Cross-Stitch

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Get Your Floss Organized

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I’m mostly a knitter, but I know that a consistent resolution that a lot of crafters have each year is to get their supplies more organized. And when it comes to cross stitch, usually the thing that needs the most help when it comes to organization is floss.

So I hit the web looking for advice on how to store and organize floss for cross stitching and came up with these great ideas. I hope they inspire you to get your stash squared away this year!

Wild Olive has a super-cute idea for storing floss on craft sticks.

&Stitches shared a clever idea using clothespins and wire from Marie Tretiakova.

Make your own paper bobbins out of paperboard and scrapbook paper with this tutorial from Thistle and Leaves. Or make little cat thread holders, like these from Little White Whale. And try this clever hack for winding floss onto spindles using a power drill (!) from Little Lovelies.

Or put the floss in little bags in a little box, as shown on CraftyStylish.

Maybe try a sorter from the hardware store, from this roundup (which includes lots of other great stuff for storing crafty supplies) from All People Quilt.

Do you have tips for organizing floss? I’d love to hear them!

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Get Witchy with Potion Bottle Cross Stitch Patterns

There are so many fun ways you can go when stitching Halloween cross stitch patterns or giving your place a slightly spooky or witchy vibe any time of year. I love the look of little potion bottles, whether they’re real bottles lined up on the mantle or shelf or cross stitched versions like these. 

The gorgeous Elixir of Life cross stitch pattern from Makaronka Stitch is decidedly not Halloween in its vibes, so it would be fun to stitch and display any time of year. This is also definitely not a pattern for beginners, as it uses 37 colors and 34 blends to make the beautiful colors. It also uses full and half cross stitches, back stitch and French knots. The design measures 82 by 115 stitches, which comes out to 5.8 by 8.2 inches or 14.88 by 20.86 cm on 14 count fabric. 

If you’re looking for something a little smaller but still a lot of fun, check out this set of six potion bottles from MIYA Stitch. I love how each bottle seems to have its own personality, from one with a pumpkin and witch hat to one with crystals, mushrooms, or a butterfly and flower. The patterns are 60 by 88 stitches each. That’s 4.3 by 6.3 inches or 11 by 16 cm on 14 count fabric. The full set uses 26 colors and blends. 

Or try this set of five mini potion bottles from Plenty of Strings. I love the colors on these and they’d look great as a set on one piece of fabric or individually stitches as shown. Each one fits in a 3-inch hoop.

These minis from Giselles Cross Stitch are really cute, too, though they are meant to be worked together as one piece. The whole pattern uses 26 colors and measures 93 by 107 stitches, which comes out to 6.6 by 7.6 inches or 16.8 by 19.4 cm on 14 count fabric. They’re perfect on black or a dark blue fabric. 

I also like this bigger set of potion bottles from SamXstitch, which is meant to be stitched as a set but you could also work individual bottles in their own frames if you’d rather. The full design uses 10 colors and is 123 by 173 stitches. Taht comes out to 8.78 by 12.36 inches/22.31 by 31.39 cm on 14 count fabric.