A New Obsession: Cross Stitch
Cross stitch has taken over my free time. There, I said it. First step in overcoming any issue is admitting the truth, right? It’s not all my fault though! A coworker discovered my love of Harry Potter and sent me a picture of a Harry Potter character cross stitch she’s working on. So, naturally I immediately wanted it for myself.
My previous knowledge of cross stitch was limited to quaint flowers and cute sayings – not really my style. I had no idea about the existence of creative patterns such as Harry Potter! After some tips from my coworker on what to buy and where to find the materials, I started to sew.
That first weekend I cross stitched for probably 10 hours. I didn’t even read a single page of a book – I know, whoa! Unfortunately, this takes quite a bit more time than reading. After three weeks I’ve only finished two of the characters…out of seven. Plus, there are still spells and the house mascots to stitch. Oh boy.
Despite the enormous (in my eyes) amount of work, I still can’t seem to put it down. It’s the perfect activity for lazy evenings at home with the TV on or radio playing. One night during the Olympics I even stayed up until 11pm!! 🙂
I obviously have a very limited knowledge of this hobby, but here are a few of the things I’ve discovered already:
- Get a needle threader. I’m sick and tired of hand threading the needle. I dread changing colors or running out of thread. I’m going to search on Amazon for one, but if anybody has recommendations let me know!
- Buy the plastic bobbins with a ring. Or any sort of thread organization system. I purchased this on a whim and I’m thrilled Jay convinced me to just pay the $3. I never would have been able to keep track of all my thread or the thread identifying numbers without this.
- Start in the middle. Seem obvious? It took me 15 minutes of Googling to figure out how to even start, so here ya go – start in the middle. You can fold your fabric in half both ways to discover the center.
- Give up all your free time. You probably don’t believe me, but once you start it becomes very hard to stop! It’s immensely satisfying to see a completed section of stitches or put the final touches on a character to bring it to life!
Here’s hoping I can keep up the momentum!
Who else out there has tried cross stitching? Do you have any favorite patterns / general tips?
I have an embroidery hoop for you, the old fashioned kind, it’s metal. It’s not very big, but it’s pretty cool! Mom
I have no idea where this hobby came from! I can check out that embroidery hoop next time I come home, or bring it this weekend!
By they way, you did not get your love of embroidery from me 🙂 Mom
I meant to say ‘cross stitch.’
I don’t know anything about cross stitching but those designs are really cute!
I didn’t know a single thing either but it was surprisingly easy to start! It’s mostly being detail-oriented so you stitch the right color in the right place. It’s maddening when you screw that up haha – I’ve done it a few times already.
🙂 love the princess bride cross stitch!
I went through a serious cross stitch obsession early last year. It’s so fun! If you’re in need of patterns or fun ideas you should take a look on Etsy! Lots of great shops to check out!
My coworker found the HP pattern on Etsy, so I’ll definitely be exploring that site a lot more in the future.
I went through a cross stitching phase, too! I now have a whole collection! I love looking at the antique cross stitch work because it’s that person’s legacy. Love your wedding cross stitch – very cute!