The Nightmare cross stitch pattern

Free patterns · Famous painting · A sleeping woman with a goblin on her chest and a ghostly horse behind the curtain, from Henry Fuseli’s 1781 painting.

The Nightmare cross stitch chart, 120 by 94 stitches, 29 colors, DMC 3799, 3022, 3045, 938, 642, 839, 644, 09, 898, 676, 3031, 371, 3863, 372, 779, 3371, 310, 646, 3864, 3021, 3047, 801, 645, 838, 3023, 841, 154, 3787, 422

stitches: 120 × 94
DMC colors: 29
on 14-count: 8.6 × 6.7 in

Want to fix a few stitches?

Draw, erase and fill single stitches, swap or merge colors, clean up strays, and check against your photo.

For when you have a few projects behind you: many colors and soft shading, made from a picture. Free to stitch for yourself, as a gift, or to sell the finished piece.

Stitching tip: A dark painting: most of the background is deep brown, so label your floss and stitch under a daylight lamp. The white gown is the reward at the end.

Made from a picture by Henry Fuseli (public domain).

Thread key

Everything to buy for this pattern, by DMC number.

Symbol	DMC	Name	Stitches	Skeins
⊕	3799	Pewter Gray Vy Dk	61	1
⊠	3022	Brown Gray Med	61	1
⌂	3045	Yellow Beige Dk	50	1
■	938	Coffee Brown Ult Dk	2623	2
□	642	Beige Gray Dark	146	1
▣	839	Beige Brown Dk	75	1
▬	644	Beige Gray Med	106	1
▮	09	Cocoa Very Dark	99	1
▲	898	Coffee Brown Vy Dk	711	1
△	676	Old Gold Lt	128	1
◆	3031	Mocha Brown Vy Dk	551	1
◇	371	Mustard	124	1
◉	3863	Mocha Beige Med	66	1
○	372	Mustard Lt	164	1
◎	779	Cocoa Dark	9	1
●	3371	Black Brown	4557	3
◐	310	Black	94	1
◧	646	Beaver Gray Dk	85	1
★	3864	Mocha Beige Light	444	1
☆	3021	Brown Gray Vy Dk	121	1
♣	3047	Yellow Beige Lt	96	1
♥	801	Coffee Brown Dk	194	1
✓	645	Beaver Gray Vy Dk	35	1
✖	838	Beige Brown Vy Dk	249	1
✚	3023	Brown Gray Light	311	1
✱	841	Beige Brown Lt	29	1
⧄	154	Grape Very Dark	5	1
⬡	3787	Brown Gray Dark	36	1
⬢	422	Hazelnut Brown Lt	50	1

Finished size

How big it comes out on each Aida count. The cut size adds 3 inches on every side so the fabric fits the hoop.

Fabric	Finished	Cut
14-count Aida	8.6 × 6.7 in (21.8 × 17.1 cm)	14.6 × 12.7 in
16-count Aida	7.5 × 5.9 in (19.1 × 14.9 cm)	13.5 × 11.9 in
18-count Aida	6.7 × 5.2 in (16.9 × 13.3 cm)	12.7 × 11.2 in

How to stitch it

Fold the fabric in half both ways to find the middle, match it to the center of the chart, and work outward. Each square is one full cross in 2 strands of floss.

Thread key

Finished size

How to stitch it

More free patterns

Related tools