We’ve always tried to stay away from blogs on cross stitch tips here on Lord Libidan. If you want those kinds of things, there are post all over the internet with the same basic tips repeated. But that’s the thing; they’re basic tips. What about the tips that it takes a decade to learn?
Today we’re looking into the tips and tricks we’ve seen online and in-person, hundreds of times, but ones we only actually took stock of after a decade of cross stitching.
Gridding
cross stitch grid lines in Easy Count Guideline by A satisfied spirit (source: asatisfiedspirit.com)
We start with something I actively avoided in the past. Gridding just looked like a load of effort, that I frankly, couldn’t be bothered with; I wanted to get into the cross stitching. However, miscounts happen, there is no way to avoid that. So for a while, I used cross stitch counting pins, which work, and I still use them for smaller projects, but there is nothing quite like having to frog out a whole section as you counted wrong 6 hours of stitching ago.
This is where gridding comes in. I had always thought gridding was a painful experience but with loads of different cross stitch gridding techniques its actually a breeze. It doesn’t take that long, and I can confirm that I have NEVER had to frog on projects I’ve gridded. Lifesaver.
These cones are the way professionals by DMC thread, and there is a good reason; the sheer saving. Cones are either 100g or 500g weights (which is 51 and 257 skeins worth) but you can pick them up for as little as $20 a cone, which works out to 59c a skein, which is a price that none of the best online cross stitch stores can match.
The Drill Bobbin Trick
No one likes bobbin winders; no one. But with a lot of people choosing to store their cross stitch threads on bobbins, you have to know how to put cross stitch threads on a bobbin. This is where the drill technique comes in. You can actually use a sewing machine in the same way, we’re aware many cross stitchers also sew so you might have one of those too. This trick will save you hours and hours of effort and wrist ache – trust us!
Taking Care Of Your Stash
Clear Draws for Embroidery Thread Storage (Source: pinterest)
Next up we have storage. We’re mentioned in the past (more than a few times), that its important to properly store cross stitch threads and we’re firm belivers in this. You might choose to put your threads on bobbins, in bags, put them on show or whatever, but there is no reason to not take care of them. Threads really get effected by the sun, so much that we’re suggest not buying second hand threads, and there is good evidence to suggest the DMC dye lot issues people talk about are just due to poor storage. Its that important.
Premax Carnival Embroidery Scissors (source: kreinik.com)
Let me tell you; there is nothing quite like finding the perfect pair of scissors. A tool that most of us don’t really think about, but a tool that we all use, all the time, is the humble scissors. I’m sure most of us started out using a random pair of semi-blunt scissors we found around the house and maybe upgraded to a fairly cheap pair of sewing scissors along the way. But if I were to ask you “do you love your scissors?” and the answer was no, then you need a new pair.
We spend ages with our scissors, from snipping threads to (annoyingly) frogging, our scissors journey with us through project after project. So why shouldn’t they be perfect?
I’ve written in the past about finding the perfect pair of cross stitch scissors in the past, and since then, I’ve still managed to find better and better scissors for me, like the amazing finger snip travel scissors. However, a great pair of scissors for me isn’t a great one for you. My trusted friend MrXStitch uses a rather stylish pair of scissors that I just cannot abide; but for him, they work. You deserve to find a pair for you.
I would actually go one step further here too. I love my thread scissors, but I also love my aida scissors. Yes, I have multiple pairs for different things. My aida scissors are big fabric cutting scissors with a diamond coating so they never get blunt (extreme overkill, I know), but they work for aida perfectly. But they would suck for cutting threads.
I have a railroading tool, or to give it the correct name, a laying tool, in my cross stitch kit. And I use it all the time. But I don’t railroad my cross stitches. Perplexing, right?
Whilst a laying tool can be used to railroad, it can also be used for a whole bunch of other uses that make it one of the most underrated cross stitch tools out there. Considering they can be picked up from a dollar (but be warned they can also be really expensive depending on the type) I think they’re worth picking up, even if you don’t railroad. So, let’s go through their various uses.
Rosewood Laying Tools (Source: Pinterest)
Railroading
Well, it was obvious we were going to start with railroading, wasn’t it? Laying tools are used to help place stitches nicely, and while this is mostly used in other embroidery stitches, you can use it to lay cross stitches perfectly. This has a whole bunch of advantages, but many people ask if they should bother railroading at all. Whilst that’s a discussion for a different time, the laying tool can still be used for it if you’re so inclined.
Not sure how to use a laying tool? Check out the video below:
Metallic/Glow-in-the-dark Threads
The second advantage a laying tool brings is somewhat similar to the first. Metallic threads and glow in the dark threads are a pain to use, and whilst there are ways to make using metallic threads easier and tips for using glow-in-the-dark threads neither are as easy as simple cotton. By using the laying tool in exactly the same way as you would if railroading, you’ll have a much more pleasant experience and better final product. I should say though that you will probably struggle to railroad the threads, even if you do the same technique, specialty threads are just a pain like that.
Blending Threads
The third use is another “official” use; blending threads. In the image below you’ll see someone combining two threads to blend them, however, if you look at the stitching, it looks a bit…blotchy. Now, that could be the style they were going for, however if you use blending thread to make a color DMC haven’t got yet, or trying a dithering technique then this just won’t do. This is where the laying tool comes in.
