This post was originally in XStitch Magazine Issue 6: Mixtape, and has been adapted. Cross stitch has always had a lot of similarities to music in my mind, not only does has it been with us for nearly as long in history, but its popularity ebbs and flows. There is even a ‘golden age’…
I was recently contacted by a reader and she asked a simple question that I honestly wasn't sure how to answer. "Is it worth using silk threads for a heritage project?" I've known of both silk and stain threads (DMCs answer to silk threads, that are actually cotton) for a long time, but I…
There aren't many items that I would say that you need to have. At a push, I would say you probably you need to have a good pair of scissors, but there is one other item I would suggest for every cross stitcher. A tracing pad. They might not be the most obviously needed tool…
As one of the main tools in cross stitch, it's no surprise that we've spoken about hoops before, at length. We even suggest them as one of the best cross stitch frame types, but there is a fairly constant discussion in the cross stitch world; if you use hoops, are wood, plastic, or spring hoops…
I love the idea of railroading. The idea that you can make a perfect stitch, and by doing so improve the overall look of your finished cross stitch. But I don't do it. I can do it, and I have in the past completed whole projects, but most of my projects aren't stitched with railroading…
We're big fans of collecting threads here, and on our journey to ever DMC thread we've had to work out a few things, like making an inventory spreadsheet for tracking threads and looking at the best way to store threads. But one thing has always bugged us, regardless of what way you store your threads;…
When it comes to cross stitch and tools, there are a whole bunch. From random laying tools to something as simple and widespread as a thread shade chart. As a result, many cross stitchers ignore news of new accessories and notions, expecting them to be worthless. However, this isn't always the case! It is…
This post was originally in XStitch Magazine Issue 7: Love, and has been adapted. When you look up love in the dictionary you can get a whole series of definitions, however, at its core, love is an intense feeling of pleasure in someone or something. However, if you look up the definition of similar…
Cross stitch needles have two different eyes. And we don't just mean those double eyed cross stitch needles either, one side of the cross stitch needle is slightly more open than the other. Let us explain. How They're Made We're not going to go into a lot of detail here, but we will talk about…
When I first started amassing threads in an effort to collect all 500 DMC threads, I came across the three threads that weren't numbered like the others. These threads had special names, specifically BLANC/WHITE, B5200, and ECRU. It's that last one that interests me the most now as, despite the fact that I've had…