Free Cross Stitch Numbers Pattern

We are in the final days of 2015–and what a wonderful year it has been!  I always get a little nostalgic this time of year and love to create crafts that mark or record the events of our family each year.  Because of a lot of crafts involves stitching, when I create these “year marker” crafts I am constantly on the hunt for good patterns for cross stitch numbers.  There are some out there–but what I was looking for was a larger number, a little stylized, that was all cross stitch with no back stitch…and since I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for I made my own and I am so excited to share it with you.

This is a basic cross stitch numbers pattern that you can easily use to customize any craft you are working on.  Or, if you’d like to make an extra simple Christmas ornament you can always just stitch up the letters, stretch it in an embroidery hoop and add a ribbon.  Use it however you like!

Supplies needed to make your own cross stitch numbers project:

• White Aida Cloth (I used 14 count)
• Ombre Colored Tread
• Wooden Embroidery Hoop
• Needle
• Scissors
• Free Cross Stitch Number Pattern

As a first step, download and print the cross stitch numbers pattern.  Once again, you can get the PDF of the pattern HERE.  Here is a quick glimpse of what each number looks like.

To add a little extra fun I decided to stitch up my numbers in ombre–meaning fading shades of the same color.  Using the thread from “Sew Easy” made this, well, easy!  Each card comes with 3 different shades of the same color–perfect!

To prepare, cut out each number you plan on stitching and tape them together, making sure to leave only 2 empty stitches between each number and also making sure to line up the bottom part of each number.  Next, grab your darkest color and begin stitching the bottom 6 lines of each number.  I had to draw lines across my pattern so that I didn’t get confused.  Here is what my project looked like with just the bottom 1/3 done.

And then just keep going.  Grab the middle shade and stitch the middle 5 rows of your cross stitch numbers.  Finally take the lightest color and stitch in the top 4 rows (there are 15 rows total for each number).

It’s as simple as that!

I plan on using these cross stitch numbers for many projects both now and in the coming years.  I hope you find some fun ways to use them as well. You can add a name or sentiment to your cross stitch design by using this cross stitch alphabet, perfect for Christmas ornaments.

All the best!

Nancy

Nancy is the play-at-home mom of 3 little ones, ages 3 and under. When she gets a chance she blogs at dosmallthingswithlove.com about the intersection of motherhood and creativity. She has a special passion for embroidery, something she has been doing and experimenting with since she was a girl. A farm girl at heart, she now lives in Minneapolis and enjoys gardening, reading, stitching, traveling and painting. Most any day you can find her with a baby on her hip, barefoot, chasing her kids around the yard and eating beans fresh out of the garden.