Book Review: Free Spirit Stitching

It’s so fun to combine different kinds of stitching in the same project. Free Spirit Stitching: 8 Vibrant and Colorful Stitching Adventures by Debra Valencia allows you to do just that.

These projects include cross stitch and embroidery techniques together to make projects with a different look with lots of texture and style.

The projects are:

The single-color Chic & Cozy Clutch, worked in cross stitch, stem stitch, French knots, blanket stitch and straight stitch
A boho paisley heart pillow, combining cross stitch with stem stitch, split stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, straight stitch, French knots and eyelet stitch
The Summer Love tote bag, which features a giant cross stitched pastel peace sign surrounded by flowers and other motifs worked in stem, split, satin, straight stitch and blanket stitch, along with long and short stitch, seed stitch, backstitch and blanket stitch
The sweet love nest wall hanging, which uses muslin cutouts of birds embellished with embroidery and stitched on muslin; in addition to cross stitch it uses straight stitch, stem stitch, blanket stitch, French knots and lazy daisies
The beauty sleep door sign, probably the easiest project in the book, it’s mostly cross stitch with a touch of stem, satin and straight stitching, plus a rhinestone and fun trim for extra bling
An eyeglass case made of felt and embellished with cross stitch flowers with stem stitch, lazy daisy and French knot details (the case is also sewn with blanket stitch)
Cactus Garden hoop wall art, pictured on the cover, featuring cross stitched cacti with stem stitch, satin stitch, French knot and lazy daisy details
The love rainbow pillow, mostly worked in split stitch and long and short stitch, also has a cross stitch heart

Several of the patterns are rated for all skill levels, while a couple are intermediate. If you’re comfortable with basic embroidery techniques and transferring patterns, these are all great options to try. There are general instructions for the stitches included, and each pattern has a charted design as well as a photo of the finished project showing what to stitch where. This is helpful for working with cross stitch and embroidery at the same time.

If you like to cross stitch but haven’t done a lot of embroidery before or just haven’t mixed them in projects, this is a fun book to get you started thinking about how to combine different kinds of needlework that will inspire you to freestyle with different stitches more often.

Get the book here: Free Spirit Stitching: 8 Vibrant and Colorful Stitching Adventures

About the book: 64 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2019 by Leisure Arts. Suggested retail $12.99.

Next Pattern:

35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

I like small projects in all my crafts, and I’ve been spending some time this year coming up with little cross stitch projects that I can do to build my skills and also not be working on a gigantic project (which I also am, just not regularly).

I feel like most of us prefer closer to instant gratification projects most of the time. While there’s also room for those big, dramatic, super detailed projects, my lifestyle, and maybe yours too, is much better suited to smaller projects.

With that in mind I thought it would be fun to try making a cross stitch napkin ring. My version has three little flowers on it, but you could take this idea 100 different ways for different holidays and seasons. Tiny Christmas trees or snowflakes, stars, hearts, flowers of different colors.

Since it’s a small project it doesn’t take long to make one (which is nice, because you’ll probably want more than one to embellish your table).

I made my flowers in different colors, with a different one of the same three colors I chose serving as the center for a different flower. The centers are worked as French knots (which are so much fun to make), and I did mirror images of the flower chart just to make it more fun for me.

I also finished the edges with blanket stitch using another color of embroidery floss, which adds cuteness and hopefully will keep the fabric from fraying too much. So far so good.

Check out the pattern and grab the little flower chart I used over at Our Daily Craft.

Do you love little cross stitch projects? Or ones that are maybe less traditional ways to use cross stitch? I’d love to hear your ideas for different kinds of projects I could try.

Next Pattern:

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