Cross-Stitch

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All About Cross Stitch Hoops

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One of the tools that I consider essential for most cross stitchers is an embroidery hoop, but I know it’s not really essential.

A lot of the stitching I have been doing lately has been on really small projects where I feel like having a hoop involved would just get in the way and make the project take longer. (Of course having a small hoop to work in would eliminate that problem, but I just saved myself a trip to the store.)

Hoops are great for holding the fabric flat and at a good tension that makes stitching easier, especially when you’re working on a big project. They can be good for beginners especially because they give you a little more stability that can be comforting.

But I feel like it’s also becoming more popular for people to do what’s called stitching in hand, which is just what it sounds like. Instead of using a hoop you hold the project in your hand to stitch. This gives the stitcher more flexibility and control and is good if you like to move around the fabric rather than stitching one section of the project at a time.

If you want to know more about stitching in hand or what kinds of hoops you should consider if you don’t want to work that way, check out this post from the Fat Quarter Shop blog. It’s got links to videos that talk about these issues maybe in more depth than you’ve ever considered them before.

At the beginning of the year it’s great to think about the way you do things and whether there might be a different and possibly better way to try. If you’ve never stitched without a hoop before (or if you’ve never stitched with a hoop!) maybe it’s time to try the other way and see if you like it.

If you have a strong preference for hoops or for stitching in hand, I’d love to hear why you work the way you do!

[Photo: Fat Quarter Shop]

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Fancy Pumpkin Cross Stitch Patterns

If you’re ready to move beyond basic, solid orange pumpkins, check out these pumpkin cross stitch patterns that are just a little bit fancier with some kind of pattern on the pumpkin. 

Keep it simple and rustic with this plaid pumpkin form Cross Stitch with Art. You can make the plaid whatever colors you want to match your decor, or keep with the Halloween color palette. It uses three colors and comes out to about 6 inches/15.24 cm square when you stitch it on 14 count fabric. 

Mamaida Pattern has this cute pumpkin with a vine in the negative space. Since that portion isn’t actually stitched (though you could make it green if you like) that makes this pattern pretty easy. It uses just two colors and measures 108 by 110 stitches. That’s about 7.7 by 7.9 inches or 19.6 by 20 cm on 14 count fabric. 

Speaking of negative space, this design by Tinsel Cross Stitch blows out the pumpkin a bit so the ridges are negative space and the colors here too have kind of a vineing effect. This design is 98 by 113 stitches and uses three colors. It measures 7 by a little more than 8 inches, or 17.78 by 20.5 cm on 14 count fabric.

Get even more detailed with the carving effect on this pumpkin cross stitch pattern from Anemone Patterns. This one is 85 by 83 stitches, which comes out to 6.1 by 5.9 inches (15.4 by 15.1 cm).

In a similar vein but a different color, there’s this pretty green pumpkin from Crystal Feather Crafts. Of course you could make it any color you like, but I always like to remind people that even in nature not all pumpkins are orange. This design measures 101 by 93 stitches, which is 7.2 by 6.6 inches/18.3 by 16.9 cm. 

And speaking of color, if you want to stitch a pumpkin with boho vibes, this one from Stitch Craft Creatives is probably the one for you. At 200 stitches square, it comes out to 14.4 inches or 36.3 cm square on 14 count fabric. It uses 14 colors for a very vibrant pumpkin!