Blue lotus mandala cross stitch pattern

About this design

Blue and gold is a pairing that always looks considered, and this mandala uses it in layers. A small gold diamond of DMC 726 Topaz Light sits at the centre, ringed first in navy 820 Royal Blue Very Dark and then in 3755 Baby Blue, with eight short spokes of 798 Delft Blue Dark radiating from it. A wider band of 3325 Baby Blue Light edged in navy forms the lotus ring, and an open, scalloped outer ring in 798 finishes the shape. Eight small gold blocks sit between the two outer rings like beads. The fabric shows through generously, which keeps the design light.

How to stitch it

Begin at the centre gold diamond and work outwards ring by ring, so each finished ring becomes the reference for the next. The rings are built of short runs and corners, and the design is symmetrical in eight directions, so once one segment of a ring is done you can check every other segment against it. Use two strands throughout on 14-count. The outer scallops include a few single stitches where the line turns a corner; anchor them under nearby stitches on the back instead of trailing navy thread across open fabric.

Finishing ideas

At 41 × 41 stitches the mandala measures about 2.9 inches across on 14-count Aida and about 2.3 inches on 18-count. A 4-inch hoop frames it neatly with a little breathing room, and it also fits a 5-inch square card aperture. Stitched on navy or slate-blue fabric with the gold kept as is, it becomes a moody night-time version of the same design.

Colour plan

DMC 798 Delft Blue Dark does the most work, 42% of the 777 stitches, followed by DMC 3325 Baby Blue Light at 23%. Every colour is used at least 52 times, so there are no tiny one-off details to hunt for. 54% 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 20 times.