Marion Hernandez

Cross stitch has been a corner stone hobby through out history for a great way to celebrate all the holidays and special occasions in your life. There are literally millions of patterns for every occasion. Some of the most sentimental and heart warming gifts are those that are created by someone special for someone special. Weddings are no exception, in fact quite the contrary. A wedding is one of the most special days in anyone's life; new couples are creating their own holiday in which they will celebrate the beauty of their lives joined together and their love for one another.

When looking for a perfect wedding gift there is really no better way to tell friends or family that you care than to create something for them.  Cross stitch patterns come in all forms but some of the most beautiful designs are for the celebration of love.  Whether you are celebrating your own day and creating a cross stitch piece to decorate your home or using your craft to tell a special couple how happy you are for their life together.

Many of the cross stitch patterns that are made for wedding presents have a place for personalization where you can add the date of the wedding or the names of the newly weds.  In fact cross stitching a present for a wedding can often allow you many options to personalize the gift.  Beside the direct personalization of date or name you can pick a design that comes in the same colors the couple has chosen for their wedding décor, and sometimes you can edit the colors in an existing design to match the wedding.

However, this is a task taken on by more experienced cross stitchers as it is easy to confuse how to go about shading depending on your pattern and design.  There are also some patterns that will allow space for any type of personalization, instead of a date or name you can add a verse from the wedding vows.  Any of these personalized pieces of cross stitch will be a beautiful way to let the couple know you are happy for their union and wish them well. 

When you are creating a cross stitch present to celebrate a wedding you are creating something that your family or friends will be excited to hang in their home. A hand made gentle reminder of the day they took their vows or an artistic creation that celebrates any aspect of their special day, such as choosing a pattern that displays the type of flowers the couple used in their ceremony along with their colors and vows.

Because of the many advances in technology in recent years it is now much easier to show someone special you care. Cross stitch patterns can now be created by yourself with certain computer programs; in fact you can now create a design from a picture. Using a wedding picture to create a new design and add the year or day of the wedding is a unique gift that will be cherished.  If you decide to use a picture from the couple's wedding, you will actually be incorporating a visual memory of their own union to keep as a reminder of their greatest day together.

You may be thinking that cross stitching a wedding present will be very time consuming and you may not finish in time.  There are several ways around this, one is you can do your project with a sewing machine that does cross stitch patterns. This will considerably diminish the amount of time it takes you for bigger projects.  Another helpful suggestion is to start small, create a small present that will celebrate their special day; there is really no need to cross stitch an entire quilt unless you have that type of time on your hands.

Most of all be sure to give yourself plenty of time, most couples send out invitations at least three months before the wedding, giving ample time to create a small or moderately sized gift depending on your speed and experience.  The final option when creating a gift for someone is if you don't finish in time, wrap up the portion you have completed and then request that you hold on to it for a few more days to finish. The happy couple will be so happy about this personalized gift and will be looking forward to seeing it when it's finished that they will not mind that this special gift was a little late in being delivered.

After you have determined whether or not you have enough time to complete a project for the couple decided how big or small and how complicated you want your cross stitch design to be.  If you only have a few weeks, select a project you know you can finish in that amount of time.  Some smaller cross stitch designs can be ornaments that have the date, occasion (i.e. First Smith Christmas 2006!) or names cross stitched on the ornament face.  Any of these are items that can be displayed proudly through out the year or seasonally.

Finally if you are the bride to be and you are looking for a personal and heart warming bridesmaid or mother's gift, a small cross stitched piece of art is an original idea and the stitching of it will be a relaxing way to relieve the stress leading up to the actual day.  Each bridesmaid or mother's gift can be personalized with the date and/or their names, since you have the option to select from a variety of personal moments to create this gift. If your bridesmaids, mother, or mother in law attended the bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, or even engagement party, choose a fun picture to create an ornament, small keepsake, or picture from.  Any of these events will be special memories for your close friends and family to keep close to their hearts.