Probably, each of us has some kind of “female” hobby - cooking, knitting, scrapbooking. Or cross stitch.

I made my first embroideries in the fifth grade, but then a fish measuring 5 by 5 cm seemed like an impossible task, which I took a month to overcome.

I really became interested in embroidery when I became pregnant. I wanted to create something beautiful that suited my condition. I don’t know how to knit, I don’t like to sew, and all kinds of handicrafts involving glue are not my thing either. And one day, I was looking at my grandmother’s embroidered work and became interested. I tried to increase it and got hooked. It turned out to be such a thrill! Embroidery has helped and continues to help organize thoughts, take a break from everyday affairs, relax, and most importantly, I feel proud of myself and my creations.

In total, I have only been embroidering for a year, and even then, in the last three months, “newborn” worries forced me to take a break from my favorite activity. And now, when my daughter is almost four months old and her strict daily routine gives me the opportunity to do something else, I took up the hoop again.

During this year, I embroidered two small test pictures, one medium one, and now I’m working on a large-scale composition - 40 by 35 cm. This, of course, is not the limit, but only the beginning of my embroidered picture gallery.




In the process of learning embroidery (and I am self-taught), I made several important notes that may be useful to someone else.
- Embroidering a ready-made set is an expensive pleasure. And not always, in fact, pleasure. Some sets are poorly equipped - loose canvas, brittle needle, lack of thread. Personally, I decided for myself that I would embroider according to a pattern - bought or downloaded from the Internet - and buy the materials myself. I buy Gamma threads, they are several times cheaper than DMC, and I buy canvas, either Gamma or “of unknown origin.” Although, of course, Aida is more beautiful and of better quality. Through some simple calculations, it turned out to be much more profitable than a purchased set. For example, a 40 by 30 picture with everything you need usually costs from 600-700 rubles. The more colors, the more expensive. My set, assembled separately, cost me 350 rubles.

The size of the canvas is of primary importance. It turns out that on a canvas larger than 5.5 cells per cm you get ugly holes with translucent fabric, and on 7 cells you will break your eyes (yes, that was a discovery for me!).

The wrong side isn't that important. Blasphemous, but nonetheless. I don’t see the point in poring over the wrong side, because... no one will see her anyway. I still try not to let it get to the point of a terry towel, but I’m shaking over a random knot. What kind of pleasure can there be if you always think about the perfect wrong side?

Using cross stitch, you can create not only simple flower patterns, but also entire pictures. After rummaging through embroidery forums and websites, I saw works that cannot be described in words, they are so beautiful. Two companies that produce stunning embroidery designs are worthy of special attention: GK (GoldenKite) and HAED (HeavenandEarthdesign). The former create schemes based on well-known and not so famous paintings with a bias towards antiquity, while the latter give preference to fairy tale and fantasy motifs. The size and number of colors amazed my imagination. For example, 1.5 by 1 m and 155 shades. If one day I embroider something like this, you can consider me a kind of hero :)

All my “embroidery” plans are planned for several years in advance, all that remains is to find time.

Even now, as I write, my hands are itching to take up the hoop.

And finally, as a joke (which has some truth for any embroiderer) - when I took the needle in my hand, I put a cross on everything else!

To receive the best articles, subscribe to Alimero's pages on

This is a disease, but for some reason not everyone gets it. I’ve also met people who tried it and quit, I’m at a loss. Honestly, it feels like an addiction. Now I don’t have time for embroidery, I’m a versatile person and I don’t like to do just one thing. There are plenty of unfinished works, but I won’t show them, but I will be happy to show the finished ones. I started embroidering during my school years, but not in labor lessons, but I went to a club, and that’s when I started embroidering. But in those days there was no Internet, they embroidered from handicraft magazines - Susanna, Anna.

Favorite embroidery themes:

• children's topic (there are a lot of plans, where to find time for everything), wrote that gallery website- my inspiration in embroidery, so the “Favorites” folder with plans will soon burst, I hope my daughters will embroider when they grow up. The eldest is already showing interest, which makes me happy.
• Birds, animals
• Monochrome, sampler and zebras are my 3 weaknesses in cross stitch.

Monochrome embroidery - embroidery of the same color, a sampler is several embroideries in one work on one theme, reminiscent of a collage.

I like to embroider in daylight, but in the evening the speed of embroidery decreases significantly. Now new types of needlework have appeared - diamond mosaic and painting by numbers, their principle is similar to embroidery, they are also interesting to do.

I get patterns for embroidery from the Internet, rarely from magazines, even recently I’ve been liking designer embroidery (there are free and paid ones), I plan to embroider them first. I don’t have a lot of embroideries, but I put my soul and time into them.

I embroider only in a good mood, when all the housework is done, and this rarely happens with two children, but I know there are people who can embroider even in a bad mood, they have many times more finished embroidered works. I embroidered when I was in protective custody, I saw the girls in the hospital, and they didn’t waste time and did embroidery.

After moving to another city and having no one to talk to about handicrafts, I started my own blog on blogger to find handicraftswomen who were interested in the same thing as me.

