Cross-Stitch

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Stitch Some Fun with Cross Stitch Quickies

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50 cross stitch quickies flowers and fun

Little cross stitch projects are perfect for beginners who like the instant gratification of finishing a project in a day or two, but they’re fun for everyone who wants a little diversion in the summertime or a tiny project to take while traveling.

50 Cross Stitch Quickies: Flowers and Fun, produced by Bucilla and published by Leisure Arts, has a fun collection of little patterns that are great for kids and adults alike.

The patterns are arranged by theme: garden flowers; kitchy kitchen; floral love; eat, drink, play; and frivolous and fun. You’ll learn to stitch flip flips, a unicorn, fun flowers, cherries and much more.

These little designs would be cute on dish towels, in tiny frames or used on greeting cards.

The book runs $9.99 for a printed copy and $7.99 for the PDF version.

About the book: 32 pages, 50 patterns, paperback. Published May 2016 by Leisure Arts.

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Have you read?

Everything You Need to Know About Embroidery Hoops

One of the most common supplies for cross stitch, aside from fabric, needles and floss, is an embroidery hoop. A hoop isn’t needed for every project, and indeed there are some stitchers who prefer not to use them at all. I generally don’t use a hoop when I’m working on a small cross stitch project, especially something that’s shape isn’t conducive to using a hoop (like a bookmark). 

But embroidery hoops can be really helpful for cross stitch because they hold your fabric at an even tension, which allows you to stitch more evenly without any more work on your part. It’s great for beginners to use hoops because the tension on the fabric can both help make your stitches more even and make the holes in the fabric a little easier to see. 

I’ll admit to always just buying whatever hoop is available in the right size when I’m ready to start a project without giving it much more thought than that. But there are things you should consider when choosing among the different kinds of hoops, which Caterpillar Cross Stitch covers in their great guide to embroidery hoops. 

The post walks you through wooden, plastic, spring tension and flexi hoops (which I’ll admit to having never heard of; they’re made of vinyl and plastic apparently), as well as Q-Snap frames, which aren’t really hoops because they’re made of plastic tubes that you snap together in the size and shape you need. 

It also covers what size hoop you should use for the project you’re working on and how to actually use a hoop in the right way. 

Whether you’re new to cross stitch or more seasoned, you’re sure to pick up a tip or a product to try in this post, so go check it out over at Caterpillar Cross Stitch. 

Do you have a favorite kind of embroidery hoop to use for cross stitch, or do you go without? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]