My friends Libby & Dave bought their first home last year, so for Christmas, I thought I’d make them something special to commemorate the occasion. I hadn’t done any cross-stitching in quite a while – let’s be honest, I hadn’t cross-stitched since childhood – but I thought I’d give it a whirl. After all, if 8-year-old me could handle it, 23-year-old me can certainly figure it out. Using this guide from Yarn Tree, I refreshed my memory about the mechanics of cross stitching.
Supplies
1 sheet cross stitch fabric in white – I used 14 count, 15″x18″ silver standard by Charles Craft
1 package each of red, gray, black and white embroidery floss
1 needle
1 cute picture frame
scissors
graph paper
Directions
If you’re giving this as a housewarming gift as I did, your life is very easy. Just Google your friend’s new address, and their real estate listing is likely still available in a few places with pictures. Using the pictures as a guide, draw the house on graph paper. Remember that each square on your graph paper represents one stitch. Make sure your pattern works with the small size of your cross stitch fabric. I had a pattern that was much bigger than the finished product and had to accommodate accordingly. As I said at the beginning of this post, this is the first cross stitch I’ve done since childhood, so bear in mind that I had to take a few breaks throughout sewing this thing to regroup. I did learn a lot, however, and now cross stitching is my new go-to for last minute, yet personal gifts. Happy sewing!
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