Shoe house from the old lady who lived in a shoe cross stitch pattern

40 × 39 stitches 8 colors 2.9 × 2.8 in on 14-count

A PDF for 14-count on US Letter paper: overview, symbol charts and thread list. Change the count or paper

You will need

Fabric: 14-count Aida, cut 9 × 9 in (the design is 2.9 × 2.8 in; 14-count has 14 squares to the inch)
Needle: Tapestry, size 24
Thread: 8 DMC colors, 2 strands at a time (DMC is the thread maker whose color numbers charts use)

Your thread palette: 8 threads ↓

DMC 921 Copper
DMC 938 Ultra Dark Coffee Brown
DMC 869 Very Dark Hazelnut Brown
DMC 321 Red
DMC 322 Dark Baby Blue
DMC 3853 Dark Autumn Gold
DMC 3822 Light Straw
DMC 3865 Winter White

Want to make it yours? opens this chart in the pattern maker, where every stitch can be changed too. Or download it just as it is.

Fabric count and finished sizeCount is the number of squares per inch. Higher count makes the same design smaller; the stitches and thread colors stay the same. Sizes shown are the stitched area; allow extra fabric for finishing.

Download free PDF

About this pattern

The house from the nursery rhyme "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe": a tall laced ankle boot in copper brown made into a cottage, toe to the right. It has a red pitched roof with a brown chimney, a lit four-pane window in the shaft, an arched blue front door with a gold knob in the ankle, a second window in the toe, four white laces and a brown sole and heel. Only the house is drawn: the old woman and her children are not in the picture. Full crosses only. It is 40 by 39 stitches and uses eight thread colors.

40 stitches wide by 39 high: 993 full cross stitches in 8 DMC colors (Copper 921, Ultra Dark Coffee Brown 938, Very Dark Hazelnut Brown 869 and 5 more).

Finished size by fabric count
Fabric	Inches	Centimeters
11-count Aida	3.6 × 3.5	9.2 × 9.0
14-count Aida, or 28-count over two	2.9 × 2.8	7.3 × 7.1
16-count Aida, or 32-count over two	2.5 × 2.4	6.3 × 6.2
18-count Aida	2.2 × 2.2	5.6 × 5.5
22-count Hardanger	1.8 × 1.8	4.6 × 4.5

Sizes are the stitched area. Add about 3 inches (7.5 cm) on every side when you cut your fabric.

The fabric color changes the preview only: every cross matches your chart.

Thread list & pattern notes

Check my threads and make a shopping list

“Find it” opens a search for that thread on Amazon, in a new tab. Floss Field is not affiliated with DMC or Amazon.

Symbol	Thread	Stitches	Buy
●	DMC 921 Copper	354	Find it
X	DMC 938 Ultra Dark Coffee Brown	290	Find it
▲	DMC 869 Very Dark Hazelnut Brown	113	Find it
+	DMC 321 Red	78	Find it
■	DMC 322 Dark Baby Blue	63	Find it
O	DMC 3853 Dark Autumn Gold	46	Find it
◆	DMC 3822 Light Straw	33	Find it
=	DMC 3865 Winter White	16	Find it

Suggested DMC colors. Screen colors are approximate. Previews show the exact chart.

Print the chart (opens the PDF in a new tab)

More patterns like this

35 × 42 stitches 8 colors

Humpty Dumpty sitting on a brick wall, nursery rhyme

48 × 58 stitches 5 colors

Itsy bitsy spider climbing the water spout

50 × 50 stitches 6 colors

Cow jumping over the moon with stars, nursery rhyme

30 × 32 stitches 6 colors

Little yellow house with a smoking chimney

New to cross stitch? How to cross stitch

Count is the number of squares to the inch: 14-count fabric has 14, and a higher count makes the same design smaller. DMC is the thread maker whose color numbers most charts use.