Tools to Make Your Cross Stitch Life Easier

August 7, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I don’t do a lot of big cross stitch projects so I don’t have a lot of cross stitch supplies or special tools that I use, but I know there are things out there that can make the work of cross stitch a little easier, faster and more fun.

Hannah Handmakes did a podcast about essential cross stitch tools, and it’s also a blog post if you don’t want to listen along.

One that she doesn’t mention, possibly because it’s too basic, is a needle threader. I do use a needle threader sometimes (when I can find one!) as it makes threading the needle a lot easier when you have those threads that just won’t cooperate. I also have a project I need to use a seam ripper on, because it’s not worth it to try to unstitch this project where I used more threads than I should have (that one is on the list).

One thing that is on the list that I have been curious about is needle minders. These are decorative metal pieces that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with a magnet. You put the magnet on the back of your work and the needle minder on the front, and then when you put your needle down it stays on the plate. No more losing your needle or poking holes through your fabric to keep track of it.

If you use a needle minder I’d love to hear your experience!

Check out the blog post and/or the podcast to see what the other tools to help your cross stitch are over at Hannah Handmakes. And if you have something that you would add to the list I’d love to hear about that, too! I’m sure there are lots of things that could be helpful that I’m not aware of and that other people would like to know about, too.

[Image by Alina Kuptsova from Pixabay]

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Designer Spotlight: Cross Stitch Foxy

Cross Stitch Foxy has a huge selection of cross stitch patterns perfect for gifts or using in your own home decor. As of this writing there are more than 900 patterns listed, so there’s no way I can cover them all, but let’s take a quick peek at some of the options.

As with many cross stitch designers, Cross Stitch Foxy has a lot of holiday themed patterns, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. There are patriotic American patterns, feminist patterns and so much more.

Since we’re heading into the Christmas season as I write this, I thought I’d highlight one of the more than 100 Christmas listings in the shop. These Christmas mugs would be cute to have hanging in your kitchen or anywhere else all winter long.

The full pattern is 86 by 101 stitches, which comes out to 6.1 by 7.2 inches, or 5.5 by 18 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. It calls for 19 colors. Of course you could also stitch a single mug if you’d rather, or put them into individual frames.

One thing that is fun about Cross Stitch Foxy’s projects is that the intention is that to some extent you can use what you have to make the projects. None of the projects include single stitches of a color, and colors can be replaced with the colors you have or use blends made up of colors you already have, making the projects more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Of course for holiday patterns you’ll want some holiday colors, but there’s wiggle room to use the threads you already own, which is nice.

In addition to the categories I already mentioned, there are many other patterns, including a wide selection of seasonal gnomes, patterns with cats and dogs, food and drink patterns and a nice collection of flowers and plants, just to name a few. There’s probably something for everyone in this store, so go check it out at Cross Stitch Foxy on Etsy.

[Photo: Cross Stitch Foxy]

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