Orange Butterfly
A symmetrical butterfly with spotted wings, 17×14.
Free Animal Cross Stitch Patterns
Small animals drawn in a few stitches each: pets, woodland creatures, birds, insects and a whale. Good for nursery pictures, cards and children’s clothes.
13 free patterns · PDF, PNG and editable chart
Animals patterns
Sitting Cat
A simplified ginger cat with a white chest, 15×16.
Happy Whale
A smiling blue whale with a water spout, 19×11.
Robin
A round robin with a red breast, 14×12.
Wise Owl
A round-eyed owl perched on a branch, 13×15.
Busy Bee
A striped bumblebee with light wings, 15×10.
Spring Bunny
A sitting white bunny with long pink ears, 13×17.
Clever Fox
A fox face with pointed ears and a white muzzle, 15×13.
Red-Nosed Reindeer
A reindeer face with antlers and a bright red nose, 15×15.
Winter Penguin
A little penguin wearing a red scarf, 11×14.
Black Cat
A black cat face with glowing yellow eyes and a pink nose, 13×11.
Flying Bat
A bat with spread wings and yellow eyes, 17×9.
Hanging Spider
A spider with red eyes dangling from a thread, 13×11.
Recognisable animals in very few stitches
A small animal chart works when the silhouette and one or two details carry the whole character: the fox’s white cheeks, the owl’s round eyes, the robin’s red breast. These designs are built that way, with a dark outline and flat areas of colour, so they stay readable even at an inch across.
If you want a portrait of your own pet instead, use the photo converter: choose a clear, well-lit picture with the animal filling the frame, and keep the colour limit low for a cleaner chart.
Sizes and stitching time
Smallest first. Finished size is on 14-count Aida; times assume about 120 full stitches an hour, a relaxed pace, so treat them as a guide and allow more for a first project.
| Pattern | Stitches (w × h) | On 14‑count | Colours | Total stitches | Rough time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging Spider | 13 × 11 | 0.9 × 0.8 in 2.4 × 2.0 cm | 3 | 59 | under 1 hour |
| Flying Bat | 17 × 9 | 1.2 × 0.6 in 3.1 × 1.6 cm | 2 | 86 | under 1 hour |
| Busy Bee | 15 × 10 | 1.1 × 0.7 in 2.7 × 1.8 cm | 5 | 89 | under 1 hour |
| Robin | 14 × 12 | 1.0 × 0.9 in 2.5 × 2.2 cm | 6 | 99 | under 1 hour |
| Black Cat | 13 × 11 | 0.9 × 0.8 in 2.4 × 2.0 cm | 4 | 109 | about 1 hour |
| Happy Whale | 19 × 11 | 1.4 × 0.8 in 3.4 × 2.0 cm | 5 | 121 | about 1 hour |
| Red-Nosed Reindeer | 15 × 15 | 1.1 × 1.1 in 2.7 × 2.7 cm | 5 | 123 | about 1 hour |
| Winter Penguin | 11 × 14 | 0.8 × 1.0 in 2.0 × 2.5 cm | 4 | 123 | about 1 hour |
| Clever Fox | 15 × 13 | 1.1 × 0.9 in 2.7 × 2.4 cm | 4 | 133 | about 1 hour |
| Orange Butterfly | 17 × 14 | 1.2 × 1.0 in 3.1 × 2.5 cm | 4 | 141 | about 1 hour |
| Sitting Cat | 15 × 16 | 1.1 × 1.1 in 2.7 × 2.9 cm | 5 | 155 | about 1 hour |
| Wise Owl | 13 × 15 | 0.9 × 1.1 in 2.4 × 2.7 cm | 7 | 167 | about 1 hour |
| Spring Bunny | 13 × 17 | 0.9 × 1.2 in 2.4 × 3.1 cm | 4 | 170 | about 1 hour |
Stitching animals well
- Stitch the eyes last
- Eyes are usually a single dark stitch. Leaving them until the end keeps them clean and lets you check the position against the finished face.
- Change the colours to match a real animal
- Open a design in the Studio and recolour it: the sitting cat becomes a ginger, grey or black cat by changing one or two colours.
- Group them for a nursery sampler
- The woodland animals share a palette. Start a blank chart in the Studio and use “Add motif” to arrange the fox, the owl, the toadstool and the acorn, leaving at least four empty squares between them.
- Use a hoop for outlines
- Thin outlines show uneven tension more than solid areas do. A hoop or frame keeps the fabric taut and the stitches even.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a cross stitch pattern of my own pet?
Yes. Upload a photo to the photo-to-cross-stitch converter. It runs in your browser, so the photo is not uploaded anywhere. Close-up photos with a plain background give the best charts.
Which animal pattern is the easiest?
The busy bee, the blue whale and the black cat use the fewest colours and the largest solid areas. The reindeer and the fox have more outline detail.
What size will an animal pattern be when stitched?
Divide the stitch count by the fabric count. A 15-stitch-wide animal is about 1.1 inches (2.7 cm) wide on 14-count Aida and 0.8 inches (2.1 cm) on 18-count.