There are many benefits linked to cross-stitching as a hobby and, as an entrepreneur, you could always turn your hobby into a side hustle. And the great thing about side hustles is that some of them turn into main hustles.
You can turn this passion of yours into a business by making beautiful saleable items or teaching cross-stitch to children or adults.
In this post, we will be sharing 5 fun cross stitch hacks that will help you hone your skills. These useful tips will make your cross stitch journey a lot easier and more fun.
5 Useful Hacks For Cross Stitch Enthusiasts
1. Use a Hoop
If you haven’t used a hoop before when doing cross-stitch, then this tip could be quite the revelation.
One thing about cross stitching is that you have to constantly manipulate the fabric. Not only is this time consuming, but it will also increase the overall grubbiness of the project over time.
By making use of an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric in place with just the right amount of tension is an excellent way to avoid this.
Hoops can be either plastic or wooden and the best option is one that is easily removed from the fabric via a screw or spring mechanism.
2. Use Both Hands
You will be surprised at how much time you will save by using both hands to process the needle through the fabric. Placing one hand on top and the other on the bottom can help you with developing a shuttle technique that can simplify the process of going back and forth, with only one swift pivot of your needle required on either side.
A twin pointed quick stitch needle is a great tool to use for this technique. The needle’s eye is in the centre which means you do not even have to turn the needle.
3. Use a Cross-Stitching Generator For Free Patterns
Use a cross-stitching generator to convert your own photos or free photos into patterns.
This is quick and easy. All you have to do is select the desired image, do a few size adjustments and enter a few details, and the pattern is delivered in PDF format straight to your inbox.
Cool Features:
- Quick and easy to use.
- A helpful guide to help you every step of the way
- Access to a good selection of free patterns to choose from
- High-quality, photo-matching
- Can make patterns from drawings
4. Use the Appropriate Length of Thread
When you do cross-stitch, you use your elbow as a pivot to move the needle and thread. This means you only need to cut the thread strands according to the length of your forearm.
It takes less time to pull smaller threads through the fabric. Using smaller threads means you can do more stitches per minute, but you also don’t want to allocate too much time to changing threads when you are doing large areas with one colour.
Pull the strand to just past the length of your forearm, to permit for waste knots, and you will be getting the most use out of your thread.
5. Start With The Bottom Stitches First
When you are using a chart, it is necessary to use time in paying attention to placing the stitches in order to get the desired results.
If you prefer using the English method of stitching (creating an x as you go) this could mean a lot of back and forth looking at the fabric and design.
We prefer the Danish method which involves stitching the bottom stitches first followed by the top stitches. This will enable you to hit a good stitch rhythm, especially when you have to cover large areas with one colour.
Bonus Hack: Preparing Your Space
If you spend some time arranging the threads you will need for the project and have all other tools and needles lined up, you will save time once the time comes for restocking your needle.
Most decent cross stitch charts will provide a thread list and would recommend using a bobbin box and bobbins that you can use for arranging the threads in numerical order. It might be a bit of a pain to do it, but you will thank yourself later.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed our post about 5 useful hacks for cross-stitch enthusiasts and will give some of them a try.
Related: Simple Craft Projects for Working Moms to Make with Kids
