Beyond fabric, thread, and a needle, the right equipment makes stitching easier, more comfortable, and in some cases just more fun. This guide pulls together everything on the site about the hoops, scissors, and accessories worth having in your kit.
Every post tagged below covers some part of this topic, newest first. If you want a specific answer right away, start with the sections below.
A good pair of scissors matters more than most stitchers realize, and the right pair for your workbench isn’t always the right pair for travel.
Start with the best cross stitch scissors for the full comparison, then the best cross stitch travel scissors if you stitch on the go. Finding the right cross stitch scissors covers what to actually look for, and frogging made easy with curve tipped scissors is worth a read before your next unpicking session.
Hoops do more than just hold your fabric taut, they’re also one of the most personalized pieces of equipment a stitcher owns, right down to how you choose to display them once a piece is finished.
Wood hoops, plastic hoops, spring hoops, which is best covers the main options, and should you cross stitch without a hoop and do you actually need to remove your cross stitch from the hoop both challenge assumptions most stitchers don’t question. For display, a better way to display a hoop and how to decorate embroidery hoops for framing are both worth a look, and the pink double hoop cross stitch ring donut is a fun example of how far hoop design has come.
Good lighting and the right magnification can be the difference between an evening of relaxed stitching and one spent squinting at fine aida.
Are magnifiers worth it for cross stitch and do daylight bulbs actually make a difference both look at whether these upgrades are worth the money.
Keeping a project protected and portable matters just as much once you’re away from your usual stitching spot.
Cross stitch project bags covers what to look for when you want your work to travel safely.
When I first started cross stitching I remember finding a photo of Mr X Stitch cross stitching on the train! I thought it was insane! OK, I was a manbroiderer so may have preferred to stitch indoors, but I thought his work must get so dirty! That's the thing; your work doesn't have to be…
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…
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.…
I recently won the best miniature cross stitch in the National Needlecraft Awards this year with my miniature traditional pirate samplers and as a result I won a fancy magnifying light. This was the first one I ever got, and whilst it gave me loads of ideas for miniature cross stitch, I didn't realize the…