An Easy Way to Finish a Cross Stitch or Embroidery Project

Cross stitch projects look really cute if you frame them in their hoops, but how do you do that in a way that looks neat?

I love this tutorial from Little Dorrit & Co. via Sew Mama Sew on how to finish and frame an embroidery project in a hoop.

Though this project shows embroidery stitches worked on fabric, but the same idea can be used for a cross stitch project worked on canvas.

This method uses a couple of pieces of felt to cover up first the back of the stitching and then the edges of the fabric. It’s a really clever way to get a clean finish on the back of your hoop that’s perfect for projects you want to give as gifts or sell.

Have you ever framed your cross stitch projects in a hoop? Did you finish the back in any way? I’d love to know how you did it.

[Photo via Sew Mama Sew.]

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To Ways to Back a Hoop to Frame Cross Stitch

One of the problems with a lot of Christmas crafts is that they feel like holiday decorations that need to go away as soon as the holiday is over. And in the depths of winter, we’d rather keep the cheery things out a little longer, right? That’s where these snowman cross stitch patterns come in.

They fit in fine with your holiday decor but you can also leave them out as long as there’s cold weather.

This sweet little snowman with a cup of coffee and a pine bough is super cute and pretty easy to stitch. It comes from My Lovely Embroidery NB, and measures 52 by 63 stitches. That’s 3.71 by 4.5 inches or 9.43 by 11.43 cm on 14 count fabric, and it uses 19 colors.

These peeking snowmen from Rina Stitch are super silly and would be great stitched on a pillow or in a long narrow frame to put on the mantle. The pattern is 120 by 59 stitches, which comes out to 8.57 by 4.21 inches or 21.77 by 10.7 cm when you use 14 count fabric. This one calls for 22 colors.

If you’re just here for the snow, you’ll want to stitch this trio of fashionable snowfolk from Piccola Parigi. It uses 15 colors and measures 187 by 129 stitches. That’s about 13.36 by 9.21 inches (34 by 23.4 cm) when worked on 14 count fabric, but the pattern includes measurements for other counts if you want to make it smaller or larger.

Kits by SAStitch has this adorable snowman holding and candy cane, and looking very dapper while doing it. I love this one because it feels like it would fit right in with Christmas things but would also be nice to have out all season. This piece is 55 by 70 stitches, which is 3.9 by 4.9 inches or 10 by 13 cm on 14 count fabric.

And if you want to bring a little humor to your winter stitching, check out this one from Sweet Annet which tells you exactly how snowflakes are made. This one uses 23 colors and measures 5.o7 by 4.29 inches, or 12.88 by 10.89 cm on 14 count, with a stitch count of 71 by 60.

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