River and Eleven In Love - PDF Cross Stitch Pattern

River and Eleven In Love – Cross Stitch Pattern by HugSandwich

This charming downloadable PDF cross stitch pattern from independent designer HugSandwich features River and Eleven In Love, a romantic portrait design inspired by beloved characters. The finished embroidery measures 1.79 inches wide by 3.50 inches tall (25 x 49 stitches), making it a compact yet detailed piece that is well suited to framing, card-making, or adding to a hoop display. The pattern is rated beginner difficulty, making it an accessible project for those new to counted cross stitch as well as a quick and satisfying stitch for more experienced needleworkers.

What Is Being Made

The design depicts two figures — River and Eleven — in a loving pose, rendered in the classic counted cross stitch style on a gridded chart. The small stitch count keeps the project manageable while still capturing expressive character detail through careful color placement and finishing stitches. The pattern is intended for personal use only and may not be sold or distributed.

Fabric and Materials

The pattern is designed for use on 14 Count Aida cloth, the most widely available and beginner-friendly evenweave embroidery fabric. The uniform grid of 14 Count Aida makes it easy to count stitches accurately, and the fabric is available in a wide range of background colors to complement the design's palette. Standard embroidery floss is used throughout, with all colors specified as DMC thread numbers for easy sourcing.

• Fabric: 14 Count Aida
• Thread brand: DMC embroidery floss
• Tools needed: Tapestry needle (typically size 24 or 26 for 14 Count Aida), embroidery hoop or frame, small scissors

Thread Colors Used

The pattern calls for a rich palette of 21 DMC floss colors, ranging from warm skin tones and earthy browns to deep blacks and soft pinks. The full color list includes:

• DMC-225 – pale shell pink
• DMC-310 – black
• DMC-321 – red
• DMC-433 – medium brown
• DMC-434 – light brown
• DMC-436 – tan
• DMC-498 – dark red
• DMC-640 – beige grey
• DMC-644 – medium beige grey
• DMC-645 – dark beaver grey
• DMC-729 – medium old gold
• DMC-754 – light peach
• DMC-844 – ultra dark beaver grey
• DMC-898 – very dark coffee brown
• DMC-3031 – very dark mocha brown
• DMC-3032 – medium mocha brown
• DMC-3371 – black brown
• DMC-3778 – light terra cotta
• DMC-3781 – dark mocha brown
• DMC-3782 – light mocha brown
• DMC-3790 – ultra dark beige grey

Stitches and Techniques Used

This pattern employs three core cross stitch techniques, making it an excellent introduction to the full range of standard embroidery finishing methods:

• Cross stitch – The primary stitch forming the body of the design. Each cross stitch is worked over one square of the Aida fabric, with the top diagonal always crossing in the same direction for a neat, consistent finish.
• Backstitch – Used for outlining and adding fine detail and definition to the figures. The pattern specifies backstitching in four colors: DMC-169, DMC-224, DMC-310, and DMC-3032