I just came across this cute little article (via a post from a friend on Facebook), and I think it hits most of the marks as to why it is great to cross stitch: Umpteen Great Reasons to Cross Stitch.
Okay, cross stitching isn’t really all that cheap once you really get into it. We all know that kitting up a new Mirabilia can set you back $200, and just buying a Chatelaine chart is somewhere around $40 now. Yikes! But, at its simplest level, cross stitching can be pretty inexpensive: a small kit; or maybe a free chart, a piece of Aida (cheaper if bought off the bolt at a fabric store believe it or not), and some floss.
Stitching is very easy to learn. I bet you either learned as a child from a family member or later in life from a book. And, I bet you managed to figure it out in a matter of minutes. But, like many skills, mastering cross stitch (e.g. getting your stitches to look perfectly uniform) takes patience. Speaking of patience, you need a whole lot of it to finish those gigantic designs that can take more than 400 hours. They are worth it, though, aren’t they?
So, what are your great reasons for cross stitching? Is it because you are carrying on a tradition, making gifts, or just keeping your hands and mind busy? I’d love to know!
I cross stitch for so many reasons but most of all I enjoy it because it’s relaxing and fun 🙂 Now that I have started on the Mira’s I can definitely say it’s not a cheap hobby anymore!
$200 for a Mirabilia? Is she designing them with real diamonds now? LOL. I haven’t bought a recent chart but none of mine cost that much to kit up. I guess I’ve avoided the more heavily beaded ones?
I’ve found it easy to stick to the $25 budget for Stitch from Stash again, even with the higher UK prices for DMC. Having a list and sticking to it helps.
Why do I stitch? It’s a great way to relax when you can’t drink, go out socialising or have a hobby outside the home (thanks Small Boy!). I love the stitching community for the same reasons. I also enjoy producing a beautiful piece of art as the end result.
I came to cross stitching via my love for pixel art. I don’t much like producing it myself, and just looking feels like not much, so by stitching my favorites I can engage with them more. Sadly that also ruins lots of more conventional cross stitch patterns for me, if I have to spend hours fixing sloppy lines and messy palettes that pretty picture starts to look a lot less appealing. But I won’t run out of pixels to stitch anytime soon, so leaving the patterns to those who like them.
If only xstitch could be animated too 😉
For me it has become more than something to keep my hands busy. But I do like the fact that I have something to show at the end of the night when I relax and watch TV. Its actually very hard for me to watch TV and do….nothing.
For me I think its become a form of meditation/zen. I’m a better person for Cross Stitching, nothing makes me happier than that little “X”! I’m what my stitching friends call a “process stitcher” I like the process of stitching the project, the journey. It doesn’t bother me that at the end my project goes into a bin, even those ones that take hundreds of hours! I know some people are just aghast that I don’t frame my work. I’m okay with that.
I like stitching because it gives me something to do at night. I like to read and play video games too but I can only do so much on the computer before I’m bored and my husband is usually off doing his own thing.
Great article, Heather 🙂 I taught myself about twelve years ago but only really got into it in the last year. I find it to be a great stress reliever, very therapeutic. And, yes, I, too, cross stitch so I don’t hurt people! Hee hee!
I’m here by way of Pamela’s Hokkaido Kudasai, I stitch because I have to! I love color and embroidery; embellishment. I think in another life I was a graffiti artist.
I like your work.