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All about Cross-Stitch Needles

March 15, 2023 by Sarah White

I do cross stitch from time to time, but I haven’t ever given much thought to the supplies I use to do it. I have always used whatever I happened to have access to, including whatever needle was nearby.

That means I’ve done cross stitch with sewing needles, and with blunt needles meant for yarn, too.

But did you know there are different kinds of needles that are just for cross stitch and embroidery?

Tapestry needles are the needles that are made for working cross stitch and embroidery, and just like my yarn needle, they aren’t sharp, though tapestry needles meant for cross stitch are smaller than the ones used to seam knitting or crochet projects.

In fact there’s a range of sizes, and it’s best to use different needles depending on the size of fabric you’re using. Which makes sense, because different sized fabric has slightly different sized holes for the needle to go through.

Gathered has a great guide to tapestry needle sizes, but in general as the count of the fabric goes up, the number size of the needle also goes up, but that means that the needle itself is getting smaller. So for example for working on 14 count fabric you’d want to use a size 24 needle, whereas for 16 count fabric you’d use a 26, which is actually a little smaller.

Larger holes in your cross stitch fabric can accommodate larger needles, and if you’re stitching on something like burlap you can use a large needle like my yarn needle. When stitching on fabric instead of cross-stitch cloth, you’ll want to use a smaller needle or go to a sharper sewing needle if you’re having trouble piercing the fabric (which may happen if you’re stitching on a thick fabric).

Do you pay attention to the type of needle you use when you cross stitch? Have you found there’s a difference when working with different fabrics? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Stitched Modern.]

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Back to School Cross Stitch Patterns

Back to school time is right around the corner where I live as I write this, and school-themed cross stitch patterns are super cute to make as a teacher gift or to personalize something like a pencil bag or backpack tag. 

This school supply cross stitch design from 7StitchesTN is meant to be horizontal, but I think you could turn the letters the other direction (or not) and make this into a bookmark. It can also be repeated to make a border around a project. As shown it is 64 by 30 stitches, which is 6.7 by 2.1 inches/17.1 by 5.4 cm on 14 count fabric. It uses 15 colors. 

Italia Print has a little set of school themed cross stitch patterns you can make as a single design as shown, or use individual patterns on different projects. The full design is 76 by 66 stitches, which is about 5.4 by 4.7 inches, or 13.8 by 12 cm, and it uses 18 colors. 

Speaking of designs that can be worked separately, there’s also this pattern from Bella Rose Craft, which could easily be divided into its different parts or you could use some of the pieces as a border on another project. The full design is shown in a 4-inch hoop and measures 2.71 by 2.64 inches/6.8 by 6.7 cm on 14 count fabric. 

This lovely set of teacher themed cross stitch patterns would be lovely to make as a teacher gift at the beginning or end of the year or for the holidays. From The Stitch Patterns, it is a set of five designs that includes books, flowers blooming from a book, a tulip, pencil cup and pencil drawing a heart. Each one is about 7 inches/17.78 cm square. 

This cute class in session design from Plaid Online would be another cute one to make for a teacher. It uses seven colors (including black for the back stitching on the ruler) and is about 2 inches/5.08 cm square.

And Craft with Cartwright has this funny and cute worm and apples design that would be cute for back to school. It uses seven colors and is 78 by 52 stitches, or 5.5 by 3.7 inches/14.15 by 9.43 cm on 14 count fabric. The apples by themselves would be cute on a project, too. 

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