| Size | 22 × 30 stitches |
|---|---|
| Colours | 7 · DMC |
| Total stitches | 354 |
| Difficulty | Beginner (1/5) |
| Finished on 14-count | 1.6 × 2.1 in (4 × 5.4 cm) |
| Finished on 16-count | 1.4 × 1.9 in (3.5 × 4.8 cm) |
| Finished on 18-count | 1.2 × 1.7 in (3.1 × 4.2 cm) |
| Licence | CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for personal use with credit |
Materials
About this design
The balloon envelope is divided into bold vertical stripes of DMC 725 Topaz Medium Light, 3765 Peacock Blue Very Dark and 321 Red, repeating across its width, and it tapers smoothly towards the bottom like a real balloon. Two short ropes of 3371 Black Brown hang down to a basket in 435 Brown Very Light with a darker 433 rim along the bottom. Two little clouds of 3756 Baby Blue Ultra Very Light float beside it, one low on the left and one high on the right.
How to work it
Start with the centre stripes and work outwards, checking the curved edge of the envelope on each row. The ropes are single stitches; check they line up with the edges of the basket before you stitch the basket itself. Leave the clouds until last, since they are tiny and easy to place by eye from the chart.
Finishing ideas
At 22 × 30 stitches the design is about 1.6 × 2.1 inches (4.0 × 5.4 cm) on 14-count Aida and 1.2 × 1.7 inches on 18-count. It suits a nursery, a travel journal cover or a bon voyage card; stitch three in different colours for a mobile.
Colour plan
DMC 725 Topaz Med Lt does the most work, 34% of the 354 stitches, followed by DMC 3765 Peacock Blue Vy Dk at 25%. DMC 433 Brown Med (8) and DMC 3371 Black Brown (6) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 46% of the grid is left empty.
Working notes
No square stands alone in its colour, so every colour works up in solid blocks. The busiest row changes colour 7 times.
Anchor equivalents
The nearest Anchor colour for each DMC colour in this pattern, measured as ΔE 2000: up to 3 is very close, up to 6 close, up to 10 approximate.
This is an original CraftPatterns design, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: stitch it, share it and gift what you make — please credit craftpatterns.app and don't sell the pattern itself. Want to change it? Open it in the cross stitch editor.
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