Cross Stitch Purchases I Should Have Bought Years Ago 20 Oct 2:34 AM (5 days ago)
When it comes to cross stitch purchases, be it for beginners or more advanced stitchers, many of us can agree that some are just better than others. However, despite that, we hold off on some purchases. Be that due to cost, thinking we simply don’t need it, or this weird idea that maybe it’s not worth it.
So, with more than a few years of cross stitching under my belt, I’ve put together a list of cross stitch gear that I really wish I hadn’t waited to get!
Tracing Pad
Quite possibly the single most talked about product by me, but seemingly ignored by the rest of the cross stitch community, I will always stand to the idea that every cross stitcher needs a tracing pad.
I know it doesn’t seem like the type of thing anyone would need, but honestly the best piece of advice I can give you for stitching is light from behind your work. This is even more important if you’re stitching on black or dark aida. The light from below helps massively in finding the holes in the fabric.
There is a question over whether you need something like daylight lamps, and I’m still not sure if that’s needed; but a tracing pad is.
Rechargable A4 Tracing Pad
★★★★★ 4.5/5 (25,628)
$35.99
A simple, cheap but effective way to light your work from behind. Easy to carry and lightweight if you want to place it on your lap.
- ✓ Rechargable
- ✓ Lightweight
- ✓ Buttons on the side
- ✓ Cheap!
Blocking Board/Mat
A lot is made of washing your work once you’re done, and it is important, but when you wash it, you should also be blocking it. Or, to put it more specifically, pinning your work on a flat surface to make sure it’s not warped.
This is actually common in the knitting world, but cross stitchers just don’t seem to talk about it enough.
You can get specific tools, but there are other options out there too. I personally prefer foam floor mats!
CraftyManor 7.6 inch Blocking Board
★★★★★ 4.7/5 (884)
$12.99
More traditional blocking board also used for knitting.
Mr. Pen Interlocking Blocking Mats
★★★★★ 4.6/5 (1,248)
$13.85
A more cost-effective and frankly better option.
Travel Scissors
When I first came to cross stitch, a lot was made of cross stitch in planes, and stitching on trains, and when out and about. That has mostly disappeared, but people still travel with cross stitch. But I’m not suggesting travel scissors simply due to that; instead, I just use travel scissors constantly. They are easy to pick up, safe around kids and animals, and they’re easy to attach to things like bags.
To make it better, they are totally TSA compliant and great for travelling.
CANARY Mini Travel Scissors
★★★★★ 4.6/5 (1,001)
$8.90
Small round-tipped scissors, perfect for travelling with, but useful at home too.
- ✓ TSA Approved
- ✓ Easy to pack
- ✓ Suprisingly useful
Magnifier Lamp
I’ve often wondered if magnifiers are worth it for cross stitch, and so it took me a long time to actually take the plunge and buy a magnifier. But as soon as I did, I realised how much it was worth it.
Not only does it zoom in for high-count fabrics, but it eases my eye strain a massive amount, which as I get older (and more glasses-wearing) I really appreciate!
The fact that most come with lights, some of which are daylight lamps, makes it a tool I wish I had brought before!
Brightech LightView Pro Flex
★★★★★ 4.6/5 (8,796)
$39.99
2.25x magnifier with a bendy neck.
Krstlv Magnifying Light Stand
★★★★★ 4.6/5 (1,769)
$29.99
10x magnifier with multiple light levels.
Center Finding Ruler
(you’ve called this out before as surprisingly useful and easy to overlook)
We all know the myth of needing to stitch from the center of your fabric, but it is still one of the best ways.
The issue is that you have to fold the fabric, meaning denting and ironing are an issue.
But there is a better alternative; a center-finding ruler. It allows you to find the center without any of that annoying folding. A true game changer!
Westcott Plastic Centering Ruler
★★★★★ 4.7/5 (415)
$8
A soft, clear ruler that finds the center easily for you without folding fabric.
