Give your favourite hobby a new lease on life and gain great cross-stitching habits with these tips:
1. Prevent aches and pains
Straining forward to read charts or leaning sideways against the arm of a chair can make your back ache. So sit comfortably with your back supported. Ask someone else in the room to tell you if you slouch.
Good light on your work prevent eyestrain. On bright days, place your back to a window, so that light falls onto your stitching. Otherwise, a lamp will help you to see your work clearly.
Stitching always involves repetitive actions of the arms, hands and fingers. But repetitive strain injury (RSI) can be avoided. Reduce movements in your needle-holding hand by using a frame. This allows you to use one hand on top of your fabric and one hand below it, so you can pass the needle from one hand to the other through the fabric.
Use shorter lengths of thread and rest your elbows on the arms of your chair as you stitch to reduce arm movements.
2. Meet stitching friends
Cross stitch can be a great way to make and meet friends. Give a someone you know a small kit, and be there to answer questions. These easy projects give quick satisfying results for the beginner.
Join your nearest stitching club, have fun and get stitching tips too. If there is no club nearby, start one yourself.
The internet is a great place to find stitching friends. Check out online clubs, and exchange tips and ideas, or ask questions. Some clubs exchange stitching, or create items for good causes.
3. Tidy Up!
Is your stitching scattered around the home? Scissors and needles are dangerous, so keep them safely in a workbox. If the doorbell goes when you are mid-stitch, put your work on a high shelf to prevent children or pets from injuring themselves with your stitching things.
Projects left on tables or chairs look untidy and can get dusty or stained. So stash your stitching tidily.
Choose a workbox, cabinets or tote bag for storage. Film canisters, ice cream tubs, postal tubes or shoeboxes are useful to store your bits and pieces.
4. Try something new
Most people start cross stitching on aida fabric. This soon becomes a habit. Try using evenweave for your next project. It is easy to work on, and gives a different texture to your finished project.
Add spice to your stitching by tackling a larger project. If you feel daunted by this, consider doing a sampler. This means that the large picture is broken down into smaller parts, and you will get regular satisfaction of completing a small design, watching your picture develop.
New stitches can breathe new life into your hobby. Have you avoided fractional stitches or French knots? Try them now! Practice first on a spare piece of fabric. Then progress to more stitches – Algerian Eye, Herringbone and so on. These are fun to do and bring a sense of achievement when you master them.
5. Deal with those Unfinished Objects (UFOs)
These lurk in many stitchers’ cupboards. Perhaps they are unfinished because you got stuck, or just lost enthusiasm. Out of sight is not always out of mind.
You may decide not to start on a new project until you have finished one of your UFOs. Promise yourself a reward when you have completed a UFO.
If you do not want to finish a project, swap it, or give it away to a fellow stitcher. Local charities may also be pleased to take over your half-finished projects.
Iona K Lister - Based in the United Kingdom, I have written four published books and hundreds of articles. Subjects cover a wide range – including ...