You will be railroading here, but you don’t need to railroad your whole project, just the blended threads. Trust me, if you’ve ever blended, its worth it.
Cross stitch using blended threads (Source: gathered.how)
Removing Knots
This is the actual reason I use my laying tool, and why I wrote this post. Knots suck, but they do happen, even if you’re doing everything you can to avoid them.
Most knots can just be pulled out, but this has two issues. The first is how you pull the thread. By pulling the knot out, you pull on the aida and thread, making the whole you just stitched through larger, and sometimes even warping the fabric. By using the laying tool with one hand you can pull the knot with the other (or visa versa) and be sure not to cause undue tension on the fabric or thread.
The second issue is fingers, or more specifically the oil on your fingers. We tend not to touch our cross stitches, only the needle, and while washing your hands is (hopefully) a major part of your stitching process, the needle only transfers a little bit of oil. However, if you get your hands right in there and touch threads and knots, expect oil transfer. The laying tool takes over the job of your fingers and avoids the nasty oil getting on your work.
Poking and Prodding
Sometimes threads just need a poke. It’s as simple as that. Maybe it doesn’t want to go in the hole? Poke the fabric to make the hole bigger. Maybe it just isn’t sitting right? Push it over. Whilst you can do both of these things with your cross stitch needle, needles are meant to go through things. A laying tool isn’t. That’s why its the perfect tool to push something around and make sure your stitching looks neat and tidy.
The question of how to use DMC’s metallic threads often raises its head. They aren’t as nice to use as the normal cotton range, but they give your project a little something more. No wonder cross stitchers look for a way to cheat the system, or at the very least, try to avoid all the pain and heartache.
But there is a better solution. A solution that has actually been around since 2013 when the sub-brand launched; DMC Diamant threads.
Unlike their metallic 6 ply cousins, the Diamant range is a viscose sheet wrapped with a metallic polyester coating and then covered in a thin layer of silicone. The advantage of this production method is that the thread at the end is smooth and supple. I’m going to repeat that in words a little nicer to hear; they aren’t like scratchy hard to use metallic threads.
Sadly, for a long time, these Japanese made threads were only really sold in Europe, but lately we’ve been seeing more and more of them in the US and Australia. And we propose, they’re better than any DMC metallic you can find. DMC Diamant Threads in Presentation Box (Source: crossstitchworkshop.co.uk)
The Benefits
The real benefit of Diamant threads is that they are a smooth thread. They act much more like a standard cotton thread (although slightly stiffer), and therefore, don’t have the same issues that normal metallics or light effects do.
Metallics tend to behave a bit like a wire with thorns all over it, whereas Diamant acts more like a thread that’s been starched too much. You can use smaller needles, it doesn’t catch on the needle or fabric, it glides through the fabric much easier, and it’s by far a nicer stitching experience.
The Negatives
Whilst I’m making out the Diamant threads to be amazing, there are two negatives to speak about.
The first is a simple size or gauge issue. Diamant thread is larger than the standard embroidery floss of DMC. This changes how you use the thread rather drastically, and we’ll cover that later, but just know that Diamant isn’t like standard
thread. But then again, DMC metallics aren’t really either.
The second big issue is the color selection. When Diamant first came out, it only had 4 colors, and whilst these have expanded into 14, there still isn’t a great deal of choice. Most are various shades of metal, which are nice, but limited in their use, with a black and white, red and green to round off the set. This doesn’t stop them offering a Diamant color card though. To me, the metallic range is much deeper in choice. I think this might change as more and more people use Diamant threads, but for now, its a little unloved. DMC Diamant Threads (Source: tattingcorner.com)
How To Use Them
As I’ve already stated above, there is a different way to use Diamant threads. But before we say how, we need to talk about the two types of Diamant thread. Diamant, and Diamant Grande.
&nbps;
I want to be super clear here; you want to use Diamant thread; NOT Diamant Grande. In essence, the difference is that Diamant Grande is twice the thickness of Diamant thread. For cross stitch, it’s just not suitable.
So, with that out the way, let’s talk about how to use it. So Diamant thread is slightly thicker than a standard floss of thread. In fact, it’s twice the size. This means that when you normally stitch with 2 threads of floss, you will only use one thread of Diamant. Thankfully, Diamant flattens more than normal threads,
meaning the overall look will be very similar to using two threads anyway.
All the other ways to make cross stitching with metallics easier still apply, but with Diamant, it’s much easier from the get-go. Different thread weights. Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid, Fine #8 Braid, Blending Filament combined with floss, just floss. Source: Kreinik Threads (source: Kreinik)
The Alternatives
It would be remiss of me, in a post all about metallics, to not speak about alternatives. And whilst the metallic thread world at first seems narrow, there are some good alternatives that don’t get as much focus as they should.
DMC Metallics
We start with the standard for most cross stitchers when choosing metallics, with DMC’s range. We’ve compared the Diamant threads to these in the post above, but they aren’t all bad. Sure, they can be hard to use, they knot, twist weirdly, break needles, pull and cut fabric and feel rough in the hand. But they come in colors.
The biggest negative about Diamant threads is the lack of colors. I think as time goes on DMC might change the range to include more depth, but right now, it doesn’t have any. Therefore, if you want a colored metallic, DMC metallics are a good starting place. But maybe not the best option.