- ✓ Clear so easy to use
- ✓ Bendy so won’t damage cross stitch
Have you tried any of these, or is there something else you would suggest to cross stitchers?
Happy stitching,
Lord Libidan
The post Cross Stitch Purchases I Should Have Bought Years Ago appeared first on Lord Libidan.
How to Choose the Right Cross Stitch Alphabet Size for Your Project 13 Oct 2:40 AM (12 days ago)
With our recent small cross stitch alphabet book out, and over 50 free cross stitch alphabets, many people have asked me how to go about finding the right size alphabet for their project.
It’s an interesting question; when the question is no longer “which font looks nice” and is instead “which size will actually work for me”, the whole consideration question drastically changes.
So let’s dig in!
What “X Stitches High” Really Means
Many lists of cross stitch fonts and alphabets refer to this magical “X stitches high”. At first glance, this actually seems pretty simple; all letters fit within a set stitch height. But that would be very wrong.
Instead, the height refers to the space MOST letters will fit in. Letters like the tails of a lowercase y, or an uppercase Q. These are little flourishes that extend beyond that fabled stitch height.
Therefore, it’s important to think beyond what height the pattern is labelled as, and what you actually need, and have to work with.
For example, “LORD” would fit within the X stitches high limit perfectly. But “Querty” would drop down, yet still need its full height.
Matching Size To Project Type
Next, you have to think about the project itself. Are you stitching a gift tag (smaller alphabets needed), a monogram or sampler (small to medium alphabet), or a statement piece or wall art (larger alphabets)?
And this is important for a few reasons. Firstly, you need to know what you want before you go searching, but secondly, and more importantly, you need to think about the finished item before you go searching.
Let’s take that example of a gift tag; you might have a massive area you can stitch in, but some tags will be small single words, others long series of words. By using a massive font, you’re going to run into trouble when those larger gift tags need stitching.
The Small vs. Large Trade-Off
Fonts can pretty much be of any size. From uber tiny 3 stitches high, to massive 100 stitch high block letters. But you can’t just think about space; you also need to think about how easy to read it is.
The gift tag we just spoke about could house a 3-stitch-high font, but is it legible enough for a tag? If it was something only you needed to read, it might be fine, but for something others are meant to read, you’re causing issues based on your alphabet choice.
Likewise, a massive font might look great, but its ornate edges and flourishes might make it super hard to read. This is one occasion when thinking about the design is important; no one wants to stitch a massive pattern only to stand back and ask “what does that say?”
Fabric Count and Finished Size
Finally, we talk about count. Stitching the same alphabet on 11 count aida will look completely different to an 18 count evenweave.
Yes, it does make it a different size, but suddenly smaller fonts on higher counts mean it’s too hard to even identify as a word, let alone read it.
Generally, a high count needs a larger alphabet simply to be readable.
However, this also gives you options.
Let’s say you want to sign your work, but keep it really out of the way and not noticeable. Picking a font that’s super small is a brilliant way to do this.
The Decision Checklist
So, before you jump into the world of cross stitch alphabets, make sure you ask these four questions first:
- Do you have enough space to fit normal letters and those with flourishes?
- Does the alphabet pattern fit the style, look, and type of project?
- Will it be legible and readable once you’re done?
- Does it work with the count you’ve chosen?
All in all, picking an alphabet size is a quick and easy thing to do, but it requires you to think before jumping into finding patterns.
That’s why we decided to create a small cross stitch alphabets book to take the hard work away.
We’ve broken down all the issues and made it nice and easy to find an alphabet that is the perfect size for your project.
Small Cross Stitch Alphabets
By Lord Libidan
103 cross stitch alphabets organized by height, from 3 to 16 stitches high. 50 brand new exclusive fonts alongside favorites from the free collection, all mono-color, whole cross stitch, with numbers 0-9 included throughout.
Happy stitching,
Lord Libidan
The post How to Choose the Right Cross Stitch Alphabet Size for Your Project appeared first on Lord Libidan.