It’s easy to get into a stitching rut. I know how easy it is to keep to the same sorts of designs, safe in the knowledge that it’s the easiest route to getting good results. I’ve started stretching myself a little more, over the past few months, and I am surprised to discover just how … Read more
For cross stitch enthusiasts all over the world, well designed patterns and kits are their favorite way in which they can create a beautifully made cross stitch birth sampler, card, wall hanging, pillow and so forth. However, as many of us use our cross stitching in order to create gifts for our loved ones, we … Read more
With Halloween now over for cross stitchers, and thanksgiving just around the corner, your holiday fun begins with the excitement of the vast range of needlework projects for a Cross Stitch Christmas Stocking. He’s known by a different name in almost every country he visits. But no matter what Santa Claus goes by, his arrival … Read more
Frequently, I see articles in Cross Stitch magazines about the importance of storing your cross stitch stash well in order to be tidier and better organised. These articles usually recommend spending a small fortune on craft tote bags, storage solutions and attractive craft boxes. Now, while these are wonderful objects to own, they are not … Read more
If you are new to the world of needlework and embroidery crafts, you might consider trying counted cross stitch. Cross stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which you use x-shaped stitches to form a picture. It is called counted cross stitch because the stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that … Read more
In my last article, I wrote about the seven bad habits of cross stitching – those dark secrets that lurk in everyone’s cross stitching past – and even persist when we become more skilled. Today, I’m thinking of the opposite – cross stitching tips: the 7 essential secrets of the best stitchers. You’d think that … Read more
It’s so easy to get into bad habits, isn’t it? Very often, impatience or laziness or time constraints can cause us to cut corners or to be sloppy with our work. Not surprisingly, if bad cross stitch habits are not corrected, they soon become cross stitching “sins”. Sins that rarely save us any time at … Read more
Introducing specialty threads for stitching As we all try to make an extra effort to add shimmer and style to our special occasion stitching projects, there are many challenges that may arise. We know how great specialty threads are – and what they can add to the finished results of our sparkling projects. Metallic or … Read more
In my last article, I wrote about storing your threads (floss) in such a way that they would remain easy to find, store and identify – to spare the frustrations of losing important shades of thread just as you needed them. Today, I’m going to focus on another challenge relating to threads – that is … Read more
Do you have a number of projects on the go at a time? I know I do. I have a several projects ‘on hold’ while I complete some Christmas cards and tree ornaments. There are some disadvantages of putting away your long term projects into cross stitch storage, however. Not least being that the momentum … Read more
