Bird Sampler - PDF

Bird Sampler Cross Stitch Pattern – KDS# 1242 by Kooler Design Studio

The Bird Sampler (KDS# 1242) is a charming cross stitch embroidery design created by Thomas Taneyhill for Kooler Design Studio, based in Lafayette, CA. Published in 2012, this design is part of the Kooler Classic Charts collection and is delivered as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for stitchers of all levels. The finished piece is intended as a decorative embroidery project, perfect for framing, displaying in the home, or gifting.

What Is Being Made

The Bird Sampler is a decorative needlework sampler featuring bird-themed motifs worked in a rich palette of colors. Samplers are a beloved tradition in embroidery, typically combining multiple motifs, patterns, or alphabets into a single cohesive composition. This design celebrates that tradition with a nature-inspired bird theme, making it a beautiful decorative piece suitable for home interiors.

Design Dimensions and Fabric Specifications

The design has a stitch count of 154 stitches wide by 201 stitches high. The recommended fabric is 14 Count White Aida cloth, which produces a finished stitched area of approximately 11 inches wide by 14¼ inches high. Stitchers should cut their fabric larger to allow for framing or finishing — the pattern recommends adding 4 to 6 inches to each measurement when cutting fabric.

For those who prefer a different fabric count, the pattern provides helpful size references:

• 10 Count Aida: approximately 12¾ inches wide × 16¾ inches high
• 14 Count Aida: approximately 11 inches wide × 14¼ inches high
• 16 Count Aida: approximately 9⅝ inches wide × 12½ inches high
• 18 Count Aida: approximately 8½ inches wide × 11⅛ inches high

Aida cloth is the most widely used fabric for counted cross stitch due to its evenly woven grid of holes, which makes it easy for beginners and experienced stitchers alike to place stitches accurately. A lower count fabric produces larger stitches and a bigger finished piece, while a higher count produces finer, more detailed work.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several classic embroidery techniques that together create a detailed and textured finished design:

• Full Cross Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the design, worked over one square of Aida fabric to fill in color areas and build the main imagery.
• Quarter Cross Stitch (¼ Stitch): Used to add detail and smooth curves within the design, quarter stitches fill only one quarter of a fabric square and are ideal for refining the outlines of rounded shapes such as bird bodies and feathers.
• Backstitch: Used for outlining and adding fine linear detail, backstitch creates crisp, clean edges around motifs and defines features such as beaks, legs, and wing details.
• French Knots: Small, raised knots worked by wrapping the floss around the needle before inserting it back into the fabric. French knots are typically used for eyes, berries, or small accent dots, adding a pleasing three-dimensional texture to the finished piece.

Stitches at a Glance

• Full Cross Stitch – worked with 3 strands of floss
• Quarter Cross Stitch (¼ Stitch) – worked with 3 strands of floss
• Backstitch – worked with 1 strand of floss
• French Knots – worked with 1 strand of floss

Materials Required

The pattern is designed to be stitched using DMC embroidery floss, one of the most trusted and widely available brands of stranded cotton thread in the world. The design calls for an extensive palette of DMC colors, including shades across warm reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, browns