Review: Cross-Stitch Samplers

Samplers are the classic, quintessential cross-stitch project, probably what most people think of when they think of cross-stitch.

And while they are kind of old-fashioned, they’re a great way to build skills and to commit to working a larger project. You’ll definitely learn a lot if you choose to stitch a sampler!

Cross-Stitch Samplers is a booklet from Herrschners and Leisure Arts that includes five samplers.

The Pedigree of Honey features the alphabet and an Emily Dickinson poem, along with bee and flower motifs. The Joy of Stitching includes a variety of flowers and hearts, while A Giving Heart features the alphabet and a heart with the sentiment “My heart is yours.”

A Mother is Love includes those words, a heart-shaped wreath, butterflies and flowers, and Stitches of Love also includes lots of hearts and flowers.

The projects can be stitched as designed or you could pull out a motif or a section to use alone or on another project. For instance a row of flowers could be stitched on a bookmark, or a single heart used on a greeting cards.

The samplers themselves would also be fun to stitch (the first one is my favorite) and this booklet is great for people just starting out stitching samplers or for long-time sampler fans.

About the book: 24 pages, paperback, five patterns. Published April 1, 2016 by Leisure Arts. Retail price $9.99

Most of the cross stitch projects I make are pretty small and not something I would consider heirloom quality (though I am working on a big project for my daughter that I hope to have done for her high school graduation in two years that I hope is something she’ll want to keep forever, but that’s another story).

But it is definitely possible to cross stitch projects that will stay around for generations, and one prime example of that is a cross-stitched linen tablecloth.

Linen tablecloths are classic, while stitching one can be a big project, depending on the size of your table, it doesn’t have to be really complicated.

Koekoek has a good, detailed post about figuring out how much linen you would need to make a tablecloth that you can cross stitch and/or embroider on (they also sell tablecloth linen in their shop if you don’t already have some or a linen tablecloth you already use). Of course for a project like this you’d want the best fabric you can find and afford, because you’ll be stitching it for a long time and hopefully using it for years.

The post walks through how to measure your table and determine how much fabric you’ll need including the drop you’ll want and hems. It includes the math for rectangular and square tables as well as circular tables, which helps take the guesswork out of buying fabric. It also talks about preparing the fabric and making mitered corners if you have a square or rectangular table, which will help the tablecloth sit nicely on your table.

The tutorial doesn’t include specific patterns to use for your tablecloth, but it does advise keeping it simple because this is a really big project. You can start with a motif in the center or doing borders, and this is a project you can add to through the years by, say, stitching a symbol for each family member or adding names, wedding dates, etc. and making it a real record of your family.

Would you ever cross stitch a tablecloth or have you done so? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Koekoek]

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