Cross Stitching on Wooden Blanks

One of the fun things about cross stitch is all the different surfaces you can stitch on. Of course regular cross stitch fabric is the most common, you can stitch on anything with holes (and even sometimes on things without holes, if you use water soluble cross stitch fabric.

An option that has become more popular with the widespread availability of laser cutting machines is wooden blanks, which are often cut in shape to be bookmarks, holiday ornaments or other simple shapes. They can be keychains, picture frames or necklaces.

(While not wooden I even have a stitchable journal that I cross-stitched on.)

Stitching on wood or heavy card stock isn’t the same as stitching with regular cross stitch fabric, so Craft with Cartwright wrote a post about how best to work with these wooden blanks.

The main thing to know is that you don’t need a sharp needle because the holes are drilled. She also has tips on how to manage your thread (she recommends one strand of embroidery floss folded in half) and finish your project if you need help with that.

Check out the post at Craft with Cartwright for tons of tips and ideas for working with wooden blanks.

Ready to try it out for yourself? You can get rectangular pieces your could mount to a journal yourself from Toms New Old Things.

Fiore Designs has square blanks that come in different sizes and colors for your crafting needs. I am putting some stamp shaped blanks from Lunari Woods on my wish list (they also have gift tags in different sizes and colors).

You can get stitchable keychains from Millions of Stitches, circles from Geniuses of Wood, baubles from Pip and Chip and Christmas ornament shapes from Happy Stitching Time to name just a few.

Have you ever stitched on a wooden blank? I’d love to hear any tips you have!

[Photo: Craft with Cartwright]

Next Pattern:

35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

I’ve long had a soft spot for puffins, so of course when I found an Etsy shop called Murder Puffin I had to share it.

And I’m so glad I found it because they’ve got some weird stuff that I hope you’re going to like as much as I do.

There are cryptids and true crime, nautical themed designs, holiday wanted posters and an entire section called memento mori. So if that sounds like something you’d be into, read on.

The biggest section on the site, though, is Altoid tin cross stitch patterns. If you can’t quite imagine what an Altoid tin cross stitch pattern would be like, this mummy cross stitch tin is a pretty representative example.

Most of them have a character (in this case, the mummy, but it could be anything from an alien to a racoon to a gnome) or more than one, who is made into a tiny stuffed doll. There’s a design for the top and bottom inside of the tin; here it’s a pyramid and an anhk design. There’s also a small design for the top of the box. And finally, a kind of blanket and a pillow so you can tuck your little character into the box.

Each one is a cute little set that would be so fun to display (and play with!) on your desk or bookshelf. And there’s a great range of options to choose from.

In addition to those, you’ll find a lot of other fun stuff for the strange and unusual on your gift list. There are some delightfully creepy (and mostly cryptid-inspired) tarot cards. A whole set of dark samplers called Gothic murder family. And a section called potted cross stitch, with little designs like mushrooms, plants and pumpkins you can stitch up and “plant” in tiny pots.

There’s so much fun stuff you really just need to stop reading this and go visit Murder Puffin on Etsy. I hope you find it as delightful as I do!

[Photo: Murder Puffin]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?