Bear Cub Groom Cross Stitch Pattern

About this bear groom cross stitch pattern

A round, honey-colored bear cub stands facing you in his wedding clothes: a sage-gray waistcoat with two buttons, a crisp white shirt and a crown of purple lavender and blue-green eucalyptus. He has small black eyes, a pale muzzle and big pink cheeks. The fur is shaded in three warm golds, so he looks soft rather than flat.

He makes a gift for a groom, a wedding shower or a first anniversary, and he is tall and narrow, so he fits beside a framed wedding photo. For a pair, stitch the Ring Bearer Bunny, drawn in the same chubby style, or browse all our free wedding cross stitch patterns. Our Valentine and love patterns compare the whole set.

What you need

• Fabric: 14-count Aida in white, cut to at least 14“ x 17“ (3“ around the design for hooping and framing).
• Thread: 14 DMC colors, about 14 skeins in total, stitched with two strands. The main colors are 3820 Straw – Dark (2,003 stitches), 647 Beaver Gray – Medium (1,803) and 436 Tan (1,434).
• Needle: a size 24 tapestry needle.
• Stitches: full cross stitches only, with no backstitch.

Difficulty and stitching time

It’s rated Intermediate. The shapes are simple and outlined in black, but the fur uses three close golds and the crown packs two purples and two gray-greens into small sprigs. At 9,820 stitches it takes roughly 98 to 164 hours at a steady 60 to 100 stitches an hour. About a third of the fabric stays bare around the bear, which saves some time.

Tips for stitching this pattern

• Stitch the black outline first. DMC 310 Black (1,057 stitches) draws the bear, the waistcoat and the buttons. With it in place, each fill color has a clear edge to stop at.
• Label the two Straw colors. 3820 Straw – Dark (2,003) and 3822 Straw – Light (1,022) share a name and are both golden yellow. Put each on its own labeled bobbin, because the fur only looks rounded when the dark and light patches stay where the chart puts them.
• Work the crown with several needles. The lavender (327 and 153, 347 stitches together) is mixed in with the eucalyptus leaves (926 and 927). Keep a threaded needle for each color parked at the edge of the fabric instead of re-threading for every few stitches.

Size, fabric and framing

On 14-count Aida the finished design measures 7.6“ x 10.4“ (19.3 x 26.4 cm). On 16-count it comes out at 6.7“ x 9.1“, and on 18-count at 5.9“ x 8.1“. An 11“ x 14“ frame leaves room for a mat.

A white or pale sage mat picks up the waistcoat. If it is a wedding gift, leave extra fabric below the bear so you can add the couple’s names and the date by hand. Our framing guide shows how to mount it.

What’s in the free PDF

• A cover page and a one-page overview with a preview of the design
• The chart, split across as many printable pages as you choose, in color or black and white, with a symbol for every DMC color, center lines, a mini-map showing which part of the design each page covers and a color key on every page
• The thread list: DMC number, color name, number of stitches and skeins to buy for each color
• The finished size on 11-, 14-, 16-, 18- and 28-count Aida