Tips to Prepare Your Cross Stitch Fabric

I am going to be really honest here and tell you that I’ve never really done anything to prepare my cross stitch fabric before I start stitching (unless it’s a big project and I need a grid, but I hardly ever even do that).

Notorious Needle has a great post all about ways you can prepare for cross stitching that will make it easier or give you a better result. If you’re working a small, quick project for yourself you might do less of this kind of preparation, but if you’re working on a large project that will be framed, given as a gift or that you want to become an heirloom, these steps will help ensure that you start your project in the best way.

A lot of this is about making sure that you have enough fabric for the framing option that you want to use or so your project will fit in the hoop you want to use to stitch your project, and taking care of your fabric to make the stitching easier.

The post covers a lot of the basics that you might have learned naturally if you’ve been cross stitching for a while, but if you’re new to cross stitching or haven’t done a big project before, these ideas are super helpful. It’s great to get in the habit of doing these things and thinking ahead about how you might want to finish your project before you start. Then these things will just be things you do all the time and your projects are sure to come out better.

Go check out the post and let me know if you do these things. Or if you have other tips for getting started on a cross stitch pattern to make it easier/more successful, let’s talk about it.

[Photo: Notorious Needle]

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The two largest categories in And Wabi Sabi’s online shop are funny and relatable quotes and whimsical animals, which I think tells you about all you need to know as to whether this cross stitch designer is for you. But if those things sound like things you want to stitch, let’s take a closer look.

The quotes section includes a lot of things we see presented in cross stitch regularly (like “but did you die” or “have a nice poop”) with some twists like “live laugh leave by nine” and “this home is built on love and profanity.” If you like your stitching with a classic look but a snarky tone, this is a section you’ll want to scroll through.

Likewise whimsical animals gives us silly geese, funny dogs, adorable jungle animals and an otter in a teacup. Because why not? (There’s also a frog, bunny and a dog in teacups if you’d rather.)

This design uses 12 colors and is 47 by 53 stitches. On 14 count fabric it measures 3.07 by 3.5 inches, or 7.8 by 8.89 cm. It’s rated for beginners but it does use back stitch in addition to whole cross stitches.

There are also holiday patterns, for Christmas and Halloween, which tend to the cute side, such as a ghost in a pastel pumpkin patch of a smiling Christmas pudding.

Another big category is nature and cottagecore, where you’ll find a monstera, some puffy whit clouds, a rainbow and a bunch of floral designs, to name a few. The food and drinks section includes cute fruits and other foods, as well as kawaii food and drink labeled as for emotional support, such as the emotional support pickle.

You’ll also find a miscellany of some cute Korean designs, household items, whimsical cityscapes and more. Pattern bundles cover strawberries, animals in bathtubs or teacups, emotional support foods and snarky office humor. There’s also a handful of customizable patterns for wedding announcements.

Check out all the cuteness at And Wabi Sabi on Etsy.

[Photo: And Wabi Sabi]

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