The DMC Golden Skein
Another option, all be it extremely unlikely, is the limited edition DMC golden skein. I used this thread on my Golden Zelda Cartridge cross stitch and I can tell you that it’s great to use. Sure, it costs an absolute bomb, its limited edition, and it looks the same as any other gold thread, but we like to cover our bases.
Kreinik Threads
However, the best option in my mind, by far, is Kreinik threads. This isn’t to say I’m a Kreinik fanboy or anything, in fact, I actually own more DMC metallics than I do Kreinik threads. The reason I’m saying Kreinik is better is down to their options, which you can see on our Kreinik color chart. Kreinik deals exclusively in specialty threads. This means that they not only produce a great product itself, but they understand the differences each project can bring. This means they offer different thicknesses of almost all of their threads, meaning you can do a straight swap, blend or even blend different metallics together. I’ve used a whole bunch before, and I can you from my Skyrim ruined lexicon cross stitch that a subtle addition can really make a big difference.
If you’re looking for a Diamant alternative from Kreinik, the best I could see was either Kreinik Metallics #4 Very Fine Braid or Japan threads #5.
Have you tried Diamant threads? What do you think?
You’ve just finished your last project, it been nicely washed and ironed, and maybe even framed. So with an eager smile on your face, you pull out your next pattern, itching to get your needle into a new project. That ladies and gentlemen is when the fun police step in. “Stop what you’re doing, you need to prepare first!”
&nsbp;
Thing is, they kind of have a point. No one wants to go through a checklist of boring tasks before getting into cross stitching, but those tasks are there for a reason. With a bit of quick planning (and we mean quick) you can avoid a whole host of problems in your next project. Today, we go over 6 steps that’ll help you get right into stitching.
Plan Your Project
This one seems a bit obvious, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but there are a few things people often forget about that are important to consider.
First up we’d ask the question, where should you start your cross stitch? Almost every pattern you get has a center point, and most people start there. Nothing wrong with that. But is it the best for your project? In our epic Pokemon cross stitch patterns we see people cutting up the massive project into quarters, meaning they instead start in a corner. Or maybe you’re unsure if you’ll have enough fabric, so you start on one edge. It’s really up to you, but just because people tend to start in the center, doesn’t mean you always should. After all, no one wants to discover 90% of the way through their project that they’re not going to have enough fabric to finish.
Secondly, we want to ask another often ignored question: which direction should cross stitches lie? This seems a little random at first, so let me explain. Most people learn cross stitch in a specific way, meaning the top stitch of your cross goes from bottom left to top right. But your eye naturally follows this. This means that if you have a point of interest in your top left or bottom right, people aren’t looking at it. It might be worth changing the direction to get a better finish. How to cross stitch animated gif illustration
Buy Your Cross Stitch Materials
Next up, you need to buy your stuff. For most of us, you’ll have a bunch of fabric, threads, needles, and frames around you, so this is likely to be a small step, but it’s actually one of the most important.
If you use a lot of one color, specifically, more than one skein, in your project, have you thought about thread dye lot issues? It’s worth investing in all the colors you need before you start your project to ensure you’ve got the same tones throughout. We’d actually go one step further and suggest you buy cross stitch supplies online as there is a lower likelihood for dye lot issues (thanks to the way they store cross stitch threads). DMC Thread Color 318 Old and New (Source: Facebook)
Cut and Secure the Edges of Your Fabric
Next we suggest fixing the edges of your fabric. For those that stitch on evenweave or cross stitch fabrics other than aida this is even more important as your fabric has a tendancy to fray. You can stop cross stitch fabric fraying in loads of ways like hand sewing, stitching, gluing or using specific products however a quick wiz of a sewing machine will keep your cross stitch living a lot longer. Blanket Stitching Aida to Stop Fraying (Source: wikihow)
Wash Your Fabric
I’m firmly in the camp of those who think you need to wash your cross stitch however I’m actually going to suggest you wash it before you start too. There are two reasons for this. The first is simply a case of age. If you buy some fabric, how was it stored in the shop? How old is it? How dusty is it? By washing it before you start you avoid trapping any dust under your stitches that is really hard to get rid of once completed.
Secondly, your fabric can bleed. If you’re using dark fabric or even black aida bleeding is more likely. You can avoid the chances of this happening by buying a better brand of cross stitch aida, but its never guaranteed. Better safe than sorry. Washing cross stitch (source: peacockandfig.com)
Grid Your Fabric
I’m not actually telling you to grid your cross stitch. But I do want you to ask yourself if you should. Small projects don’t need gridding, but the larger and larger you get, the more and more miscounting can be a serious problem. Gridding is one, really good, way of avoiding that.
There are lots of ways to grid your cross stitch, some of which are super quick, so its really not as bad of a job as it at first seems. cross stitch grid lines in Easy Count Guideline by A satisfied spirit (source: asatisfiedspirit.com)
Wash Your Hands
Finally, we end with a simple one; wash your hands. Oils from your hands RUIN cross stitch. Wash them before you start, every time, and you’ll stitch yourself an heirloom.
Last week we went over the best places to get free cross stitch patterns and we had a great response, but a lot of people were left asking “what about alphabets?
