When I was first learning to cross stitch as a teen in the 1990s, I remember there being a lot of beginner kits available where the cross stitch pattern was stamped onto the fabric for you to stitch. This process eliminates the need for a printed pattern because you just stitch the colors as you see them printed on the fabric.
It’s a fun way to get started stitching, but I hadn’t really thought about stamped cross stitch in a while before I came upon this article from Caterpillar Cross Stitch talking about the differences between stamped cross stitch project and regular counted cross stitch patterns and why you might choose one over the other.
It mentions that stamped cross stitch isn’t just for beginners any more. There are actually a lot of designers that do stamped cross stitch with varying degrees of difficulty (and I found this cool tree of life project on Amazon as an example).
One benefit of these kinds of projects is that all the supplies you need are also included, so it can be a good way to build up your thread stash if you don’t use all of the supplies on the project included in the kit.
Of course when it comes to counted cross stitch projects with printed patterns you stitch onto fabric without guidance, there is a lot more variety in the kinds of projects and the skill level involved. Almost anything you are interested in you can find a printed pattern for, which is certainly not the case when it comes to stamped cross stitch patterns.
Still, stamped cross stitch patterns give you a great extra bit of guidance that can help build your confidence, regardless of your skill level.
Have you ever worked a stamped cross stitch pattern? I’d love to know what you think.
[Photo: Fred’s Haberdashery via Caterpillar Cross Stitch]
