Free Valentine Cross Stitch Patterns: Couples, Love and Anniversary Gifts
By The Editorial Team·Updated ·6 min read
Here are 6 free Valentine and love cross stitch patterns, compared side by side: two penguins with a gift, two swans as bride and groom, two mice in a ring box, a bear cub groom, a ring bearer bunny and a heart wrapped in a flower vine. They suit Valentine's Day, an engagement, a wedding or an anniversary. None of them uses letters, so you can add names or a date yourself. The quickest, the heart, takes about 27 to 45 hours. Start with our top picks, then read the card for each pattern. Each one is a free PDF with the chart and the DMC thread list.
How we compared them: every number on this page is read from the pattern's own chart, the same one in the free PDF. Stitching times assume 60 to 100 stitches an hour. All of them use full cross stitches only.
A coral heart ornament wrapped in a green vine with small orange flowers.
Good for: a Valentine's card, a small anniversary gift or a hanging ornament
Difficulty
Beginner
Stitches
2,709 (64 x 60)
Finished size (14-count)
4.6" x 4.3"
Colors
18 DMC
Stitching time
27–45 hours
Fabric to cut
11" x 11"
What we like
Rated Beginner, and 2,709 stitches.
One color fills 42% of the design.
Keep in mind
18 colors for a small heart.
11 colors are used for fewer than 60 stitches each.
Stitching tip: Fill the heart first, leaving the vine's squares empty, then add the greens.
Which one should you stitch?
For Valentine’s Day: the Penguin Proposal. It has hearts and a gift, but no red.
For an anniversary: the Bride and Groom Swans. Swans pair for life, so they are a classic anniversary symbol.
For an engagement: the Wedding Mice in a Ring Box.
The quickest: the Heart with a Flower Vine, about 27 to 45 hours. Of the couples, the Bear Cub Groom, about 98 to 164 hours.
For the wedding party: the Bear Cub Groom and the Ring Bearer Bunny. They have the same round shape and fit the same 11“ x 14“ frame, so they hang well as a pair.
Adding names and a date
The charts don’t include letters, but you can add them yourself:
Cut your fabric 2 to 3 inches deeper than the card says, so there is room under the design.
Draw the names and date on graph paper first, one square per stitch. Letters 7 to 9 squares tall are easy to read on 14-count fabric.
Leave at least 10 empty rows between the design and the letters.
Stitch the letters in the darkest color of the pattern: DMC 310 Black for the Bear and the Mice, DMC 939 Navy for the Swans, DMC 938 Coffee Brown for the Bunny.
What you need
Fabric: 14-count white Aida. The Bear and the Bunny need a piece about 14“ x 17“. The Swans need 18“ x 16“, the Mice 17“ x 16“ and the Penguins 20“ x 17“. For the white veils on the Swans and the Mice, cream or very pale gray Aida makes the white stand out.
Thread: DMC floss in the colors on the PDF’s thread list. Buy extra skeins of the main colors: 2 of DMC 310 for the Mice, 3 of DMC 822 for the Bunny, 2 each of DMC B5200, 168 and 3363 for the Swans. The cross stitch thread guide shows how to count skeins.
A frame: the five couples are all over 10 inches on one side, so a scroll frame or Q-snap holds the fabric better than a hoop. The Heart fits a 6-inch hoop. Read how to plan a large cross stitch project first.
Questions
Are these patterns really free?
Yes. Open a pattern, click “Get the Pattern”, and the PDF downloads. No account or email is needed.
How long before the date should I start?
At 60 to 100 stitches an hour, the Bear takes about 98 to 164 hours and the Swans about 153 to 255. Start a few months before you want to give it, and leave a couple of weeks for framing.
Do you have heart patterns?
Not as a plain heart motif at the moment. The Penguin Proposal has small pink hearts floating around the couple.
Are any of them good for beginners?
Only the Heart with a Flower Vine is rated Beginner, so start there. If you’re new, read how to cross stitch for beginners first. Of the couples, start with the Bear Cub Groom: it has the fewest stitches and a black outline that is easy to follow.
