Tips to Make Cross Stitch More of a Habit

September 16, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

This is the cross stitch page, so of course I’m talking specifically about cross stitch here, but these ideas for making cross stitch more of a habit really work for any craft or hobby that you want to deliberately spend more time on.

I got to thinking about this because of a post/podcast from Hannah Hand Makes, which talks about something she started doing that made it possible for her to cross stitch more. Briefly, though you should go read the post, she says she felt more energized to do cross stitch after finishing her evening chores when everything was set and ready in her crafting spot.

This makes a lot of sense. I always have a knitting project (OK, usually more than one) on the couch so I can pick it up whenever we sit down to watch TV or have friends over. There’s no excuse not to do it if it’s right there and ready to go.

In addition, having all the supplies you need handy makes it easier to get started and keep going. If you have different places in the house where you like to craft, invest in some basic tools in duplicate (like little scissors, needles, needle threaders if you use them) so you don’t have to hunt them down while you’re stitching.

I think it also helps to have a specific time that you intend to work on cross stitch or any other craft during the day. Say it’s 20 minutes after you take the kids to school or half an hour after cleaning up supper. The best way to form a habit is to tie it to another habit or something that happens every day so you’re less likely to forget about it.

I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have any ideas or tips that make it easier for you to work more cross stitch (or other crafting) time into your day.

[Photo by ? Monika ? ? Schröder ? from Pixabay]

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Designer Spotlight: Amanda G Cross Stitch

Amanda G Cross Stitch is the place to go if you love floral cross stitch patterns and projects with a scrapbooky feel. Almost all of her designs include flowers, and a lot of them are spring flowers, making her projects perfect to stitch in the springtime.

It’s hard to pick one to show but there are several designs that include flowers in teacups, like this one with irises in a teacup with, you guessed it, flowers on the side.

The design is 97 by 107 stitches, which comes out close to 8 by 8 inches, or around 20 cm, when using 14 count fabric or 28 count evenweave. The pattern uses 24 colors and includes full stitches, a few fractional stitches and backstitch. You could change up the color of the flowers on the cup if you want to match your decor or the color of actual teacups you own.

Another common design motif is what she calls her sketchbook series, which is the ones that look like scrapbook pages I mentioned at the top. It’s like stitching a page from someone’s nature journal as these designs include birds, flowers, butterflies and art supplies scattered about. They’d be great to stitch for the gardener or nature lover in your life.

In addition to these, there are a few Christmas designs including florals, doorways and robins; some blackwork patterns and a few wreath designs. And just because I love them I have to share this cute puffin cross stitch pattern, too. There are also a few patterns credited to Rebecca Gregory, who I assume from the content is Amanda’s daughter.

Check out all the fun and colorful (yes, mostly floral) designs at Amanda G Cross Stitch on Etsy.

Have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t yet been in the spotlight? Let me know in the comments!

[Photo: Amanda G Cross Stitch]

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