A Great Cross Stitch Holiday Gift Guide

I am not the most experienced at cross stitch so I’m not always aware of the best tools and supplies that a cross stitch enthusiast might want. So now that we’re in the season of gift lists, you probably don’t want to take it from me when it comes to the best products to get for a cross stitcher in your life or to add to your wish list.

(The entirety of my cross stitch supplies other than a roll of fabric fits in a zippered bag that a set of king-sized sheets came in, so I am definitely the wrong person to ask.)

But A Stitch of Blissfulness is a good person to ask, and they’ve compiled a list of their favorite cross stitching supplies that would be a great place to start if you want to get a good gift for a cross-stitcher or you want to get some good gifts for yourself.

The stuff on their list makes a lot of sense, but also there are some things I would never think to ask for like a good light or a cookbook stand to hold your pattern.

One thing on this list I definitely want to try is the first thing on the list: a Q Snap embroidery frame system. These PVC pipes snap together to form a frame that holds your project firmly in place while you stitch. This isn’t a solution if you want to frame your project in a hoop, but assuming you might want to finish your project in a different way this frame is a great option.

There’s lots more listed in the blog post, so head over to A Stitch of Blissfulness to see all the recommendations. If you’ve asked for or received or bought for someone else a great cross-stitch inspired gift, I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: A Stitch of Blissfulness]

Stitch up something a little different for your Halloween decor with these Halloween sampler cross stitch patterns. From the traditional to the slightly offbeat, I think there’s something for almost everyone here.

This cute little sampler from Juko Patterns includes a haunted house, black cats, spiders, bats and pumpkins, a skeleton, crow and ghost among other delights. The design is 142 by 150 stitches and uses 7 colors. On 14 count fabric the design comes out to 10.1 by 10.7 inches or 25.8 by 27.2 cm.

ONESEO has a cute vintage style Halloween sampler with cats, pumpkins, ghosts, a witch, spider web, potion bottles and other cute designs. This would be a fun one to stitch as is or to pull out little details to use in different projects. Or both! As shown the design is 200 by 200 stitches and uses 16 colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 14.3 inches square or 36.3 cm.

Another cute Halloween design is this October sampler from Sosae Caetano. This sweet design full of pumpkins, candy corn, ghosts and witch hats looks easy to stitch and comes out to 4.75 by 8 inches (that’s about 12 by 20 cm) on 14 count fabric. The pattern notes don’t say but it looks like it uses 7 colors.

This All Hallows Eve samplers form Autumn Andrea features an alphabet, a black cat, a few crows and pumpkins, and other elements like a cauldron, skeleton and owl. This one is a gigantic 437 by 352 stitches, which comes out to 31.21 by 25.14 inches, or 79.27 by 63.85 cm on 14 count fabric. It calls for 28 colors. If that all sounds like too much you could always just stitch a portion such as the cat or one of the crows to add to your Halloween display.

On the traditional but still kind of silly side of the spectrum, there’s this Plum Street Samplers design called Grim Gourds, featuring some grumpy looking pumpkins, a black bird and an alphabet. This one is a printed pattern sold by Hollis Hands Create, and the pattern measures 97 by 90 stitches and uses five colors.

The Colours of Halloween design from Stitchrovia never fails to make me smile and want to look closer. It features squares of different colors and patterns and their Halloween meaning, from a full moon to a magic potion, candy corn and slime. Such a fun idea! It measures 119 by 180 stitches, and uses 24 colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 8.4 by 12. 9 inches, or 21.4 by 32.8 cm.

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