Ever since I was a child, I can remember visiting the homes of friends and family and being fascinated when their walls were decked out with cross stitched samplers. Over the years, I've stitched a fair few to give as wedding and birth gifts as I think they're a truly unique way to celebrate life milestones... and with their traditional routes and classic motifs, they're the perfect project to curl up and get crafting this Autumn. So I've rounded up my favourite samplers cross stitch patterns from over on our main site to inspire you to have a go too...

Happy days! This retro sampler (above) is bursting with groovy motifs with a hippy chic feel - Felicity Hall's design just goes to prove samplers don't have to look like you've just dusted them down from the attic.

Stitch a classic: from left to right - Welcome sampler by Caroline Palmer, Autumn Sampler by Helen Phillips, Make a house a home by Jane Greenoff.

All aboard! Lesley Teare's Toy Train Nursery Sampler made it's first outing in Cross Stitch Collection magazine - now it's available to download over on The Making Spot.

This pretty Eternally Yours sampler by Joan Elliott will take you a while to finish but makes a goreous gift for newlyweds. Start it now for next year's wedding season!

Samplers don't have to be traditional style to be a classic family heirloom, as this beautiful alphabet sampler (by Elissa Hudson for Cross Stitcher) proves.

Let it Snow sampler - designed by Gail Bussi for Cross Stitcher.

• ‹ previous
• 495 of 628
• next ›