In a world where cross stitch generators are getting easier and easier to use, people are more often turning to making their own patterns. This, coupled with the rise of snarky stitching and phrase-based patterns often leads to people wanting to make text-based patterns. But unless you’re a secret font designer, people are left looking for alphabets and fonts they can use. So today, we round up where to get the best cross stitch alphabets for free, and paid.
Lord Libidan – Free
Yes, that’s right, we offer free cross stitch alphabets! In fact, 53 of them, in a range of sizes and styles to hopefully help you make an awesome pattern! But this post isn’t about what we offer, but about others, so let’s move on to other resources! Mid Century Cross Stitch Alphabet Pattern Free Download by Lord Libidan
Online Generators – Free/Paid
The first place I would personally look are online cross stitch font generators. These awesome little tools allow you to search their font libraries, select a font, and type your words. They do all the work of making the pattern. They all have free and paid options, but if you intend to make loads of patterns, getting a subscription is a great idea.
There are two big ones out there to check out:
CrosStitch.com – Free & Paid
By far the largest is CrossStitch.com’s caption generator, with over 90 patterns and regular updates to add more. Only 6 are free, but at $12 for a year’s access, they’re a great resource.
StitchPoint.com – Free
Another option is StitchPoint.com’s offering, which is just as good but free. The downside is they only offer 7 patterns, so you’re a lot more limited.
Pinterest – Free
But what about something free I hear you say! Well, that’s where Pinterest comes in. Over the last few decades many cross stitch blogs, forums and designers have offered free cross stitch alphabets. These tend to disappear when the blogs/websites stop updating, but thanks to Pinterest, they’re all recorded to everyone to use. You can find specific boards purely saving cross stitch alphabets, or just go searching to find thousands of them for free. Free Cross Stitch Fonts On Pinterest (Source: Pinterest)
Etsy – Paid
Sadly, whilst Pinterest does have a wealth of free patterns, sometimes they aren’t great quality patterns. This is where websites such as Etsy come in. Many people have lambasted Etsy in the past for its cross stitch copyright infringement, however, when it comes to cross stitch alphabets you’re free of copyright issues (by and large).
Thankfully the world’s cross stitch designers have put together cross stitch fonts on Etsy for you to browse and purchase. A quick search comes up with over 6000 different listings. What makes this even better is that most offer a pack of fonts for less than a few dollars, meaning you can stock up on as many fonts as you want for a low price.
Cross Stitch Generators – Paid
One of the most popular posts on this blog is our review of the best cross stitch software. Its also one of the main reasons we started writing this specific post, but many of the paid cross stitch generators offer free cross stitch fonts from within their apps. You do have to buy them in the first place to get access, but many cross stitchers have these already. You have to dig into the options to find them sometimes, but they all have them.
Our personal favorite is MacStitch and WinStitch’s font converter. It takes any font on your computer and converts it in real-time into a cross stitch pattern. This means you can find any font online you like the look of and it’ll do all the rest. Sometimes tiny fixes are needed, but for the most part, it’s fantastic. The whole cross stitch software is only $35, but the font converter is worth more than that in our eyes. MacStitch Cross Stitch Generator Font Conversion Tool
Wanting to get your hands on a cross stitch pattern for a low cost, or even free is something we all feel. However, getting your hands on both a quality cross stitch pattern, but also a cross stitch pattern that isn’t copyrighted can be very hard when your budget is low. But that doesn’t mean its impossible. So today, we round up the best places to get free cross stitch patterns, and the places you should avoid.
Places To Get Free Patterns:
Finding free patterns really isn’t that hard on the internet, but finding quality free patterns is a different ball game. We reached out to our social media followers for their suggestions and we checked out the quality of the patterns ourselves to make sure they’re the best of the best.
DMC
Unlike many other suggestions on this list, we’re being very specific in the place to go here. DMC threads launched a section on their website about 2 years ago now with over 1000 free patterns. They’re a combination of DMC made patterns, designer collaborations, and paid patterns that they are now making available for free. They’re constantly adding more, and they range from small motifs to large cross stitch patterns. Selection Of Free Pattern Previews From DMC Threads Website (Source: DMC.com)
Designers Websites
Slightly less specific is our suggestion to go to your favorite designers’ own websites. Whilst you can pick up a branded pattern from a whole host of retailers, designers often give out free patterns on their own websites. The reason for this is that they’re either too small for a chargeable pattern, or they just want to get people onto their website. We could list a whole raft of designers that choose to offer free patterns, but award-winning designers such as Caterpillar Cross Stitch and Tiny Modernist are on the list.
You do need to have a favorite designer for this to work, but if you don’t right now, you can search any of the retailers out there for patterns you like and look up the designer (they should always be listed).
Online Stores
Just because designers offer free patterns on their own websites, that doesn’t mean online stores don’t have free patterns as well though. Major retailers such as Heaven & Earth Designs have free patterns on their site. These patterns are to the same standard as their other patterns, but they have an agreement with the designer to offer them for free.
We should note though, that you need to make sure they’re a quality retailer.
Places To Avoid:
Sadly, for every great place to get free patterns, you can also find ten that are not so great.
