image of a skeleton cross stitch
The Goods

Bookish Cross-Stitch and Embroidery Patterns to Download and Make

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Kelly Jensen

Editor

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

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There’s a pile of unfinished cross-stitch projects sitting in a box in my house. It’s not that I don’t want to do them. It’s simply that I get a little overly ambitious in what I can and cannot do, and those projects seem to fall to the wayside more than others. Cross-stitching and embroidery, though, are two incredible crafts for readers who love to do something with their hands while they read — and more, there are so many excellent bookish cross-stitch and embroidery patterns out there to try.

Find in this roundup a whole host of bookish cross-stitch and embroidery patterns. All of these are immediate downloads, which means you can do them on your own schedule and you have the flexibility of picking out the colors you’d prefer for the final project. Also? A nice thing about patterns like this is you can do them multiple times. Maybe one of these projects will be just the thing to make for all of the members of your book club.

Whether you’re beginning or advanced, you’ll find the perfect bookish cross-stitch or embroidery patterns to download below. I’ve included a little of everything, from general book-themed pieces to ones that are tied into a well-known book or author.

Let’s get stitchy.

Bookish Cross-Stitch and Embroidery Patterns to Download

Two cross stitches. The one on the left is a bear with books on its head. The one on the right reads "just one more chapter."

This pair of cross-stitch patterns is perfect for beginners. They’d look awesome in a young person’s bedroom or, you know, your own personal library room. $7

Cross stitch featuring an open book that has mountains and a river on it. The words "just one more chapter" are above the open book.

Another take on the “just one more chapter” cross-stitch pattern. This one is a little more challenging and features a beautiful nature scene. $5

Embroidery pattern that features four books, flowers, and a big mug.

Not only do you get this lovely pattern to practice some bookish embroidery, but this download also comes with a YouTube tutorial to learn. $11

Image of a cross stitch. It's a book spine with the words "read more. read often." There are flowers on the book's spine.

One of the best parts of just using a pattern, as opposed to a kit (though there are tons of benefits there, too!) is that you can choose your canvas color and thread colors. This “Read More. Read Often” cross-stitch pattern is a great example. $4

Image of a cross stitch that reads "Do you even Poe, bro?" with the image of Edgar Allan Poe.

Well, do you? $4

POW! in orange, black, and yellow cross stitch.

Never fear, comics lovers. There are tons of fun comics cross-stitch patterns, including this POW! one. $4

Cross stitch image inspired by Batman Bubble Gum, featuring Batman and Robin.

Marry a love of all things Batman with a love from that time they were selling bubble gum. $7 for this clever cross-stitch pattern.

Cross stitch featuring a stack of books with a kitten on top. They're all stitched to look sparkly.

It’s a sparkly rainbow cat on a stack of books. Purrfection! $6

Two completed embroidery patterns reading "strong female read" in swirly letters.

If you, like me, thought this read “strong female lead” and got excited, imagine how exciting it is to see it says “strong female read.” This embroidery pattern is $10.

Brightly colored cross stitch with the words "don't panic."

IYKYK. $7

Image of a skeleton reading in a cemetery. Behind the skeleton is a tombstone reading "read in peace."

I sure hope there’s as much time to read when I’m dead as there is to sleep when I’m dead. A fun, skeleton cross-stitch pattern. $6

Embroidery featuring a human torso and a head that is an open book.

Do you have a head made of books? $9

Image of an embroidery pattern featuring a shelf of colorful books.

Embroider a colorful bookshelf and pop it on your own bookshelf. $6

Image of a green dragon on top of a bookshelf.

Calling all book dragons. Cross-stitch a beautiful dragon atop his lair: a bookshelf. $13

Image of a cross stitch pattern featuring a cozy chair, fireplace, cat, plants, and many books.

This might be my dream book nook right here, and I’d climb into this cozy cross-stitch if I could. $5

Image of a stack of embroidered books. The finished pattern is against a shelf of books.

This sweet book stack embroidery pattern would give you a great beginner project and allow for a ton of color customization. $5

Image of a finished cross stitch on top of some books. The cross stitch is a big heart with the word "books" inside.

Finally, sometimes it’s worth keeping it short, sweet, and simple. This books cross-stitch pattern is more than enough to declare your love for the written word. $3

For more literary crafts, try these DIY Kits for Book Lovers.