Free Halloween Cross Stitch Patterns

How to use these patterns

1. Pick a patternBrowse the cards above. Each one shows the size in stitches and the number of colors, so you can tell a one-evening bat from a two-weekend pumpkin row.
2. Grab the chart or edit itDownload the printable chart with its DMC key, or send the design to the editor if you want to change something before printing.
3. Stitch, or change the colors firstStitch it as charted, or swap the purple band on the hat, give the cat green eyes, and print your own version.

Small charts for a short season

Halloween stitching has a deadline that Christmas does not: the decorations come down on November 1. That is why every design here stays small. The widest, Pumpkin trio, is 41 stitches across, and the shortest, the spread-winged Bat, is only 15 stitches tall. On 14-count aida none of them is bigger than about three inches on its longest side.

Small also means fewer colors. The Skull, the Bat and the Crescent moon and stars use three DMC colors each, and nothing on this page goes past six. You can stitch most of them with floss you already have, which matters when you start in the first week of October and want to finish by the 31st.

Every pattern on this page is an original StitchJam drawing, not a copy of anyone else's chart. Stitch them for yourself, as gifts for a friend, a classroom, a teacher or a neighbor's door, or to sell at a fall market; just do not pass on the chart files.

Fabric and finished size

The count of the fabric decides how big the finished piece is. Divide the stitches by the count to get inches. Black cat and moon, at 28 by 37 stitches, shows how much the choice changes things:

Black fabric, orange fabric, or plain white

Most of these charts fill the subject and leave the background empty, so the fabric color becomes part of the design. White or cream aida is the easiest to count and works for everything. Black aida makes the ghost and the moon glow, but it hides the cat and the bat, which are stitched in black, and counting holes on dark fabric is slow. If you want a dark background, a deep purple or charcoal is a good compromise.

For the Black cat and moon, stitch on a light fabric so the cat's silhouette stays sharp. For the Friendly ghost, try pale orange or mint aida, which makes the white body stand out without the strain of black cloth. Check the cloth under the light you will stitch by, and remember that colors on screen are only approximate.

Changing colors in the editor

Open any card in the editor and every color in the key can be swapped for another DMC floss, searched by number, name or shade. Turn the witch hat band from purple to green, make the pumpkins white for a farmhouse look, or give the black cat gold eyes instead of yellow. The editor redraws the chart and the key, and the PDF you download afterward lists the new colors with stitch counts.

You can also paint a few stitches by hand. A favorite trick is to add a name or a year under a pumpkin using the cross stitch text generator, then place the letters in the editor. If you would rather design your own spooky motif from scratch, the pattern designer gives you an empty grid with the same tools.

Finishing ideas for October

Leave a small design in a 3 or 4 inch hoop, trim the back, glue felt behind it, and it is ready for the wall the same evening. A pumpkin or ghost stitched on a scrap of aida can be glued to the front of a folded card. Two pieces of felt sewn around a finished bat turn it into a hanging ornament for a branch display, and the Candy corn row fits a small frame for a shelf.

The spider web is drawn in backstitch with a single hanging spider, which makes it a nice corner motif on a napkin or a tea towel worked on waste canvas. For a quick party favor, stitch the Skull or the Bat on 14-count and back it with felt as a magnet.

First time stitching for Halloween

If this is your first cross stitch, start with a three-color design such as the Skull, the Bat or the Crescent moon and stars. Large areas of one color teach you to keep the top stitches all going the same direction, which is what makes a piece look neat. Use 14-count aida, two strands and a size 24 blunt cross stitch needle. The basics, from hoop to finished stitch, are in how to cross stitch.

Start in the middle of the chart and the middle of the fabric so the design ends up centered. The PDF marks every tenth line in bold, which makes counting much easier on a small design.

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.