By Jim Gilbert and Sheron Ruffel

Native Thunderbird cross stitch patterns in Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous Art Style

This book features three full-sized, colour indigenous cross stitch patterns of Native Thunderbird art in Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous art styles. Each of the three Thunderbird cross stitch patterns featured in this book is in different Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous art styles: a west coast Thunderbird, a mid coast Thunderbird, and a north coast Thunderbird.

Pacific Northwest Native thunderbird art in cross stitch patterns

The Thunderbird is a mythological, powerful, dark-coloured bird with supernatural power of the sky and earth.

1. West Coast style Native Thunderbird design. This Thunderbird design is in partnership with the lightning snake, which you can find along the upper edge of the wing. These powerful beings, revered in story, art, song and dance, explained thunder and lightning storms in an age of myth and legend.
2. Mid Coast style Native Thunderbird design. This Thunderbird is depicted with its wings spread over its head and a human face in its body, signifying its human spirit powers.
3. North Coast Native Thunderbird design. This Haida-style Thunderbird is identified by its pointed recurved beak, plume-like feather on its head and large, clawed feet.

A striking collection of indigenous Thunderbird cross stitch patterns inspired by the art of the Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations.

• Original designs by Jim Gilbert, adapted for cross stitch by Sheron Ruffel.
• Patterns are full size and are approximately 37 cm x 27 cm (14” x 11”) each based on accurate, traditional designs.
• Also includes is a First Nations area map, A description of Aboriginal art within a cultural context, and basic cross stitch instructions.
• Soft cover, 8 ½” x 11”, 36 pages.

Customer reviews

“An excellent venue for a new way of appreciating First Nations art. Some years back, I attempted to cross stitch a whale using an illustration from Learning by Doing Northwest Coast Native Indian Art. I had to re-draw the illustration onto a weave fabric and then by trial and error completed the task. I should have waited for this… it would have been so much easier. Excellent!” — Jim Boyer, Canadian Coast Guard, retired; general consulting 

“I’m very excited to start stitching these beautiful examples of Native art. I have looked long and hard for good patterns and these are the best I have seen in my long search.” — Anna Fentie, retired, hobby enthusiast

“As an avid needlepoint enthusiast, I have been searching high and low for patterns of Pacific N.W. Coast Native Indian Art—my search has ended! The cross-stitch graphics in this book can easily be converted to needlepoint canvas. I can’t wait to start the first of many projects.” — Jane Lindsay, needlepoint enthusiast.