Alright my stitchy friends–it’s time to get to work on some fun Halloween projects! And to get you going, here is a fun, simple, quick (and free) Halloween bat pattern!
I love all types of embroidery–but I have a special place in my heart for cross stitch. Like many stitchers, cross stitch was the first form of stitching I ever did. My mom would set each of us girls up with a cross stitch project early in the year and we’d work away at it, hoping to finish in time to enter it as a 4-H project. I hope to do the same with my own girls when they are older.
Even as an adult I continue to work on cross stitch projects–I cross stitch Christmas stockings for each of my kids, but I don’t have the time or the patience to complete really involved cross stitch projects. I prefer cross stitch projects that are small and cute–and easy to accomplish over the course of a movie or two (anyone else refuse to watch a movie without an embroidery project?)–like this Halloween cross stitch bat pattern! What you do with the pattern after you complete it is up to you, but here, for your stitching enjoyment, is a cute and free Halloween bat pattern.
Click on the bat pattern to open. Then print in whatever size you desire.
Once you have the pattern, completing the project is pretty simple (which is why we all love cross stitch, right?).
Like all embroidery projects only a few (inexpensive) supplies are needed.
Supplies needed to make your own Halloween cross stitch bat pattern:
- Aida (cross stitch) cloth. (I used 14 count).
- Free Bat Pattern
- Black Embroidery Thread
- 6″ Wooden Embroidery Hoop (bigger if using a different count aida cloth)
- Embroidery Needle
- Sew Easy Fancy Floss
First, grab your black thread and stitch up the bulk of the project. For the body of the bat I used 3 threads and for the “boo” I used only 2 threads. This is why you can see the “x” stitches in the wording and not on the bat.
As with all cross stitch projects, it will turn out much better if you take time to make sure all of your stitches are uniform! I usually work left to right, doing one half of each stitch all the way across and then turning back and doing the other half of the stitch all the way across.
When you are done with the black stitches, it is time to get fancy–with fancy thread that is. I for one think that life can always use a little fancy and I am in love with these fancy threads–they’re glittery and wonderful!
I used two colors for the completion of my cross stitch bat pattern –for the eyes I used “goldilocks” (6 threads) and for the fancy curly ques I used “goldfish” (1 thread). As you can see, the curly ques are back stitches and are partially over the “boo” at the bottom. Make sure to use only one thread for these stitches so that the wording is not obscured.
And, there it is! What you do with the bat pattern from here is totally up to you. Make it into a pillow? Sew it onto the front of a treat bag? Or, just display it as is in the embroidery hoop (that’s what I’m planning on doing). Either way, I hope this little stitching bat pattern brings some cheer and fear to your Halloween celebrations.
All the best and happy stitching,
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About 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.
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so cute! how do you transfer the pattern to the cloth? Thanks! Ana
I taught myself needlepoint from a magazine in college. I took up cross stitch, learning from little kits about 15 years later. Now I bead, and I really like the bead weaving. This little bat is so cute. I agree, I can’t do big cross stitch projects and I hate to watch TV without something in my hands, be it cross stitch, needlepoint or crocheting. Even beading works, if it is a simple enough pattern, I did a lot of beading when I was with my mother before her death.