Kitten on a Wicker Stool Cross Stitch Pattern

About this kitten cross stitch pattern

The kitten sits primly with its paws together, yarn balls tucked around its ears like a headband, a teapot and a cup of tea beside it and a few cookies scattered on the bench. It’s a full cottagecore scene rather than a single portrait, with furniture, props and a fully dressed character in one frame.

It suits a kitchen nook, a tea lover’s wall or anyone whose stitching leans toward cozy story scenes. For another cozy animal with props, see the Hedgehog in a Knit Sweater; our cat round-up compares it with the other cats.

What you need

• Fabric: 14-count Aida in white, cut to at least 19“ x 23“ (3“ around the design for hooping and framing).
• Thread: 20 DMC colors, about 24 skeins in total, stitched with two strands. The main colors are 310 Black (3,519 stitches), 3033 Mocha Brown – Very Light (3,429), 451 Shell Gray – Dark (3,275) and 648 Beaver Gray – Light (2,577).
• Needle: a size 24 tapestry needle.
• Stitches: full cross stitches only, with no backstitch.

Difficulty and stitching time

It’s rated Advanced. At 25,112 stitches it’s a long project, roughly 250 to 420 hours at a steady 60 to 100 stitches an hour. The hardest part is the gray fur: 451 Shell Gray – Dark and 648 Beaver Gray – Light alone cover 5,852 stitches, and they sit right next to 3033 and 3862 in the fur and the wicker.

Our guide to planning a large cross stitch project helps with fabric and thread for a piece this size.

Tips for stitching this pattern

• Label the four close grays. 451 Shell Gray – Dark, 648 Beaver Gray – Light, 3033 Mocha Brown – Very Light and 3862 Mocha Beige – Dark appear in both the fur and the stool. Keep them on a labeled card so you don’t swap them mid-row.
• Stitch the overalls as one block. The mustard overalls use golds such as 3821 Straw (2,271 stitches) and 729 Old Gold – Medium; finish them in one go so the folds stay consistent.
• Leave the tea set for last. The teapot, cup and cookies are small and detailed; stitching them at the end, against the finished bench, makes them easier to place.

Size, fabric and framing

On 14-count Aida the finished design measures 12.9“ x 16.4“ (32.8 x 41.7 cm). On 16-count it comes out at 11.2“ x 14.4“, and on 18-count at 10.0“ x 12.8“. For the 14-count version, a 16“ x 20“ frame leaves room for a mat.

A pale wood or rattan-style frame echoes the wicker bench and suits the cottagecore feel.

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