How Do You Decide What to Make Next?

I always enjoy checking out Hannah Handmakes’ podcast, in part because I know I couldn’t talk about cross stitch for so long as consistently and well as she does, but also because she comes up with interesting topics that are important to consider.

A somewhat recent episode was about how you decide what to stitch next, and it’s a really great question. She gives a long answer (you can listen or read about in on her website) with various considerations, such as if there’s a holiday coming up you want to make something for, if you want to use your stash of patterns or supplies, how much time you have, etc.

She ends up by saying she doesn’t have a good answer, and I wouldn’t either.

For one, I don’t actually do a lot of cross stitching for all that I write about it. I probably finished two or three projects last year (though I do have a couple of fun things on the go, and lots more I wish I had time to do).

I think my answer, though, would be similar to what I would say when it comes to deciding what to knit next. Sometimes you want something specific for the season (like I really want to knit some pants right now since I’m always cold and think that might help), or you might have a ball of yarn you want to use so you go hunting for a project that will suit it. In the case of cross stitch maybe it’s you really want to make something with bright colors, and you’ve always had a thing for whales, so off you go to find a project that satisfies that need.

Because I’m a blogger and write craft tutorials (mostly knitting, crochet, cross stitch and sewing) I also think about skill level a lot and what I can do to help people who are new in a craft to be inspired to try it. I’ll build on techniques in my projects in a way most people probably don’t think about consciously, but that makes sense to me in terms of teaching.

What about you? How do you decide what to make next?

[Image by Alina Kuptsova from Pixabay]

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Tips for Designing Your Own Cross Stitch Patterns

I’m primarily a knitter, and in the knitting world the “emotional support chicken” has been a big trend probably for a couple of years now (I don’t know how long something has to be popular before you can stop calling it a trend, but whatever).

There are chicken crochet patterns that are popular as well, and now I’ve found a cross stitch chicken pattern that might just become the newest iteration of the emotional support chicken theme.

The Funky Chickens pattern from Satsuma Street are three-dimensional, triangular chickens embellished with felt to make their facial features and tail feathers. The bodies include stripes, curves, speckles and other little designs to mark different parts of their bodies. They’re super cute and not any more difficult to stitch than any other pattern, though of course there’s more finishing than you would normally expect.

The pattern includes designs for three chickens, which are actually a rooster and two hens. The rooster is slightly larger, at 120 by 60 stitches, or 4 by 4 inches/10 cm when finished. The hens are 100 by 50 stitches and come out to 3.25 inches/8 cm when finished. These measurements are for stitching on 14 count fabric or 28 count over two.

The patterns use 13 colors, and if you want to make all three, one skein of each color will make all of them. In addition to your regular cross stitch supplies you’ll need three or four little pieces of felt of different colors to add all the details.

These chickens would be great to use as pincushions, or you could put something heavy in the bottom and use them as pattern weights if you do sewing. They’d also be fun gifts for anyone who likes chickens or needs a little emotional support if you explain it to them.

The pattern is available from Satsuma Street on Etsy.

[Photo: Satsuma Street]

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