Stitches

What does everyone like to cross stitch?

what does everyone like to cross stitch? Do you like kits or make up your own designs? do you cross stitch on 14 count aida?

Public Comments

1. Cross stitch is my lazy sewing. There are nice clear holes in the aida so it will turn out nicely with relatively little effort. I have bought kits in the past, I have photocopied pages out of library books and I have modified figures from "Jo Verso's World of Cross Stitch" using graph paper to make my own designs. I usually use 14 count aida, but have had a go using waste canvas too. Eventually I'm going to buy some nice evenweave linen and have a go at doing long arm cross stitch to trim one of my SCA dresses.
2. I usually do landscape patterns. I have also downloaded several baby samplers pattern on the internet and I combine patterns that I like by using PC Stitch. I have done several for my children.
3. I generally make my own patterns from fine art. I do them on 28 ct. evenweave. Occassionally I will buy a chart. I never buy kits.
4. I generally use just patterns. I hate kits, if you mess up then you are trying to match thread and all. It can be a nightmare depending on the kit. I have a friend though, who only likes kits and swears by Dimensions kits. I tend to buy a pattern that I like...if I don't like the colors but, I do like the design no problem, I just change all the colors. Oddly, I have never stitched something that I have not changed at least some of the colors in it. I do a lot of Victorian Houses, they are really easy to stitch, they just look hard. If you are a beginner then choose something with big blocks of color, as you advance then choosing things where you have a stitch of one color here and there is fine, it is just more complex. Right now I am stitching on 18 count aida and I have done 22 count aida and linen...just remember on linen you go over two threads each way. After doing 18 count aida though, 14 count is huge and extremely easy. I have not made up my own counted cross stitch designs because, I am not artistic in that way...though, I have done my own embroidery designs (after a fashion) because, I can copy a line drawing and then use the embroidery to 'fill' in the elements.
5. I like doing nature inspired things & animals, wildlife. Doesn't matter to me what size cloth, but I usually use 14. I tend to get kits, too. Has anyone tried beading? I've done a couple of projects where the entire design is done in glass seed beads, I LOVE beading! I've only found a very few patterns for it, but I do substitute cross stitch patterns, & just substitute the appropriate colour bead for the floss. I'd love to hear from any other beaders!
6. I do some of my own designs, adapted from medieval sources or from household photographs. I also do designs charted by others, now most usually folk on the Internet rather than over-the-counter chart purchases. I prefer #18 aida to to #14. I dislike hardanger for cross-stitch, and I have a stash of 56-count linen evenweave for special projects.
7. In making something for my G-Grandson I have found out I like to make animals and birds. Just got through (on 14 count) making dragons, zebras, giraffes, and the meerkats. Kits are ok but before I start the pattern I try to match up their color with the colors I have on hand in case I would like to make more than one of the pattern.