Introducing Kids to Cross Stitch

I love introducing kids to stitching in all its forms. Not only did I teach my daughter how to stitch on plastic canvas and fabric (as well as knitting and sewing, we’re still working on crochet), I’ve taught other kids through one-time lessons and crafty summer camps. I think it’s so important to pass on these skills to the next generation and give kids something to do that doesn’t involve a screen.

Regardless of your cross stitch skill level, you might be a little intimidated by the idea of teaching your own child or others how to cross stitch.

Caterpillar Cross Stitch has a great guide to teaching cross stitch to kids, including a breakdown of what skills kids are likely to be able to handle at each age. She recommends starting little ones of plastic canvas with yarn and plastic needles, which is what I did, too.

For early elementary I would have them stitch on burlap, and older kids can use regular cross stitch fabric (possibly with a lower count/fewer holes per inch to make it a little easier).

The post also covers all the supplies you need to get a kid (or yourself!) started with cross stitch, as well as ideas for patterns that kids might like and not be too intimidated by.

She also includes tips for how to teach kids cross stitch and reminders to make it better for everyone. Remember that for most kids, if it’s the adult making the suggestion that they ought to try a craft but they don’t really have any interest, that isn’t going to go well, so make sure the kid has the option to pick the pattern and supplies they want to use and says how long your stitching session gets to be.

Check out all the advice at Caterpillar Cross Stitch. Have you ever taught a child to cross stitch? I’d love to hear your advice.

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

Have you read?