Cute Kawaii Cross Stitch is a new craft book by Sosae and Dennis Caetano of Trellis & Thyme which includes over 400 super adorable patterns to stitch!
Cross stitch is one of my favourite relaxing crafts as it’s easy to pick up for a little while and generally very non-stressful and quick to finish. Of course, stitching something kawaii is even better and the cover definitely promised lots of happy faces inside.
The book starts with a short how-to section including how to cross stitch, tools and materials you’ll need and some ideas for using the stitched motifs. Cross stitch is one of the simplest forms of hand stitching so even if you’re a total beginner, this should be enough to get you started. It then gets straight into the patterns with 9 themed sections covering animals, food, home, seasons and holidays.
All the patterns include a skill level, thread colour suggestions and the number of stitches in height and width. Many are around 15 stitches square, with some designs as big as 40 stitches, so they really are small and quick to stitch. Easy patterns are just 1-3 colours (plus a face!) while Advanced patterns can have lots of colours and more details. There are also stitched examples throughout the book.
I was pleasantly surprised by the wide range of motifs included – as well as all the popular things you’d expect, there’s lots of more unusual animals, household objects and some unexpected food and drinks like battenberg cake and a root bear float.
There’s also tons of seasonal and holiday designs including Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. I definitely think I’ll be referring back to this book regularly when I need to make a handmade gift for someone as there’s sure to be something to match their interests.
While the examples in the book are all shown framed in a mini hoop, that’s not the only option. You can turn them into ornaments or brooches, or combine some themed designs into a border or sampler. I turned the rainbow cake into a mini birthday card and I’ll be sharing a tutorial on how to do this very soon.
I’ve been working away at a sampler to try out some of my favourite patterns and they’ve all been easy to follow and quick to stitch – and super cute! It really is a perfect book for people like me who have a box full of random unlabelled thread – I’ve been able to pick out similar colours knowing I only need a little bit so there’s no fear of running out mid-project and trying to match it. It would also make a great gift for a newbie along with a mixed pack of thread and some aida.
Cute Kawaii Cross Stitch is out now in both print and digital editions, published by David & Charles. You can also buy it online from Amazon (UK/US) or Bookshop (UK/US) which supports independent bookshops near you.
(A digital review copy was provided by the publisher but all words and opinions are my own.)
Marceline is the co-founder and editor of Super Cute Kawaii and the author of The Super Cute Book of Kawaii. She lives by the seaside in Scotland in a flat full of kawaii, creating cute character goods as Asking For Trouble, working on endless craft projects and playing Nintendo.
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