A cross-stitch pattern declares that bananas are not allowed. Lettering in banana colors and a depiction of the slightly bruised fruit make the message clear.

In my family, there are some strong feelings about bananas. The smell, the flavor, or the sound of someone chewing a banana just might drive you (or someone you know) up the wall. That’s why I created this playful cross-stitch design. You can stitch it up and let everyone know your true feelings.

Purchase the PDF digital pattern for this design here.

I knew this design would require bold lettering, so I built a big uppercase font with a drop shadow. Of course, the lettering is stitched in the classic banana colors of yellow and brown. The slightly bruised fruit stitched below the message is the only one allowed—no real bananas here.

Curves do not come easy to me when designing cross-stitch, which is done on a grid. Somehow, this banana came quickly to me. I love the odd-shaped bruises and the subtle highlight on the inner curve.

On 14-count aida cloth, this design measures 5.86″ x 4.86″. There are 5 DMC colors in the palette. The “No Bananas” cross-stitch pattern is quick to stitch up and will make others smile—either because it’s a fun design, or they have the same opinion of bananas and feel seen.

As the wise Gwen Stefani once said, “This sh*t is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.”

You can purchase the PDF digital pattern in my Etsy shop.

The fish is front and center on this cross-stitch pattern that reimagines an iconic storm drain design. The message is the same: keep our waterways clean.

I was so smitten with my Ohio Watershed design especially the fish that I asked myself how I could make another design like it. One day, I was flicking through the pictures on my phone and I saw this picture of a storm drain I took. The message and the fish are the reason why I snapped the picture.

The storm drain fish is a bit more sophisticated than the fish on the Ohio Watershed sign. Maybe it is because he’s created in relief, not a graphic. It took some time to figure out how to recreate him. In the end, I borrowed the Ohio Watershed fish head and fins and added a body.

Purchase the PDF digital pattern for this design here.

I had to reorient the elements from the storm drain. “Dump No Waste!” and “Drains to Waterways” had to be included as well as the bold shapes of the drain grate. I try to make my designs “easy” sizes. That is, nothing too large or anything that would be difficult to frame. At first, I tried to keep the orientation of the storm drain elements true to the original drain, but it was too horizontal. I ended up stacking the fish on top of the grate and framing them with the messages. The design doesn’t necessarily look like a storm drain, but the essence is there.

You know I couldn’t let that fish stay quiet. He’s gotta drive the message home with his blunt comment, “Don’t be a pain in my drain.” I feel ya, buddy! We all want clean water!

My Storm Drain Pain design measures 5″ x 7″ on 14-count aida cloth. There are 4 DMC threads in the palette. The entire area, except for the speech bubble, is stitched, so if you’re looking for a pattern to keep your hands busy and your mind quiet, this just might be for you. You can purchase the PDF digital pattern in my Etsy shop.

A simple cross-stitch sampler of lowercase and uppercase letters that can be stitched in any color of thread.

When I started designing my own cross-stitch patterns this year, I knew I would need a font, but I didn’t really know where to start. I went to the National Gallery website and searched for cross-stitch samplers to get inspired. My purpose wasn’t to create a sampler, but to create a font that I could pull from to write words on my designs.

After looking at a few samplers, I jumped in and started creating the letters, both uppercase and lowercase. I threw in the numbers for funsies. One thing I discovered about creating letterforms for a cohesive style is the ability to “share” shapes. The “C” has the same curve as the “O”. The “V” and “W” share the same valleys. The “b” and “p” are mirrored. And, so on. It makes creating the letters a little less daunting, but also adds the fun of figuring out which letters can share a shape.

 The digital PDF file for my Alphabet Sampler Cross-Stitch Pattern can be purchased here.

While this alphabet serves its purpose of being used in other designs, at some point, I decided to go ahead and stitch a sampler. The letters and numbers by themselves looked a little bland. Most samplers have a lot of decoration. I added a decorative border to give it a finished look. This particular border looks like a zipper.

My embroidery floss stash has a lot of greens. In an attempt to use them up, I stitched the sampler in a variety of green hues. But the design is so simple and the pattern is easy to follow, so it can be stitched in any color. I like the idea of each maker putting their own spin on it. Maybe you want to practice mixing and matching colors by making this sampler. Or, you want to make this for a specific person in their favorite colors. Perhaps, you have a spot in your home where you want to display this and you know what hues will work best. No matter why you’re making the sampler, you can make it in a variety of colors.  

On 14-count aida cloth, the design measures 7.07” x 5.64”. The pattern has a palette of only black DMC thread, but you can easily choose your own colors. Go have fun with it!

The PDF pattern can be purchased from my Etsy shop.

An old neighborhood watch community sign becomes new again in a bold, graphic cross-stitch pattern.

I made this design because I noticed these old community watch signs in a couple of places around my neighborhood. They’re from the 1970s and 1980s and while they look weathered, they’re still standing tall. I love the bold design and how they serve as a snapshot of an era when doorbell and porch cameras didn’t exist. If something fishy happened in your community, you had to ask your neighbors if they saw anything and you hoped they had their eyes open. Also, the “sketchy character” on this sign appears to be a man sporting a trench coat and holding a pistol. I’m not sure if that’s the archetype of a “criminal” nowadays.

The digital PDF file for my Ohio Neighborhood Watch Community Cross-Stitch Pattern can be purchased here. 

To create my cross-stitch pattern, I simplified the sign, making it specific to all of Ohio, not just a municipality. The circle gave me a hard time. Creating curved lines on a grid is not easy! In fact, I thought I was finished with the design and had stitched up “Neighborhood Watch Community” and did the top half-dozen lines of the red circle when I realized the circle wasn’t the right shape of round. So, I had to go back and fiddle with the pattern before I was satisfied. Then, I had to unpick a few rows of stitches.

That’s how my design process goes, though. I stitch all of my patterns before releasing them into the wild because I want to find any errors I can’t see on the computer. It also forces me to slow down and really be with the pattern. I have found places that aren’t quite right and I’ve gone back and enhanced them before completing the pattern.

The aida cloth of this design does a lot of heavy lifting. The original sign has a black background, although, on some of the sun-faded signs, it may look dark brown. Using a black aida cloth eliminates the need to stitch the entire background in black. That would be a lot, too, because on 14-count aida cloth, this design measures 7.43” x 9.5”

So, if you grew up in Ohio in the 1970s and 1980s or you have some of these signs still standing in your neighborhood, you can pay homage to the iconic design, with my digital pattern. While you’re stitching, you just may find yourself pondering how important it is to take care of our neighbors and community.

The PDF pattern can be purchased from my Etsy shop.