Author Archives: Dana Batho

If you’ve ever wanted to start learning embroidery but weren’t sure where to start, this tutorial hopefully will help! This embroidery tutorial includes the straight stitch, backstitch, and running stitch. These stitches are perfect to learn for embroidery beginners, and … Read More

Transferring embroidery patterns to fabric doesn’t have to be difficult at all, but there are a variety of methods to choose from. The texture and thickness (and colour) of your fabric will often dictate which transfer method you use, as … Read More

This is a guest post by the very talented UK cross stitch designer, Lord Libidan. I hope you enjoy his tutorial on needle sizes!    The cross stitch needle guide is a pretty well-known table by now, with clear instructions … Read More

The word “biscornu” is derived from a French adjective meaning odd or bizarre. They are lovely projects, and can be used as pincushions, or smaller ones as scissor fobs or even needle minders if you put a small magnet inside. … Read More

If you’ve ever been to a needlework or craft shop, it can be overwhelming (in a good way) to see all the cross stitch fabrics that are available these days. Cross stitch fabrics come in a wide variety of types, … Read More

Sometimes you look at a pattern that has a lot of backstitch and you’re like “ohhh noooo, what did I sign myself up for?” Particularly if the backstitch doesn’t follow the exact colours or outlines of shapes, it can seem … Read More

Sometimes it can be confusing when shopping for cross stitch needles, to know which brands to get and which sizes or types. Tapestry needles are the most commonly used in cross stitch, but there are other specialty needles available as … Read More

If you’ve ever struggled to thread needles and wondered if there’s a better way, the good news is there are many options. Whether you use a needle threader, or whether you do it by hand, you don’t have to lose … Read More

If you’ve been in any online forum or group for long enough, at some point the dreaded “c” word will come up — copyright. It’s an issue that affects both designers and stitchers, as well as the stitching industry at … Read More

If you’ve ever been wooed by the various color variations threads like DMC’s new Coloris line on your shopping sprees, you’re not alone. These gorgeous variegated threads can be subtle or striking, and add a lot of beautiful tonality and … Read More

Beading embroidery and cross stitch projects doesn’t have to be hard, and it can add a wonderful flash of bling to your pieces. This cross stitch tutorial demonstrates the various kinds of needles you can use, how to stitch your … Read More

Have you ever seen DMC pearl cotton thread (also spelled perle cotton) in your local needlework or craft store and weren’t sure what to do with it? Recently I’ve had quite a few people asking me how to use it, … Read More

  Have you ever looked at beginners cross stitch projects and didn’t even know where to start? Or do you have friends that look at your projects longingly saying “I wish I was that talented”? Whether you need some beginners cross … Read More

If you’ve never seen a Rhodes heart before, you’ll love this simple embroidery stitch. First created by the needlework designer Mary Rhodes, this beautiful textural stitch can be used to add dimension to any project. Mary’s work was heavily influenced … Read More

Have you ever found a great cross stitch pattern with text on it, but you’d love to change one word to make it more customized? Or maybe you want to make your own cheeky stitched expressions? Using cross stitch alphabets … Read More