About
Tambas de Mel is a free collection of original cross stitch patterns and plain-language guides. Everything here is written for people who have never threaded a tapestry needle, or who bought a kit once, lost count somewhere in the second row, and put it in a drawer.
What you will find here
- Original patterns with a color-and-symbol chart, a color key with stitch counts, and finished sizes for 11-, 14-, 16- and 18-count Aida.
- Technique guides that explain the fundamentals: Aida fabric, needles, floss, reading a chart, counting, starting and finishing a thread, backstitch and tension.
- Finishing projects that turn a stitched piece into a bookmark, an ornament or a framed hoop.
If you are new, the best place to begin is How to Start Cross Stitch, followed by the guide to reading a cross stitch chart. The full list of patterns and guides is on the Tutorials page.
How the patterns are made
Every chart on this site is an original design drawn for Tambas de Mel, square by square. We do not republish or adapt charts from kits, books, magazines or other designers, and we do not chart trademarked characters or branded artwork. The subjects are deliberately everyday ones: hearts, flowers, animals, fruit, borders and letters.
The sizes, stitch counts and color keys in each article are calculated directly from the chart, so the numbers in the text always match the pattern. Colors are described by name rather than by a manufacturer’s shade number, because the right match depends on the floss you already own.
The pictures are drawings, not photographs. Charts and “stitched” previews are rendered from the pattern itself, and the technique diagrams are simplified illustrations made to show where the needle goes. Your finished piece will look a little different, as hand stitching always does.
We do not publish invented reviews, ratings or testimonials, and no individual author or expert is claimed for the articles.
Using the patterns
You are welcome to stitch any pattern here for yourself, for gifts or for a class or stitching group. The Terms of Use explain what we ask you not to do with the charts and text.
Corrections and suggestions
If a chart has a mistake, a step is unclear or a link is broken, please tell us through the Contact page. Clear instructions matter more to us than anything else on the site, and corrections are always welcome.