Cross Stitch for Left-Handed People

As a knitter, I know that there can be a big difference in how handcrafts work depending on which hand is dominant for you. My daughter is left-handed, too, so I have to think about this when I’m teaching her things, to not automatically show her the “right-handed way” to do things and to give her time and space to figure out how to do things most easily for her. Which should really be the goal regardless of who you are teaching, but that’s another issue.

She did some hand sewing earlier this week, though she hasn’t yet tried cross stitch, and the only difference I can see is that she holds the needle in her left hand and holds the fabric in her right.

I did some poking around on the Internet looking for information on left-handed cross stitch, and, as I suspected, there’s not really a difference other than how you hold the needle. While many stitchers start from the center of a chart, lefties might find it easier to start at the top left and work their way across from left to right and top to bottom.

Are you a left-handed cross stitcher? Is there anything else you find different or any tips that helped you when learning to stitch? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Seasoned Cross Stitchers: What Do You Wish You Knew…

Cross Stitch Foxy has a huge selection of cross stitch patterns perfect for gifts or using in your own home decor. As of this writing there are more than 900 patterns listed, so there’s no way I can cover them all, but let’s take a quick peek at some of the options.

As with many cross stitch designers, Cross Stitch Foxy has a lot of holiday themed patterns, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. There are patriotic American patterns, feminist patterns and so much more.

Since we’re heading into the Christmas season as I write this, I thought I’d highlight one of the more than 100 Christmas listings in the shop. These Christmas mugs would be cute to have hanging in your kitchen or anywhere else all winter long.

The full pattern is 86 by 101 stitches, which comes out to 6.1 by 7.2 inches, or 5.5 by 18 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. It calls for 19 colors. Of course you could also stitch a single mug if you’d rather, or put them into individual frames.

One thing that is fun about Cross Stitch Foxy’s projects is that the intention is that to some extent you can use what you have to make the projects. None of the projects include single stitches of a color, and colors can be replaced with the colors you have or use blends made up of colors you already have, making the projects more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Of course for holiday patterns you’ll want some holiday colors, but there’s wiggle room to use the threads you already own, which is nice.

In addition to the categories I already mentioned, there are many other patterns, including a wide selection of seasonal gnomes, patterns with cats and dogs, food and drink patterns and a nice collection of flowers and plants, just to name a few. There’s probably something for everyone in this store, so go check it out at Cross Stitch Foxy on Etsy.

[Photo: Cross Stitch Foxy]

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