Japanese Crow and Blossom Cross Stitch Pattern (Free PDF)
A black crow on a flowering branch, from a Japanese woodblock print of about 1910 by Ohara Koson. The tall format and quiet background make it a good choice for a narrow wall, and the bird gives the piece a strong focal point.
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What you need
The full chart is 90 stitches wide and 134 high: 12,060 full cross stitches in 25 DMC colors, rated advanced. On 14-count Aida, cut a piece at least 12.5 × 16 in (32 × 40 cm), which leaves 3 in spare on every side, and a 14-in hoop holds the whole design. Some colors need more than one skein, so check the table.
| DMC thread | Stitches | Spread over | Thread | Of a skein | If it is out of stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640 Beige Gray Very Dark | 3,442 | 77 areas | 45.9 m | 191 % | 646 Beaver Gray Dark |
| 3021 Brown Gray Very Dark | 2,209 | 115 areas | 29.5 m | 123 % | 844 Beaver Gray Ultra Dark |
| 3787 Brown Gray Dark | 1,243 | 113 areas | 16.6 m | 69 % | 645 Beaver Gray Very Dark |
| 310 Black | 928 | 33 areas | 12.4 m | 52 % | 3371 Black Brown |
| 829 Golden Olive Very Dark | 896 | 92 areas | 11.9 m | 50 % | 3862 Mocha Beige Dark |
| 830 Golden Olive Dark | 469 | 42 areas | 6.3 m | 26 % | 3862 Mocha Beige Dark |
| 839 Beige Brown Dark | 467 | 77 areas | 6.2 m | 26 % | 3781 Mocha Brown Dark |
| 838 Beige Brown Very Dark | 271 | 60 areas | 3.6 m | 15 % | 3781 Mocha Brown Dark |
| 3031 Mocha Brown Very Dark | 267 | 92 areas | 3.6 m | 15 % | 3781 Mocha Brown Dark |
| 676 Old Gold Light | 239 | 48 areas | 3.2 m | 13 % | 3822 Straw Light |
| 535 Ash Gray Very Light | 238 | 54 areas | 3.2 m | 13 % | 645 Beaver Gray Very Dark |
| 745 Yellow Pale Light | 237 | 27 areas | 3.2 m | 13 % | 727 Topaz Very Light |
| 3023 Brown Gray Light | 155 | 28 areas | 2.1 m | 9 % | 647 Beaver Gray Medium |
| 822 Beige Gray Light | 150 | 33 areas | 2.0 m | 8 % | Ecru Ecru |
| 934 Avocado Grn Black | 138 | 46 areas | 1.8 m | 8 % | 935 Avocado Green Dark |
| 801 Coffee Brown Dark | 138 | 20 areas | 1.8 m | 8 % | 433 Brown Medium |
| 898 Coffee Brown Very Dark | 108 | 27 areas | 1.4 m | 6 % | 938 Coffee Brown Ultra Dark |
| 3022 Brown Gray Medium | 95 | 15 areas | 1.3 m | 5 % | 522 Fern Green |
| 3855 Autumn Gold Light | 89 | 26 areas | 1.2 m | 5 % | 738 Tan Very Light |
| 869 Hazelnut Brown Very Dark | 68 | 7 areas | 0.9 m | 4 % | 610 Drab Brown Dark |
| 372 Mustard Light | 60 | 27 areas | 0.8 m | 3 % | 834 Golden Olive Very Light |
| 924 Gray Green Vy Dark | 52 | 7 areas | 0.7 m | 3 % | 3808 Turquoise Ultra Very Dark |
| 642 Beige Gray Dark | 47 | 24 areas | 0.6 m | 3 % | 841 Beige Brown Light |
| 371 Mustard | 29 | 15 areas | 0.4 m | 2 % | 833 Golden Olive Light |
| 301 Mahogany Medium | 25 | 2 areas | 0.3 m | 1 % | 920 Copper Medium |
Thread for 2 strands on 14-count (how it is worked out).
Reading this chart
The center of the chart is column 45, row 67, a Brown Gray Dark stitch.
Beige Gray Very Dark has the largest connected block, 1,195 stitches. Brown Gray Very Dark is the most scattered: 2,209 stitches in 115 separate spots, 51 of them single stitches.
A row uses about 25.7 separate runs of thread on average; the busiest is row 23, with 47. Only 0 % of the grid stays bare, so the fabric color barely shows.
Budget roughly 60.5 hours to 120.5 hours (how we estimate that). New to charts? Read how to read one.
Finished size
| Fabric | Finished size | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 11-count | 8.2 × 12.2 in | 20.8 × 30.9 cm |
| 14-count | 6.4 × 9.6 in | 16.3 × 24.3 cm |
| 16-count | 5.6 × 8.4 in | 14.3 × 21.3 cm |
| 18-count | 5.0 × 7.4 in | 12.7 × 18.9 cm |
Ideas for using it
- Tall piece for a hallway
- Gift for a bird lover
- Japanese-style wall decoration
Stitching tips
- Stitch the crow first; its solid black is quick and sets the whole composition.
- Use a good light for the background, where the browns sit close together.
- Stitch the white blossom last to keep it clean.
About the artwork
This chart is based on Crow and Blossom by Ohara Koson (about 1910), which is in the public domain. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain). We made the chart with our own pattern maker, which reduces the picture to a grid of stitches and a set of DMC threads, so expect a simplified version of the original rather than an exact copy. It has not been stitched by us, so check the preview and try a small area first.
Free for personal use, and you may sell a few pieces you stitched yourself. Details in the terms.
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