Beading embroidery and cross stitch: how to add bling to your projects
Beading embroidery and cross stitch projects doesn’t have to be hard, and it can add a wonderful flash of bling to your pieces. This cross stitch tutorial demonstrates the various kinds of needles you...
View ArticleColor variations thread: using variegated floss like Coloris
If you’ve ever been wooed by the various color variations threads like DMC’s new Coloris line on your shopping sprees, you’re not alone. These gorgeous variegated threads can be subtle or striking, and...
View ArticleWhat’s the big deal about copyright?
If you’ve been in any online forum or group for long enough, at some point the dreaded “c” word will come up — copyright. It’s an issue that affects both designers and stitchers, as well as the...
View ArticleWhat needle threader is best for you?
If you’ve ever struggled to thread needles and wondered if there’s a better way, the good news is there are many options. Whether you use a needle threader, or whether you do it by hand, you don’t have...
View ArticleCross stitch needles: choosing the best needle for you
Sometimes it can be confusing when shopping for cross stitch needles, to know which brands to get and which sizes or types. Tapestry needles are the most commonly used in cross stitch, but there are...
View ArticleIntermediate backstitch techniques: handling long runs
Sometimes you look at a pattern that has a lot of backstitch and you’re like “ohhh noooo, what did I sign myself up for?” Particularly if the backstitch doesn’t follow the exact colours or outlines of...
View ArticleCross stitch fabrics: Aida, evenweave, and linen
If you’ve ever been to a needlework or craft shop, it can be overwhelming (in a good way) to see all the cross stitch fabrics that are available these days. Cross stitch fabrics come in a wide variety...
View ArticleAssembling a biscornu (plus a free biscornu pattern)
The word “biscornu” is derived from a French adjective meaning odd or bizarre. They are lovely projects, and can be used as pincushions, or smaller ones as scissor fobs or even needle minders if you...
View ArticleWhen is it time to ditch the 24 size needle?
This is a guest post by the very talented UK cross stitch designer, Lord Libidan. I hope you enjoy his tutorial on needle sizes! The cross stitch needle guide is a pretty well-known table by now,...
View ArticleTop 3 ways of transferring embroidery patterns to fabric
Transferring embroidery patterns to fabric doesn’t have to be difficult at all, but there are a variety of methods to choose from. The texture and thickness (and colour) of your fabric will often...
View ArticleEmbroidery tutorial: straight stitch, backstitch, and running stitch
If you’ve ever wanted to start learning embroidery but weren’t sure where to start, this tutorial hopefully will help! This embroidery tutorial includes the straight stitch, backstitch, and running...
View ArticleEmbroidered roses: how to do the woven wheel stitch
If you’ve ever wondered how to stitch beautiful embroidered roses, they’re not as tricky as you might think! One really simple stitch that can add a lot of beauty and dimension to your embroidery is...
View ArticleReview: The Mr X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch
I was lucky enough to be contacted by the publisher of the newest cross stitch guide to hit the market, The Mr X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch, and asked to give my honest feedback. I was thrilled to be...
View ArticleEmbroidering letters: the stem stitch and split stitch
Embroidering letters and text are a great way to make a personalized gift, and the stem stitch and split stitch are two embroidery stitches that are perfect for this. The stem stitch (as its name...
View ArticleEmbroidery stitch tutorial: the chain stitch and lazy daisy
One of the prettiest embroidery stitches is the chain stitch. There are a lot of variations to it (like a square chain, twisted chain, cable chain, etc), but in essence the chain stitch is a very...
View ArticleSatin stitch embroidery: a beginner’s guide
Satin stitch is a lovely embroidery stitch, but many people find it intimidating. We’re so used to seeing “perfect” satin stitch as done with machine embroidery on badges, labels, baseball hats, etc,...
View ArticleLeaf stitch: how to embroider leaves
The leaf stitch is such a pretty hand embroidery stitch, it can be used in all sorts of ways. Similar to the fishbone stitch, the leaf stitch is a great textural stitch (which is obviously perfect for...
View ArticleChanging colours in an embroidery or cross stitch pattern
For some embroidery or cross stitch patterns, it’s normal to want to change some colours (say of a girl’s hair, or a dress, etc). Changing colours is not as simple as it can seem at first, so below is...
View ArticleAligning letters in a hand embroidery pattern
Sometimes when you write delicate text onto your fabric from an embroidery pattern, your lines may look “wobbly”, especially if the letters are quite small and delicate (like a single line of...
View ArticleSulky thread for embroidery and cross stitch
One of the best things about being a stitcher is getting to experiment with so many amazing threads, fabrics, and tools. This tutorial is demonstrating some of Sulky’s threads, particularly those that...
View ArticleSulky cross stitch and embroidery stabilizers
If you’ve ever wondered when to use a stabilizer for cross stitch or embroidery projects, this tutorial will help you learn which of the myriad of options is best for your project. Sulky makes a wide...
View ArticleDMC Étoile embroidery threads: a review
If you’ve heard all about the new DMC Étoile embroidery threads but haven’t had a chance to pick some up yet, this quick review should give you a good idea whether they’ll be a yay or a nay for you. …...
View ArticleMermaids and mix tapes — Issue 6 of XStitch Mag
Happy New Year! 2019 is going to be amazing, and to kick it off I’m happy to announce that Issue 6 (the “Mix Tape Vol 1” issue) of XStitch Magazine is now available! One of my cross stitch designs is …...
View ArticleSassy or sweet? Top 10 Valentine’s Day stitching patterns
Are you someone who adores Valentine’s Day? The chocolates, the pink fluffy hearts decorating all the shops, do they make you swoon and look forward to showering your loved ones with affection and...
