A reader asked for a recommendation for a beginner sampler. Would those of you who cross stitch please leave any ideas you have in the comments.
I will list some that I think look fairly easy but for my own personal preferences, my first choice would be something I love! I’d rather do something that I can’t wait to finish and get on my wall than to do something that looks “beginner”.
The second consideration would be something that has some degree of “continuity” – meaning things line up and there’s a “flow”, without a lot of counting and things HAVING to line up right above each other, etc.
The third consideration would be finding something not too huge. You want to finish it before you get tired of working on it. Of course, you can have several things going at once and that alleviates the boredom for me.
The fourth consideration would be something without too many color changes.
The above piece, A Good Marriage, was my first piece and I think it hits all the buttons of what NOT to do for a first piece. Things kinda HAD to line up (some of my rows are not straight!). Even with that stitched on 32 count linen, I had a hard time following the “line”. There are color changes and there was more counting than I should have done as a beginner. BUT, I LOVE it and I couldn’t wait to get that stitched and it took me just a bit over two weeks to stitch the whole thing. That’s the beauty in doing something you love!
Recommendations:
Butternut Tavern – This is a bit of a “sampler” and the design is 7 x 10″ done on 40 count so done on 32 count, it would be larger. Even at 7 x 10″, I would frame it.
Red Marking Sampler – This would be great because there are no color changes.
Red Bird Sampler – This one is small and has no color changes. It could be framed or made into a pillow.
The bottom line for me is that it has to be something I like. So, for the most part, my best advice is to find something you like, and find something that isn’t HUGE. In the beginning, we stitch slowly and you are going to find a million things you want to stitch and feeling like you have to finish something that’s big, when you’re wanting to start something else . . that may result in frustration.
Teri says
I think I would go to some of the designers websites and look at their freebies they are usually small and very easy…that way if you don’t like doing it it is not going to cost a lot of money…and not too intimidating.
Elle says
https://hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com/free-cross-stitch-charts-and-motifs/
This is a simple alphabet and a free pattern.
I suggest something with no color change AND to start with Aida 14 cloth. It has a stiffness that will help with even stitching.
Don’t feel like you must use expensive linen or expensive threads. I’ve done terrific pieces with Aida and DMC floss. I did transition to some pieces on linen but I still only use DMC floss. I have pieces more than 35 years old and they still look terrific.
Once one gets a feel for the counting and the tension to get good stitches, you can cross stitch ANYTHING. I personally jumped straight into large pieces because I didn’t know any better 🙂
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Right! But . . if someone wants to stitch on linen, the best time to start is NOW. Starting with something else, when linen is what you want to use only makes for a long project.
I agree . . nothing wrong with aida and when I see finished pieces, I don’t even notice what fabric was used.
Cindi says
The link for the Red Bird Sampler is not correct.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Fixed. Thanks.
Joyce in Iowa says
I love Fly by Night by The Stitcherhood (https://thestitcherhood.com/product/fly-by-night-202-2/). It is a PDF to download, small, only one thread color, has some all-over dense/fill-in type area, plus some small stand-alones, and a border that needs to match up. The bonus is that I love it! It’s the design I used to teach myself “in hand” cross stitching.