Free Cross Stitch Bookmark Patterns

How to use these patterns

1. Pick a bookmarkThe cards give width, height and color count. The fern and the Nordic band use three colors; the cat on books uses thirteen.
2. Print the strip or adjust itPrint the chart, which is split over pages with overlapping edges, or open it in the editor to adjust colors or length.
3. Stitch, then back itStitch the strip, then add felt, fabric or interfacing on the back and a tassel at the top if you like.

Shaped for a book, not a frame

A bookmark pattern has to be tall and slim. These eight are 19 to 25 stitches wide and 81 to 101 stitches tall, which on 14-count aida means a strip about 1.4 to 1.8 inches wide and 5.8 to 7.2 inches long, close to the size of a classic paper bookmark. The Climbing roses design, at 25 by 101, is the longest.

The designs follow the length: the Fern frond grows from stem to tip, the Lavender bookmark sends tall stems up the strip, and the Night sky deepens in color as you stitch upward toward the moon. Colors run from three in the Fern, the Hearts and the Nordic diamonds to thirteen in the Cat on a stack of books, where every book has its own shade. All are original StitchJam designs, and the bookmarks you stitch from them can go to friends or onto a school fair table.

A bookmark is also one of the most useful things you can stitch. It gets used every day, it slips into an envelope, and it costs very little in floss, which is why so many stitchers make them in batches for a book club or a school fair.

Fabric count and finished length

Because the length is long, fabric count matters more here than on a square design. The Lavender bookmark at 23 by 97 stitches is a good example:

Ways to finish a stitched bookmark

The neatest finish is a felt back. Trim the aida leaving a margin of a few squares, cut felt the same size, and join them with fabric glue or a small running stitch around the edge. For a softer bookmark, sew the stitched strip to a piece of cotton fabric, right sides together, turn it, and press it flat.

Iron-on interfacing on the back stops aida from fraying and makes the strip stiffer. Aida band, sold as a narrow strip with finished edges, saves you hemming the long sides; check that its width fits the pattern. Some stitchers prefer perforated paper, which stays stiff and does not fray, though it tears if a mistake needs unpicking. A tassel or a loop of ribbon at the top is the finishing touch.

Keeping a long strip even

A long chart is printed over more than one page, and the PDF repeats a strip of stitches where the pages meet so you can line them up. Bold lines every ten stitches help you keep your place on the long sides. Stitch from the center outward, or start at one end, ten rows at a time, and mark finished rows on the printout.

Use a hoop or a scroll frame and move it along as you go. Keep the back tidy, because a bookmark is handled a lot: weave in thread ends instead of tying knots, which would make the finished strip lumpy inside a book.

Changing colors and adding a name

Open any bookmark in the editor to swap colors: pink lavender instead of purple, autumn birches with gold leaves, or blue and white Nordic diamonds. Personal bookmarks make good gifts for readers, teachers and book clubs, so try adding a name or initials at the bottom with the cross stitch text generator. The small font on the cross stitch alphabet page is only five stitches tall, which fits across a narrow strip.

Lengthen or shorten a design by extending the canvas in the editor and repeating a motif. The hearts and the Nordic diamonds repeat naturally.

A good first bookmark

For a first try, the Fern frond and the Hearts bookmark are the easiest: three colors and simple repeats. The Hearts design uses a backstitched border, which is a nice way to learn backstitch on a straight line. If you are new to the craft, read how to cross stitch first, then pick a strip and give yourself a couple of weekends.

Every pattern here is an original StitchJam design or a public-domain source named on the pattern. Colors are DMC or bead brand numbers; on-screen colors are approximate. Free for personal use and gifts.