View ArticleHand Embroidery Fundamentals: Stitch Your Own Floral Monogram Hoop
I love helping people learn to stitch, it’s such a relaxing hobby, and playing with lots of gorgeous embroidery floss colours and fabrics is just so much fun. Recently I’ve had a lot of people asking...
View ArticleTop ten reasons sarcasm and swearing are good for you
You’ve likely seen the rise in sarcastic and sweary memes, t-shirts, mugs, and even stitching patterns in the past few years. Although many disagree with swearing for personal or religious reasons,...
View ArticleStitching over one versus over two
I’m sure if you’ve been around any cross stitch community for a while, you would have heard the terms “over one” and “over two.” In case you have no clue what these mean (or you’re not sure when you...
View ArticleTop ten stitching tools: what a professional designer uses
It can be so tricky when you first start stitching — there are so many options for materials and supplies, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not know what might work best for you. Of course, any...
View ArticleStitching over one on linen and evenweave
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re defective because you can’t quite figure out why your stitches keep popping out or sliding when you try and stitch over one on linen and evenweave, don’t fear...
View ArticleJapan Threads for cross stitch and embroidery
If you’ve ever loved the look of goldwork but didn’t know where to start, then you’ll love learning about Japan Threads and how they’re used in cross stitch and embroidery. Learn what they are, how to...
View ArticleSquat and squashed stitches – what are they?
For many stitchers, they are happily stitching along and then all of a sudden, they run into a weird symbol on their chart, like the stitches have gotten squashed vertically or horizontally. After...
View ArticleDMC Diamant Metallic Thread Review
If you’ve ever wanted to try the DMC Diamant metallic needlework thread, then this review should help you out! Discussing both DMC Diamant and the new DMC Diamant Grande, learn about the differences...
View ArticleFabric size calculation: how much fabric you need for cross stitch
This tutorial shows you how to do the calculations to figure out how much fabric you need for your cross stitch projects. Have no fear, I walk you through the few simple steps, all you’ll need is a...
View ArticleVote: free hand embroidery pattern and tutorial
To help get you in the mood to go exercise your civic duty (and to encourage your friends and family as well), I’ve created a free Vote hand embroidery pattern and tutorial for you! This is completely...
View ArticleCreate your own dandelion hand embroidery project
Have you ever wondered how to go about making your own hand embroidery project, completely from scratch? In this simple tutorial, I’ll show you how to use three stitches (split stitch, backstitch, and...
View ArticlePride flag: learn satin stitch & backstitch
Get your Pride on and learn how to stitch up this fun little Pride Flag! In this tutorial you’ll learn how to use backstitch and satin stitch to create this project, and of course once you learn the...
View ArticleGet creative with Domestika
Learning a new hobby or skill has never been easier with the growth of the internet. If you’re anything like me, what was once hard to learn as you had to try and find books or local instructors is now...
View ArticleBook Review: Crewel Intentions by Hazel Blomkamp
As you can well imagine, I have quite the collection of stitchy and art books, so I thought it’d be helpful if I did a book review of some of my favourites. This review covers “Crewel Intentions: Fresh...
View ArticleThe pros and cons of buying cross stitch and hand embroidery kits
In this short video tutorial I’m going to go over the pros and cons to buying stitching kits, as recently I’ve been asked quite a few times about purchasing kits. You’ll see that there are advantages...
View ArticleBook Review: Royal School of Needlework Book of Embroidery
This book review of the RSN (Royal School of Needlework) Book of Embroidery compendium, published by Search Press, will give you a good idea of the quality and content of the book, as we all know that...
View ArticleBook Review: Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr
Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr is a lovely book that will help you learn how to use colour effectively in embroidery, such as by using contrast, light, and shadow. And, it will inspire...
View ArticleDomestika Online Art Classes Review
If you’ve ever seen ads for Domestika classes, whether they be for art, graphic design, crafting, etc, you may have wondered what they’re like. Or maybe you were looking at the page on my site with...
View ArticleBook Review: Bitten By Witch Fever by Lucinda Hawksley
“Bitten by Witch Fever” by Lucinda Hawksley, published by Thames & Hudson (in association with the National Archives) is an absolutely stunning and fascinating book about the history of arsenic...
View ArticleBook Review: Bead Embroidery Stitches and Techniques by Hazel Blomkamp
This book review is about Hazel Blompkamp’s newest book (and an online flip book) “Bead Embroidery Stitches and Techniques for Surface Embroidery and Crazy Patchwork.” It’s 180 pages, and covers...
View ArticleWhy Instagram might be hurting your art business
As an artist and designer, for over seven years I have been working on developing my designs, and sharing my work with people who will enjoy it and want to bring it into their homes (whether that’s via...
View ArticleReview: Illustrated Stationery Course by Jessica Roux
If you’re an artist or creative who’s ever considered selling your own work online, Illustrated Stationery: A Guide to Sell and Market Your Art by Jessica Roux might be just the perfect course for you....
View ArticleWatercolour and Stitched Greeting Card
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, learn how to combine art materials and stitching to create really pretty custom greeting cards, ornaments, postcards, etc. with this short bonus tutorial for my...
View ArticleThe (in)accessibility of art retreats
This has been a topic I’ve been thinking about for a while, and it all finally came bubbling to the surface the last week or so. I’ve been seeing so many amazing posts and articles and emails from...
View ArticleTen things I learned from The 100 Day Project
Several months ago, I participated in The 100 Day Project (and make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this article for an incredible update on what ended up happening because of it). I’d heard...
View ArticleOil & Acrylic Canvas Paper Review
Canvas paper is a very interesting substrate that is designed for oil and acrylic paintings, but it’s one that I hadn’t heard about until recently. As may have been obvious in my recent Instagram and...
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