Etsy
The first on our list is Etsy. Whilst we’ve spoken about Etsy in the past and how its a force for good in cross stitch that doesn’t mean its perfect. More often than not Etsy features copyrighted patterns for sale. However, a recent trend is charging a few cents for up to 20-30 patterns, effectively making them ‘almost’ free. These pattern packs are always filled with copyrighted patterns, so stay clear!
Pinterest
Another site with cross stitch pattern copyright issues is Pinterest. Whilst the site does offer many free patterns that are fine to use, it contains lots and lots of patterns that are direct copies of designers works, or in breach of copyright. However, we would say that you can find some great free cross stitch alphabets on the site! Free Cross Stitch Fonts On Pinterest (Source: Pinterest)
Christmas is nearly upon us, and we all know how hard it is to buy gifts for hobbies we don’t know much about. So here’s an updated holiday gift guide on what to buy the cross stitcher in your life. They’re arranged by price lowest to highest.
Cross Stitch Gauge and Rule by Yarn Tree (Source: Stitched Modern)
One of the most under-rated cross stitch tools out there, many people are unsure if aida gauges are worth getting and so don’t buy one themselves. However as something that now lives on my desk, being used at least once a week, I’m a total convert! And at under $5 you can’t go wrong!
Every cross stitcher has had the hell that is frogging invade their life. Not only do you feel a goof for counting incorrectly, but taking the stitches out is painful. That is, until now. We found out about surgical scissors a while ago and they make frogging easy. Trust us on this, get yourself a pair as you’re bound to need them in the future.
Charizard Needle Keeper by MyWifesAVelociraptor (source: Etsy)
Christmas is mostly about fun gifts you might not buy yourself, and something many cross stitchers never buy is a fun needle keep. You can get them in thousands of different designs, and there are a lot of custom made ones out there like this 3D printed Pokemon charizard for $6 from Etsy. They’re a little bit fun, and you can combine other things together, so if their other favorite hobby is reading, get a book based one, etc. There are a lot of options here, so we also made a guide on inding the perfect needle minder that you might find helpful!
Sadly this year we lost one of the most beloved cross stitch companies, ThreadHeaven. For those who don’t know, they produced a fantastic thread moisturizer that makes cross stitching MUCH easier. A great gift this season might be the last of the stock available (if you can find it) or one of these ThreadHeaven alternatives.
Easy guide cross stitch needles (Source: Etsy.com)
A cross stitch needle is just a cross stitch needle, right? Wrong. We not only found out that not all cross stitch needles are made equal, but there are a bunch of cross stitch needle types to choose from. Our favorite is the easy guide needle, which adds a small ball to the tip of a sharp needle, allowing for more controlled stitching.
Cross stitch takes time, and a great place to stitch is on planes and trains, however, with security being tightened all over, ThreadCutterz has come to the rescue with a plane safe alternative to scissors.
They can only currently be brought from ThreadCutterz themselves.
We have a copy of the DMC shade card on our site to see at any time, and we know that a lot of people use it on a day to day basis, however on screen images aren’t always that reliable, and having the read threads in your hands are a much better alternative. As a result one of the best tools I’ve ever picked up is a cross stitch thread card. We’ve even detailed why you need a DMC thread card. DMC (the most common thread company) do a version with thread samples ($20)including the new DMC threads, which is far superior. Think about getting a metallic shade card from Kreinik too ($36).
There’s nothing more fancy than covering the sharp ends of your scissors with a nicely made scissor sheath. Not only that, but it has a practical benefit of keeping the scissors sharper much longer, by reducing dust build up. You can pick up a nice cover for under $5, so you might want to combine this with a nice fancy pair of embroidery scissors too.
I know a lot of people thing cross stitch is a bit simple, but in reality RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) is a real issue. The best way to solve this is a suitable cross stitch frame. The best one in my mind is a EasyClip frame ($20), but you can see a roundup of cross stitch frames on my recent post about the perfect cross stitch frame.
Criss crossing paris book by fiona sinclair and sallyanna hayes cover small (source: amazon)
This year has seen some of the best cross stitch books ever published, and I would personally buy all of them. However, for the cross stitcher in your life books offer both patterns, and a fresh look at the hobby. We’d personally suggest Criss Crossing Paris ($22) but you can also check our run down of the best cross stitch books out on the market.
Altoids Tin Travel Cross Stitch Kit (Source: red-handledscissors.com)
This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking for gifts for cross stitchers, however many stitchers either stitch when they travel, or wish they could. Finding a great, small, cross stitch kit featuring everything they need is a great gift, and probably not something they’d think of (so you get brownie points). You can either buy pre assembled kits, or make one yourself. A pair of Canary mini snips, needle minder, needle tube and a seam ripper are all you need. And you can fit them all into an Altoids tin.
A magnifier might seem like something an old person might want, but when it comes to cross stitch, a magnifier can be a massive help. In fact, we detailed why magnifiers are worth getting a few months ago; we’re big fans. You can get a whole set of different options here, from ones that light up, to ones that click onto your embroidery hoops. I would try to get one with a 2.5x zoom as this is the most useful for cross stitchers.
Cross Stitch Japanese Style Scissors (source: ebay)
Scissors might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but you send a lot of time snipping things, and frankly, a poor pair of scissors get blunt quickly, fraying ends. Get a nice pair of Fiskars ‘snipping’ scissors, or ones like the image (a Japanese embroidery scissor), or another specific pair for embroidery/cross stitch or cutting fishing line and you’ll see the difference straight away.
