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Cross-stitch is another craft in which you can use your
imagination – or you can follow ready-designed patterns. Your
cross-stitch designs can then be framed and kept for posterity as
evidence of your craft! Why not link it to some genealogy? You can
do a sampler to commemorate the birth of a grandchild, say, and then
link it to your family history so the sampler, or samplers, record
that history. You can do wedding anniversary keepsakes, baby
keepsakes and designs to help you mark any occasion. Your samplers
will make lovely presents for family and friends.
 Cross-stitch is easy to take up in that you don’t need
expensive kit and there is a wealth of information to help you
get started.
There is a Cross Stitch Guild that will help you with the
basics (www.thecrossstitchguild.com)
and that organises all sorts of weekends away at hotels and
barns (yes, barns!). They run one-day classes for all levels of
skill and organise shows and fairs. It’s a very active guild and
one that will help you enjoy your cross stitch all the more if
you’re the sort of person who likes to get involved with groups.
There are also lots of cross-stitch magazines that provide
articles, designs and all sorts of advice and help. When you buy
a kit, from a magazine or anywhere else, most of them indicate
what skill level you require in order to complete them and you
can even buy software programmes that will enable you to create
your own designs.
Cross-stitch is fun, easy to start, has lots of potential to
develop skills and the finished articles will provide a
permanent record of events or display beautiful pictures and
designs. They make perfect presents and you can even
cross-stitch your Christmas cards!
Before I finish on cross-stitch, just a quick mention of
tapestry. Tapestry is very similar to cross-stitch but rather
than using embroidery thread, you use wool. Also, the stitches
are generally different in that you don’t cross them. If you
would prefer to do tapestry you can buy everything you need at
any craft shop and, indeed, cross-stitch and tapestry designs
can be inter-changeable. So why not try both?
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