I love a good cross stitch border. They’re just the thing to make a simple project look a little more finished or to add a bit more color to a project.
You can add a border to just about any square or rectangular cross stitch pattern you are working on, or you can change the border on the pattern you are working if you find one you like better.
It’s probably a good idea to decide that you want to add or replace the border on a cross stitch project before you get started, just to ensure that you have enough space for it on your cross stitch fabric. You’ll need to be able to have enough white (or whatever color your fabric is!) space between the main part of the project and the border, and then space for the border plus a little extra all around.
The amount of space you need between the main part of the project and the border probably depends a bit on the size and complexity of the project itself and of the border. If for instance you wanted to add this bunny border to a spring design, you’d probably want more space between it and the main design than you would need for a plainer geometric border.
Better Cross Stitch Patterns has some tips for adjusting a border to fit your pattern, if you need more advice.
And while of course you can make up your own cross stitch borders, it is nice to see what is out there. Printablee has some pretty cross stitch borders that are meant to be printed and used for cards, not actually as cross stitch patterns, bur if you see something there you like you could chart it out by hand and stitch it up.
Needlepointers has a small collection of cross stitch border patterns, and if you plan on using a lot of borders on your cross stitch projects you might want to invest in a collection like this one from The Cross Elephant on Etsy, which has 100 different designs you can adapt for whatever project you’re stitching.
[Photo: The Cross Elephant via Etsy.]