You can even get a super awesome pair of frogging scissors, which solves the worst thing about cross stitch (frogging is incorrect stitches that need to be removed).
If you’re not sure what type of scissors to buy, check out our guide on picking the best cross stitch scissors.
Magazines are fantastic for both giving you patterns, giving you inspiration, finding out about all the new products, and reading up on all the happenings of the cross stitch community. There are frankly a shocking amount out there, so its best to pick one or two you like the most, you can find our cross stitch magazine reviews here, and getting a subscription to those. Prices vary, $20-$50 a year.
Cotton and Twine Cross Stitch Subscription Box (Source: historicalsamplercompany.co.uk)
Nothing is quite like getting a gift in the post month after month, stuffed full of awesome cross stitch prizes. You can pick up a whole load of different monthly subscription boxes that make every month a gift month. Prices vary, $20-$50 a year.
500g DMC thread cone in 310 Black (Source: DMC.com)Most us of buy thread in skeins, and whilst this is great for 90% of our needs, colors like black and white are constantly on our “to buy” list. But with a DMC cone, you can buy DMC thread like a pro. These cones come in 500g weights and are equal to about 257. If you do the math, thats only 27c a skein, which is a lot cheaper than anywhere in the world. Trust me, we know how much DMC skeins cost across the world.
CXC is a fairly new brand to the world of cross stitch, but they’re making massive moves. They produce threads, which match the DMC colors exactly, however they make them using a polyester blend, meaning they can reduce costs considerably. In fact, you can pick up their full range of 447 threads for under $40, compared to $400 for DMC threads. But don’t let the price fool you, CXC threads are just as good as more expensive brands in our tests.
New DMC Mouline Etoile Threads In Silver Box (source: sewandso.co.uk)
This year has been big for DMC threads (the most used cross stitch threads). Not only have the new 35 DMC threads started to be used in commonly found kits and patterns, but they also launched a sweet new set of DMC etoile threads, which are super sparkly threads. You can pick up these new threads in fancy packed sets for under $40.
The natural progression for a stitcher is to go from kits, to patterns, to making their own patterns. Most choose online programs, but they all have their own limitations, so spend $20-$200 on the perfect one. I would personally suggest WinStitch/MacStitch or PCstitch for $35-50. Or you can check out our cross stitch pattern generator comparison page.
Tracing pad (source: Amazon)
A tracing pad might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of cross stitch, but there are two great reasons to get one. Firstly, any addition light will help you keep your eyesight while cross stitching, but secondly, and most importantly, it cross stitch on black aida by lighting under your work. You can keep it on your lap or table depending on how you stitch, and they don’t get hot!
We can tell you, for sure, that day light lamps do make a difference to cross stitch. Not only do they add a massive amount of light to the area you’re working in, which can be super helpful when working with black or dark aida but they help your eyes deal with the intense focus you’re putting them through. We belive that everyone should have a well lit cross stitch area, and day light lamps, or bulbs are the best way to get that necessary light.
The only thing better than owning a thread shade card is owning the threads themselves. I always kept using the threads I had on hand, and until I got the whole set, I didn’t realize just how much I was making compromise; my colors have definitely got better. You can see how much a full set of DMC threads has helped us with our blog post about our journey to a complete set of cross stitch threads.
Not the cheapest thing in the world, wait until you can buy a whole set in one go on an offer. The price can drop from $450 to $200. Just don’t be tempted by those cheap Chinese deals to see on eBay.
Just one more stitch. Just one more stitch. Just one more stitch.
We’ve all been there before. It’s just a part of being a cross stitcher, and whilst being in the zone is a great thing for how many stitches you can get done, it isn’t always the greatest thing for your health.
When cross stitching we actually put our bodies through a lot of strain, from poor sitting positions and stiff necks to hand and finger strain and eye problems. So we’ve decided to help you out with a few changes to your stitching set up that will keep you stitching for decades to come!
Take a Break
Stop stitching. Not forever! Just 5 minutes will do!
We’re going to go through a whole list of other things you can do to help, but taking a break applies to all of them. Taking breaks is hard when your deep into a cross stitch but taking a break will give your eyes a rest, your wrist rest, it gives you a chance to reset your posture, get a drink and gives you a little bit of clarity. Its also been proven that taking breaks means you make fewer mistakes, and I’ll do anything to reduce the amount of frogging I have to do…
Stretch your Wrist
Some of the most reported injuries in cross stitch are wrist related. From repetitive strain injury to torn ligaments and even breaks. This might not happen to all of us or even most of us, but it does happen, and once it does, you’ll suffer for a long time to come. The solution to this is actually pretty obvious; stretch it out.
Sure, your cross stitching isn’t going to make you sweat like a workout, but its the same basic principle. Do circles with your wrist every so often to make sure there’s a good range of motion. If you do get some strain and pain, try out wearing a wrist brace while stitching; it’ll help a lot!
Keep Threads Short
Another way to help your wrist, arms, and shoulder is by using the right length of thread. I must admit, I’m terrible for using long pieces of floss, but every time I do it for a few hours I start getting shoulder and neck pain. The right length should be from the tip of your middle finger to the point of your elbow. By keeping your threads short you’ll reduce the stress on your shoulder and associated muscles. It also helps with your posture.
