The school buses were out again last week, and the students move back into the dorms this week at my own workplace, so I guess summer is nearly over.

I haven’t done a themed pattern round-up in a while, so I thought I would see what kinds of back-to-school cross-stitch patterns were out there. Many school-themed patterns are also calendar month patterns, especially for the month of September. Lizzie Kate alone has at least 4-5 September cross-stitch patterns that incorporate back-to-school motifs.

Here are a few of my favorite of the ones I found:

1. “School Days” by Mill Hill. Like most Mill Hill kits, this one incorporates lots of beading, too.
2. “Flip It Blocks September” by Lizzie Kate. The old-fashioned little red schoolhouse is a popular theme, too.
3. “Monthly Mania September” by Heart in Hand Needleart.
4. “Pen Pals No. 209 Back to School” by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I love these cute little postage stamp stitches.
5. “Lizzie Kate Yearbook September & October” by Lizzie Kate. The motifs in this one are very similar to #2 in the collage (that may even be the exact same chalkboard motif), but it has some added elements and a different arrangement.

Goodbye, Summer. Hello, Autumn, a.k.a. “pumpkin spice” season.