated guide will help you discover what kind of frame you like, without breaking the bank. |
| Is a Q-Snap Frame Right for Your Cross Stitch Needs? Like embroidery hoops and scroll frames, a Q-Snap frame keeps counted cross stitch fabric taut while stitching. Here's how to find out if it's the right frame for you. |
| Choosing Scissors for Cross Stitch For cross stitch, we need two types of scissors, one for cutting fabric and another for cutting floss close to the fabric. Choosing scissors just for use in cross stitch will save frustration later. |
| Common Cross Stitch Terms Find definitions of common counted cross stitch terms in our detailed Glossary along with links to tutorials and tips for stitches used. |
| Stitch Count to Inches Use this handy table to convert the design stitch count to the finished size in inches. |
| DMC to Anchor Conversion Use this easy table to find Anchor Equivalents for DMC floss. Convert DMC to Anchor numbers. |
| Anchor to DMC Conversion Use this easy table to find DMC Equivalents for Anchor floss. Convert Anchor to DMC numbers. |
| JP Coats to Anchor Conversion Use this easy table to find Anchor Equivalents for JP Coats cross stitch floss. Convert JP Coats to Anchor numbers. |
| Cross Stitch Shopping List Print our cross stitch shopping list to keep in your stitch bag or purse, and you'll never forget a needed supply. |
| Cross Stitch Graph Paper Print free cross stitch graph paper in several stitch counts, and find out why one count might be better than the others. |
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| About Us About Us: The "secret" of how we turned lemons into lemonade and built this website. |
| Contact Better Cross Stitch Patterns.com Contact us with suggestions for how-to pages, write your wishes for new patterns, or comment about our site. Have questions about cross stitch? We can help. |
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