Watch your Posture
There is a whole load of ways to sit while cross stitching depending on your chosen way of stitching and what frame you use, so I’m not going to go into specifics here, but let’s just say, I know, with an almost 100% certainty, that you’re slouching. We do it all the time. It’s just the way your body tries to sit (even though it’s bad for it) so I won’t tell you off or anything, but when you stitch, unmoving for hours, is slouching really the way to go?
We suggest investing in a good chair, lumbar support or just trying to sit up correctly while stitching. So long as your threads aren’t too long you’ll feel the same. However thanks to a better posture you’re saving your spin from compressing in weird ways, your shoulders from overworking and your neck from hanging forward.
Protect your Eyes
Light it up! And we really mean that too. We don’t mind if you choose to use a day light bulb for your cross stitch, or just any random old lamp, but you need to light it up. We’ve gone into length about how to keep your eyesight whilst cross stitching and light is by far the best way to do that. It also helps you cross stitch on black aida, so win-win. Daylight Slimline Table Lamp (source: Amazon)
We also suggest using magnifiers if you need to do detailed work. Straining your eyes to see those tiny stitches is just going to end badly long term. Help yourself out and magnify that cross stitch!
Drink
It might seem an obvious one, but taking a break to get a brew or drink is super important. It’s easy to lose track of time and end up stitching for hours without any breaks or hydration. By enforcing you get up to drink not only do you force a break on yourself, helping both eyesight and posture issues, but you keep yourself hydrated and healthy. Also, its always time for a brew.
Pee
Well, with all that water in your system, you’re going to need to use the loo. However many cross stitchers don’t get up to pee when they should. Instead, they repeat that mantra “Just one more stitch. Just one more stitch. Just one more stitch.” and before you know it you’re bursting. Take it from me, just go to the loo. If you keep holding it you can develop kidney stones and infections, which for some can even be life-threatening.
So there it is. Take good care of yourself while cross stitching!
Everyone has a stash of cross stitch stuff, and its tempting to keep on buying fabric with the intention of stitching that particular pattern, but it ends up in a pile somewhere, and you really don’t know what’s in it. Not only that but it’s getting dirty, it’s getting sun-bleached and it’s getting a bit of a menace. This isn’t to mention that fact that you simply can’t face sorting through it for that bit of fabric that might be in there, but might not, especially when yo can just get a new bit on your favorite online cross stitch store. Zweigart aida (Source: backstitch.co.uk)
What Do You Need To Consider?
If it’s important then, what do you need to consider when looking at storage options?
Sun
Sun is the death of all things cross stitch. I’ve mentioned it many times before, particularly when I rounded up how to store finished cross stitch. Sunlight damages things by breaking down the color particles. If you have colored fabrics, this means it’ll break down the color where ever sun hits regularly. If you check your curtains, it’s likely that one edge will be sun-bleached. Don’t let that happen to your fabric.
Dust/Staining/Bugs
The second big concern for fabric is damage through the dirt. We’ve also included dust, staining, and bugs into this category, as so long as you fix one of these issues, they all get solved together. Like many homes, dust is an issue, and fabric, particularly ones you don’t use often, makes a great place for bugs of all types. Let’s face it, when did you last dust your cross stitch stash? This is made even more of a problem if you keep your fabric in longer-term storage in a place like your garage or loft.
Moths in particular love fabric, but just regular dirt can stain fabric over time, and no amount of cross stitch washing will get that out.
Folds
The biggest issue for fabric may be sun damage, and bugs are never something you want to think about, however, one of the biggest problems with fabric storage is actually folds. For most fabrics this isn’t a great deal, you can iron them out without an issue, however, cross stitch fabrics like aida are starch heavy, meaning ironing out folds can be hard. I’ve seen many ways of storing fabric in the past, however, I always wonder what they’re going to do about the folds one they need to use the fabric.
How To Store Them
So with that in mind, what are the best ways to store fabric? Well, there are hundreds of ideas out there, from storing them on shelves to binders and even filing cabinets. However, there are two main ways we’d suggest (but we’d love to hear your ideas too!):
Storage tubes
The simple storage tube. This idea actually came from a sewing school I worked with once; they stored all of their fabric in storage tubes. Whilst I don’t expect you to have this many, they have enough to fill a whole wall stacked on top of each other. But storage tubes are our preferred way to store fabric. Cheap, easy to store and crease-free, cardboard tubes can be a super idea for cross stitch storage (source: Google images)
Unlike many other ways of storage, tubes allow you to roll the fabric instead of the fold, they’re enclosed in a dust-free area, they avoid the sun, and they’re cheap. They can also be stored somewhere long term (think garage or loft) without concern that something might get to them. Finally, if you get the cardboard type, you can write on them to say what’s inside.
Plastic Storage Boxes
This is the way we stored our fabric for a long time, before moving onto storage tubes. That said, there isn’t a lot of issues with storage boxes, so long as you don’t start drowning in fabric like we were. Flat Storage Boxes (Source: Pinterest)
They’re mostly flat.
They protect the fabric so no threats of bugs.
They’re waterproof.
