Le Chat Noir Cross Stitch Pattern (Free PDF)
The black cat from Théophile Steinlen's 1896 poster for the Tournée du Chat Noir, the touring show of the famous Paris cabaret. It has few colors and big solid areas, so it stitches faster than the size suggests. The white of the poster is left out, so the fabric shows through.
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What you need
The full chart is 130 stitches wide and 185 high: 13,235 full cross stitches in 11 DMC colors, rated intermediate. On 14-count Aida, cut a piece at least 15.5 × 19.5 in (39 × 49 cm), which leaves 3 in spare on every side. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 310 Black | 4,873 | 72 areas | 65.0 m | 271 % | 3371 Black Brown |
| 347 Salmon Very Dark | 4,172 | 38 areas | 55.6 m | 232 % | 817 Coral Red Very Dark |
| 3799 Pewter Gray Very Dark | 1,454 | 206 areas | 19.4 m | 81 % | 844 Beaver Gray Ultra Dark |
| 754 Peach Light | 477 | 140 areas | 6.4 m | 26 % | 3824 Apricot Light |
| 3778 Terra Cotta Light | 467 | 147 areas | 6.2 m | 26 % | 223 Shell Pink Light |
| 758 Terra Cotta Very Light | 442 | 135 areas | 5.9 m | 25 % | 3341 Apricot |
| 3787 Brown Gray Dark | 319 | 121 areas | 4.3 m | 18 % | 535 Ash Gray Very Light |
| 09 Cocoa Very Dark | 303 | 124 areas | 4.0 m | 17 % | 3857 Rosewood Dark |
| 356 Terra Cotta Medium | 265 | 115 areas | 3.5 m | 15 % | 3722 Shell Pink Medium |
| 648 Beaver Gray Light | 237 | 67 areas | 3.2 m | 13 % | 452 Shell Gray Medium |
| 414 Steel Gray Dark | 226 | 68 areas | 3.0 m | 13 % | 169 Pewter Light |
Thread for 2 strands on 14-count (how it is worked out).
Reading this chart
The exact center (column 65, row 93) is bare fabric, so your first stitch is 3 squares away: Pewter Gray Very Dark at column 62, row 93.
Black has the largest connected block, 4,303 stitches. Pewter Gray Very Dark is the most scattered: 1,454 stitches in 206 separate spots, 76 of them single stitches.
A row uses about 21.1 separate runs of thread on average; the busiest is row 163, with 54.
Budget roughly 66 hours to 132.5 hours (how we estimate that). New to charts? Read how to read one.
Finished size
| Fabric | Finished size | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 11-count | 11.8 × 16.8 in | 30.0 × 42.7 cm |
| 14-count | 9.3 × 13.2 in | 23.6 × 33.6 cm |
| 16-count | 8.1 × 11.6 in | 20.6 × 29.4 cm |
| 18-count | 7.2 × 10.3 in | 18.3 × 26.1 cm |
Ideas for using it
- Poster-style wall piece
- Gift for a cat lover
- Bold design for a Paris-themed room
Stitching tips
- Start with the black cat: it is the largest area and it is easy to count.
- Stitch the lettering carefully, one letter at a time, and check it against the chart.
- Use white or antique white fabric to match the poster.
About the artwork
This chart is based on Tournée du Chat Noir by Théophile Steinlen (1896), 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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