Cross stitch garden patterns: six-part SAL with free charts!

Stitchers, you’re in for a treat! Durene Jones is here with her garden SAL – six free cross stitch charts for you to download and enjoy. We’ll share them all in the coming weeks, but you can find part one below to get started on. 

What inspired Durene to create her SAL? 

“A way to bring people together and give cross stitchers something positive to focus on, even if just for a few hours every week.”

Top tips for anyone new to following a SAL?

“If it’s the first time you’re following a cross stitch SAL it can be very exciting and it can be tempting to jump straight in and get started. But the most important thing is to read the information that often comes with the first piece of the border. This will tell you the size of the overall SAL, the threads you need, how the SAL parts are organised and information specific to that particular SAL, so you can familiarise yourself with it. 

There’s nothing worse than starting, only to realise partway through that you don’t have all the materials you need, or worse you've started sewing on a piece of fabric that's too small or the wrong shape! To fully enjoy the SAL from start to end, read the instructions… and then read them again just for luck! Then you can just sit back, relax, and sew along.”

Cross stitch garden SAL

By Durene Jones.

This garden SAL was produced with flexibility in mind. You don’t need lots of materials and most of the colours can be easily swapped out for others, as can the fabric. 

You will need

To sew it exactly as the example…

• 13x13in piece of 28 count Zweigart Cashel linen in shade 53 (a raw colour)
• The stranded cotton colours listed in the key
• 24 tapestry needle 
• A hoop or frame to sew it in if this is how you prefer to sew   

Download the garden SAL parts placement, information and colours needed (for the whole SAL).

Free downloadable garden cross stitch patterns

Download the garden SAL border chart.

Part one – cross stitch birdhouse chart.

Part two – cross stitch beehive chart.

Part three – cross stitch rabbit chart.

Part four – cross stitch flower and butterfly chart.

Part five – cross stitch hedgehog and birds chart.

Part six – cross stitch gnome chart.

Love all things cross stitch? Get a wealth of inspiration, projects, expert advice, charts and so much more with CrossStitcher magazine!

How to use your completed garden SAL

“When you’ve sewn the SAL it’s a suitable size to be framed to hang on a wall, made into a small cushion, or a larger one if you add on a fabric border, or it could be used as a patch for a pocket of a bag, or the front of a square notebook. As it’s around 7in square when finished it’s a suitable size for many uses!”

Want to go back to basics before you get started? Check out our handy cross stitch beginners’ guide.