Every month we showcase the latest high street trends, new ideas and inspiring personalities for today’s stylish cross stitcher
Positive Vibes!
Bursting with vibrant energy and positivity come these new mini cross-stitch kits from Hawthorn Handmade! Whether you’re rocking the ‘vibe’, sharing some ‘love’ (perfect for Valentine’s!), or feeling ‘cute’, these kits bring your favourite words to life in bold and bright colours. Perfect for beginners or experienced stitchers looking for a quick craft fix, each kit comes with all you need to create your own piece of handmade happiness. Available from February at www.hawthornhandmade.com.
FIRM FAVOURITES: MEGAN CAINES
Designers share with us their top stitching essentials
Below are my five stitching essentials I love to use when designing or stitching for melocadesigns.com
EMBROIDERY HOOP
Embroidery hoops are an absolute must-have for me. Specifically a 7in hoop, as I find this the optimal size for me to hold for the project sizes I tend to stitch (8-10in). In my opinion, they make stitching easier because they keep your fabric taut, which helps keep your stitches nice and neat.
PATTERN KEEPER
Honestly, Pattern Keeper is life-changing in the cross stitch world! It’s much easier to navigate a digital pattern that you can mark off and zoom in on, than to faff around with a physical copy. Don’t get me wrong, I still love physical copies but it’s so great to have the option to use either. You can even import paper patterns into the Pattern Keeper app!
NEEDLEMINDER
Needleminders are my number one stitching accessory! I absolutely love using them and even designing them – I have so many in my collection! They’re so simple because you just attach one to your work by putting the decorative side on top of your fabric and the loose magnet on the back, then when you need to put your needle down, you just place it on top and it magnetically holds it down for you, so you don’t lose it!
THE PERFECT SIZED NEEDLE
I primarily stitch on 14 count aida because I just love it! To stitch on this fabric I actually use a size 7 embroidery needle rather than the recommended size 24 tapestry needle. The reason for this is so the needle doesn’t stretch the fabric holes too much when it passes through. Using a decent needle will also keep your stitches super-tidy – I’ve had many compliments!
SCISSORS
A good, sharp pair of scissors or snips are ess
