The Great Wave – Cross-Stitch Pattern (Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830–32)

The Great Wave – counted cross-stitch pattern

After Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830–32. A full-colour cross-stitch chart made from an open-access museum image, matched to DMC stranded cotton and cleaned up by hand so you aren't left with hundreds of single stray stitches.

What you get

- PDF pattern in A4 and US Letter (17 pages each)

- Colour chart and black-and-white symbol chart (6 parts each), with bold 10-stitch grid, numbered rows and columns, centre arrows and a page map

- Thread key with DMC numbers, colour names, stitch counts and skein estimates for 14- and 18-count

- Chart overview, stitching guide and a page about the original artwork and its source

Pattern details

- Design size: 200 × 134 stitches (26,800 full cross stitches)

- Colours: 20 DMC colours

- Difficulty: Intermediate

- Finished size on 14-count aida: 14.3 × 9.6 in (36.3 × 24.3 cm)

- Finished size on 18-count aida: 11.1 × 7.4 in (28.2 × 18.9 cm)

- Suggested fabric: Antique white or cream aida (fully stitched, so the colour hardly shows)

- Full cross stitch only, no backstitch or fractional stitches

About the artwork

Hokusai published this print in the early 1830s as part of his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. A towering wave curls over three fishing boats while Fuji sits small and still in the distance. The deep blue came from Prussian blue, a pigment that had only recently become widely available in Japan, and it gives the print its depth. In thread, the claw-like foam and the bands of blue make a rhythmic, satisfying stitch.

Source: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), ca. 1830–32. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Open Access), object 45434 / JP1847. Public domain in the EU and US; image released as CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.

Good to know

- This is a digital PDF pattern. No fabric, thread, hoop or kit is shipped; the hoop and frame photos are illustrations.

- Screen and printed colours differ from real thread. Go by the DMC numbers.

- Licence: for your own stitching. You're welcome to sell or give away pieces you stitch by hand from it, but please don't share or resell the PDF or the chart.

- The artwork is in the public domain. The chart, colour selection and layout are by Bright Sheets Gallery. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any museum or by DMC.

Support

Questions? gallery@brightsheetsstudio.com – Bright Sheets Studio

Instant digital download. By purchasing you agree the download starts immediately, which waives the 14-day withdrawal right for digital content.