Barn owl cross stitch pattern

About this design

Barn owls are easy to recognise by their heart-shaped faces, so that is what this chart is built around. The face is a solid block of Blanc framed by a rim of golden brown (976), with two round black eyes and a small mocha beak. Around it, the head and folded wings are worked in two shades of golden brown (3827 and 977), and the chest is a soft tawny cream (3770) dotted with grey-brown speckles. The owl sits on a dark brown branch with a sprig of green leaves on the right, which gives the square design a little movement.

How to work it

Because the owl is symmetrical, start at the centre line and work outwards. Stitch the outline of the head in 801 first, then the 976 rim of the face disc, which marks out the white area exactly. Fill the face, add the eyes and beak, and move down to the chest. Leave the speckles as gaps while you fill the cream, then add them in 3022 at the end. The darker wing colour runs down the outer edges and the 976 line separates wing from chest, so count those rows carefully.

Finishing ideas

At 32 × 32 stitches the owl is about 2.3 inches square on 14-count and 1.8 inches on 18-count. It fits a 4-inch hoop, a square card aperture or the lid of a trinket box. Stitched on dark navy fabric the white face really glows, though you would want to add a cream outline if you do.

Colour plan

DMC 3770 Tawny Vy Light does the most work, 20% of the 693 stitches, followed by DMC BLANC White at 19%. DMC 3371 Black Brown (8), DMC 3346 Hunter Green (8) and DMC 3347 Yellow Green Med (5) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 32% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

53 squares stand alone in their colour, with no same-coloured neighbour along a side; stitch those as you pass rather than starting a new thread for each. The busiest row changes colour 16 times.