They’re naturally sun bleach proof.
They’re cheap.
They’re easy to store (so long as you don’t have too many).
In short, so long as you can cope with the sheer size of storage boxes, and you keep track of how much fabric your amassing (more on that below) then they’re a great way to store stuff. You can slip them under a bed, or put them in a loft or garage, or just place the storage box in a draw (we prefer the flatter ones for this reason). You can even roll your fabric in them instead of folding and stacking to avoid folds!
There is one concern though; don’t overfill them. If you need to push the lid down, there are too many in the box, and you’re going to be forcing fold lines into the aida.
Keeping Track
Finally, and arguably the most important thing you need to do is keeping track of what you have. More times than I can recall I’ve brought another bit of aida before realizing I already have three meters of the stuff. That is why keeping track is important.
Do It Digitally
We shouted about the benefits of digital tracking when we looked at how to organize cross stitch patterns, but when you don’t have online patterns but real-life fabric, is it as good? Well, yes. You can track your stash with a list on your phone, an excel sheet like our DMC thread tracker, a fancy cross stitch app or any other way you want.
Just Make A Good Old Fashioned List
Sometimes, regardless of how fancy you want to do, a good old fashioned list is just the best choice. Keep it brief, but include important bits of info like brand, color, count and size. Once you’ve broken your stash up into a simple way to store them, you can start making a code too. Box 3 has 14 count, tube 2 has linen, etc.
We hope this helps you keep track of your stash and avoid you having to buy more and more cross stitch fabric that you need. If you have a special way to store and track your fabric, we’d love to hear it! Drop us a comment on here or our social accounts!
Every one of you has seen a completed cross stitch, even on this site, which is still in a hoop. There might be a fair few stitchers out there that really really want to take a photo of it before removing it from the frame, but the vast majority are already framed; in their hoops.
Sure, plain hoops look good sometimes, but for a more varied look, you can decorate. Today we look at the best ways to decorate your hoop for a fresh new look.
Pick Your Frame
The first, and most important thing to work out, is what type of hoop you want to use. You have three main choices and they all have different impacts.
Wooden Embroidery Hoops
The standard wooden embroidery hoop, made from anything from bamboo to pine (always softwoods) are great for stitching with as they have natural spring in them thanks to the wood fibers, but this spring gives way to splintering on the outside layers, easy damage and accidental staining (from finger oils). So whilst this is the best embroidery hoop to use for stitching, you may want to only use these hoops when covering the wood entirely, as splintering can still happen if they’re painted/finished.
Plastic Embroidery Hoops
Plastic embroidery hoops are also great for framing, but unlike wooden frames, they are usually colored. It might be that all you need to do is pick a nice color and you’re done! But the other side of the coin is that in order to paint these you need to rub them down, and prime them; so stay away from painting.
Aged Embroidery Hoops
The two other hoops we’ve mentioned are great places to start, but if you plan to frame your cross stitch in the hoop, we prefer ‘aged’ embroidery hoops. What we mean here is actually hardwood hoops. Unlike the standard wooden hoops and plastic hoops, these have no form of screw, and are just one solid hardwood hoop. The advantages are these are that they don’t splinter, you can paint them, stain them, even just varnish them, and they’ll look a dream. If you want to completely cover the hoop (we talk about that in a minute), then they’ll keep shape better than standard embroidery hoops too.
However, be warned that they are 3-6 times more expensive than the standard embroidery hoop. Glow in the dark Journey Cross Stitch by Kay (source: google images)
Paint/Stain
OK, so now we have that out of the way, let’s talk painting. If anyone talks about decorating embroidery hoops, this is where most people go to, and for fair reason. Painting hoops, in either complementary colors (even matching the fabric to hide them) or converse colors can really make a project. In the two examples below we show a bright yellow, matching the writing, and dark black to make the colors stand out more.
The real advantage of painting though is you can’t go wrong. Matt paints, gloss paints, emulsions, or watercolors, or stain or varnish, painting a hoop is fair game, however, you want to do it. Kreuzstich heart cross stitch (source: twitter)Fallout 3 Home Sweet Home Sampler Cross Stitch (source: reddit)
Washi Tape/Decoupage
Next up we have washi tape, which to those who don’t know, is basically scotch tape with pretty patterns on it. Coming from Japan where its a seriously big deal, you can get washi tapes in patterns, colors, styles (including glow-in-the-dark), and even printed characters. All you have to do is wrap the outside ring. You can do this like our example with long straight stretches, or you can coil it around the hoop too. It gives you a slight bit of interest in what would normally be a boring old hoop.
You could also try decoupage, which is a very similar effect, but with paper instead! Washi Tape Embroidery Hoop by sewpinata (Source: Instagram)
Fabric Wrapped
Finally, we suggest looking into fabric wrapping. This one is slightly more difficult, as not only do you need to find an appropriate fabric (we suggest thin patterned cotton) you need to wrap your fabric in a way that doesn’t show fraying edges.
But, what a way to finish a hoop, than to use either the same fabric, hiding the hoop completely, or even wrapping the hoop in something truly unique. Fabric Wrapped Embroidery Hoops (Source: Pinterest)
How To Frame An Embroidery Hoop
So once you’ve picked your design and decorated it, how do you frame your embroidery hoop?
