Ghostly Grandma Core is in full swing at my haunted house. I’ve spent every spare evening hunched over my hoop, mercilessly stabbing little X’s into fabric. While this isn’t a new behavior – I’ve been cross-stitching for over three decades – I tend to go in dramatic spurts. I will stitch like an obsessed madman for a period of time, only to vanish into a new fixation for a while. This cycle is on an endless loop. Right now, I’m deep in a full-blown stitching frenzy: three eerie patterns finished in just a few weeks – and I’m just getting started.
I’m thrilled by the revived passion for this craft, fueled by a monstrous influx of new, more spirited patterns since my early stitching days. No matter your flavor of fright, today, there is a Halloween-themed pattern for you. Traditional trick-or-treat nostalgia? Yep! Unsettlingly realistic creatures? Why not! Deliciously dark samplers? You bet! Richly colored rodents? Absolutely! It’s an eerie good time for those of us who prefer our needlework with a dash of the macabre.
And yes, I already own a lot. Magazines, books, PDFs, and pamphlets – all brimming with ghastly delights. But as any spooky stitcher knows, one can never have enough when it comes to Halloween cross-stitch. So naturally, I added a few more to my ever-expanding stash. Today I’m unveiling my latest hoard and where I’m at in the chaotic process of kitting, stitching, and admiring my creepy cross-stitch collection.
If you have a love of nightmare needlework, grab your favorite boo brew, settle in, and let’s dig into my spooky SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy).
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of adding a stack of new charts to your collection and I’ve got a peculiar pile up for patterns for you to add to your stitch list. Keep this reference handy for the next time you get the itch for some creepy cross stitch.
It was a dark and dreary night… Actually, it was a sunny afternoon a couple of months ago when I dropped in on my local cross-stitch and quilt shop, Rogue Stitching (great name, right?). I was there with the intent of purchasing fabric for my next project from Lindsay Swearingen’s book Creepy Cross-Stitch: 25 Spooky Projects to Haunt Your Halls – which I highly recommend.
I’ve haunted this shop many times – partly because the owners are an absolute delight – but this visit came with a new face behind the counter. Enter Courtney. Within a few minutes of the conversation, we found we shared a common ground – a love of all things Halloween and costumes. And, like a new best friend, she shared some shop news: Halloween cross-stitch patterns were lingering in the after-season, and they were on sale.
Say no more, new friend. Say no more.
I immediately began rifling through the pattern racks, scrutinizing each pamphlet to see if it was worthy of joining my spinetingling pattern stack. I discovered a trio of patterns from an old friend, Glendon Place, a maker whose patterns I’ve used in the past, so I quickly snapped up a few: Monster March, Castle Le Creep, and Whooligan’s Hangout.
Further digging led me to another familiar designer, The Drawn Thread. I don’t recall ever stitching this maker’s patterns, but I picked up two engaging samplers: When Skeletons Dance and Tangled Up In Boo. I appreciate how the moon in Skeletons Dance nestles behind the sampler, while the skeleton in Boo peeks through the letter O. These playful touches add whimsy to the pieces.
I also grabbed two patterns by the Primitive Hare: P Is For Pumpkin and Here Comes The Crows. My style isn’t usually primitive, but I have stitched several works in this vein, and I enjoy how they turn out.
A new discovery for me is the maker, Autumn Lane. I was instantly drawn to the silhouettes on hand-dyed fabric. I loved these so much that I paused browsing the patterns to peruse the linens and kick off the kitting process right in the store.
I grabbed Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I paired with Rogue Fabrics/Atomic Fabrics 28-count linen in Odyssey, and Tonight We Ride, which I matched with 28-count Pumpkin King linen.
For my finale, I picked up a few other designs that caught my eye:
Halloween Silhouette Ghost by Handblessings. This should be a brisk and satisfying project for times when I simply crave to stitch but don’t want to overcommit.
Rebel Stitcher Designs, Before The Devil Knows is another primitive piece with a memento mori style vibe.
I’ve never done a triptych before, so I had to pick up The Explorer’s Tomb by Whispered In The Wind. This design looks quite impressive without being intimidating, so I look forward to taking a stab at it (pun intended).
Lastly, this vibrant piece by Fine Frog Stitching, titled Cauldron Repair, lies well outside my haunted comfort zone, with a much brighter palette than I usually choose, but let’s be honest, it’s irresistibly creepy-cute, right?
Ok, that wasn’t actually all the patterns I snapped up. There was one more, and I’ve already conquered it: Cozy Reading Cottage by The Stitch Crypt.
This pattern was intended for punched paper, but I didn’t have any in my stash. The urge to craft something – anything – pressed me to improvise, so I grabbed some black Aida and dove in.
This piece will be finished into a bookmark and will then go off to live with my daughter-in-law, who staked a claim to it immediately upon its completion.
After finishing the Cozy Reading Cottage, I was eager to use my stash, so I opened the 2025 Halloween edition of Just Cross Stitch and stitched Cemetery Row Sampler.
This piece is super simple – ideal for a quick stitch fix. I stitched it in black (classic DMC 310) on white 14-count Aida, but it can also be reversed (white on black) or stitched in orange on black or white for “bestitching” variations.
Oh, and that original project, Welcome Home, that triggered this pattern spree? It’s completed and ready for its final finish in a vintage brass frame I scored at my favorite thrift.
Well, that’s a wrap. Or is it? Actually, I just grabbed another batch of peculiar patterns for my Halloween cross-stitch library, and I’ll unveil those with you soon.
Until next time – stay spooky.
