Over on my blog, Our Daily Craft, I’ve been working on some pages that bring together a lot of information I’ve shared about different crafts over the course of the 15 (!) or so years I’ve been writing over there to make it easier for people to find what they need to get started. I recently published a post all about how to cross stitch, and while it might not be totally “done,” I think it’s a good start for anyone wanting to learn or who might need a refresher on the basics. The post covers everything from the basic supplies you need to get started to questions like, does cross stitch fabric ..read more

If you’re a fan of ornamental folk cross stitch designs, you’ll want to check out Stone Street Stitchworks, an Etsy designer based in Houston, Texas. According to their shop description, they feature designs with an “ornamental country style” inspired by cottages, country landscapes, primitive and folk art, as well as Americana and samplers from the colonial and Quaker eras, and American and European samplers. As of this writing they have a little more than 30 designs, which definitely have an early America feel to them. I love the Day to Night pattern, which features a little house and a big ..read more

One of the great things about cross stitching is that you can get started without a lot of supplies. Really just a bit of fabric, some embroidery floss and a needle are all that you need to try it out. But like any craft, there are accessories and special tools that might not be essential, but they do make the work a little easier. And sometimes they can even make it a little more fun, too. Take needle minders, for example. I didn’t know these existed until a few years ago. I always just stabbed my needle through a couple of holes in the cross stitch fabric (ideally outside of the stitching ar ..read more

It’s the time of year when I can feel summer coming on even though we’re still firmly in springtime. It makes me want to start crafting projects with more of a summery feel to them, which is probably why I was recently drawn to look up some cactus cross stitch patterns. Witch Stitch has an adorable little cactus in a pot pattern that wouldn’t be too hard for a beginner. It uses seven colors and has a little backstitch for the spikes. This set of little cacti from Ugly Duckling House are cute all together on a hoop, but they’d also be cute stitched individually on different projects. Napkins fo ..read more

Even though their patterns cover a wide range of seasons, holidays and motifs, there’s just something about the designs from Etsy seller Goffin Design that evokes spring to me. The colors are bright, fresh and cheerful, whether they’re used to illustrate four seasons of windows, Santa at his workshop or a pair of potted citrus trees. A great many of the designs on offer have to do with the seasons, and quite a few of them are sets of four patterns that are related, such as the above-mentioned windows, or there are seasonal mice, hearts with the season’s word in the middle each stitched in a d ..read more

One of the great things about cross stitch as a craft is that it doesn’t take a lot of skill or supplies to get started. You can make your first cross stitch patterns with a single color of thread, using a single kind of stitch, with fabric that’s easy to find, with or without a hoop. The learning curve is pretty small, and you’re only out a few dollars and a little bit of time to learn the basics and see if you like it. But if you’re new to cross stitch or thinking about starting cross stitch as a new craft in your life, you might have some questions that patterns just don’t answer, either be ..read more

I’ve started (just barely, as you can see) a relatively big/complicated cross stitch project (the Baba Yaga house from Happy Little Mouse I told you about a while ago) and I knew that for this project I was going to need a little help keeping track of where I was and what I needed to do next. Adding grids to your cross stitch fabric is a quick and easy way to help yourself when you’re working on a big project. Your chart will have grids marking off every 10 stitches and every 10 rows, so having those same markings on your fabric can only make it easier for you to follow along. There are a few ..read more

When I was casting about Etsy to find a designer to spotlight this week, I landed on Little Dove Samplers and felt like this might have been a designer that I showcased before. It turns out that I shares a summer sampler of theirs a couple of years ago, but I remembered the bright and cheerful designs, which once again drew me into their world. This UK based designer does a lot of colorful sampler patterns, with a focus on seasons and holidays. In fact, speaking of that summer design, you can actually purchase a set of all four seasons, which have coordinating designs so they could be displaye ..read more

Anzac Day is marked each year on April 25 as a reminder of the battle of Gallipoli, a conflict against the Ottoman Turks in 1915 that resulted in the deaths of more than 8,000 Australian soldiers. Anzac is a nickname for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and the day serves as a memorial for all Australians killed in military operations (similar to Memorial Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world). As is traditional in some other countries, poppies are used as a symbol of remembrance, and there are many lovely poppy cross stitch patterns, whether specific to Anzac Day or othe ..read more

French knots are a pretty common embellishment in cross stitch patterns that might be used for eyes or to add texture like polka dots or stars on a project. If you delve into other genres of needlework you’ll find French knots coming up in all sorts of ways, and you can even stitch up whole projects that are just made out of French knots! It’s worth it to take some time to explore French knots, how they’re made and how you can get a different look based on how many threads you use and how many times you twist the thread around the needle to make the knot. Generally the pattern you are working ..read more