Embroidery threads

Do I believe in embroidery signs, a definite yes. I embroidered this house and the housing issue was resolved. It's time to expand, so I have thoughts of embroidering more.

This is not the first year I have been embroidering, but the discovery was that embroidery fabric (canvas) has several varieties, brands, and not just small, medium or large. Even the needles must be selected according to the canvas number. And also fruzelki (French knots), various sets for embroidery.

There are a few sets, they were given to me, they are waiting in the wings. Enough embroidery patterns from the Internet.

My embroidery plans for 2016

At the end of the review about my hobby, inspiration for needlewomen, easy crosses and loops, and for those who have not tried this type of needlework, give it a try.

I hope that my daughters will also be interested in cross stitch.

I have been working as a kindergarten teacher for more than 15 years. The work of a teacher is creative, interesting and exciting. But besides my main job I have a hobby. I like to crochet, knit, and macrame. But lately I have been enjoying cross-stitching with great pleasure. My first works are small napkins embroidered with black and red threads. Cross stitch is very easy, the most important thing is desire.

The art of embroidery has a long history. From generation to generation, patterns and color schemes were refined and improved. The embroidery of the peoples of our country is distinguished by its great originality and richness of technical techniques. Each nation, depending on local conditions, peculiarities of life, customs and nature, created its own embroidery techniques, pattern motifs, and their compositional structure. In Russian embroidery, geometric patterns and geometrized forms of plants and animals play an important role: rhombuses, female figure motifs, birds, etc. The sun was depicted in the shape of a diamond, a bird symbolized the arrival of spring, etc.

To perform hand embroidery you need very simple tools: needles, thimble, scissors, measuring tape, hoop, fabric and thread. The choice of fabric and thread for hand embroidery depends on the purpose of the product, the nature of the pattern and the method of its implementation. For thread count embroidery, plain weave fabrics (linen and semi-linen), matting, staple and silk fabric are more convenient.

Cross stitch refers to counted stitches. The seams are made by counting the threads of the fabric. Cross stitches can also be embroidered according to a pattern on thick fabrics.

Cross stitch is one of the most popular types of embroidery and is widely used by handicraft lovers. Already from the name itself it is clear that the stitches that a skilled hand applies to the fabric are crosses. Cross stitch can be used to decorate individual items of clothing, table linen and household items. Crosses on children's things look very cute, and embroidered panels and napkins will decorate the interior of the house.

I take samples from magazines. First I embroider the base - with black threads, then with a different color (red, blue, etc., as desired). Each row is calculated according to the cells of the outline. Canvas can be small or large; for napkins I use small canvas. Threads can be wool, floss, etc.

At the moment I have started embroidering an icon, I want to finish it quickly and look at my result, and the result is always inspiring. Thank you...

Literature:

1. S. Lort, C. Guglielmazzi. Encyclopedia of cross stitch. 1993.
2. Handicrafts: Popular encyclopedia. Chief editor I.A. Andreeva. M.: Bolshaya Ross. encyclopedia, 1992.

Just recently, I told you about my hobby - paper cutting, devoting my post to this (who is curious and who has not had time to look yet - welcome to visit me - in my diary).

Well, I want to release the second part of stories about my hobby

This post is about cross stitch! This is a hobby that is already more well-known and understandable to everyone. It would seem... But even after time, I still learn some new secrets and subtleties of this creativity! Therefore, you should not think that with crosses everything is so easy and simple.

I became interested in this creativity relatively recently... During my school years, we embroidered with the girls at work. I was inspired, bought myself a large set with a beautiful landscape and... And this fervor quickly subsided. I had this work in a slightly incomplete state for not a year, or even two. Sometimes I came across it while cleaning out my shelves, embroidered again for a day or two, and the work was also hidden in a distant closet. What happened and how I was “switched” - I don’t know
But after graduating from school, I finally finished this work! And I wanted to embroider more and more!

At the moment, of course, I still do not have a large gallery with my paintings, especially since I no longer have such large-scale completed works. And some of it has already been given away, so I’ll show you just a little - what’s still left at home and what I managed to photograph with my good camera.

Enjoy watching

I’ll start, perhaps, with a photograph, a piece of which is visible in the main picture. This is a talisman for the hearth! Embroidered for my family and already given to them as an honorary gift.

I am very partial to the way the embroidery is designed. Not this one specifically, but any one in general! Often, a poorly chosen frame spoils the impression, although its purpose is quite the opposite. Since good decoration in a framing room is not cheap, I sometimes do it myself. Here was an ordinary wooden frame, which I painted with acrylic paints. I also really love the mat and believe that it is as important as the frame. In the photo there is a corner with my homemade passe-partout :)

This work has also already been donated and was also decorated at home

This metric was embroidered by me for my best friend! She was getting married this summer and I couldn't help but embroider something to celebrate!

As I already said, designing work is my weakness :) Therefore, I’m showing you the magnificent result of the work of the framing workshop! The frame is luxurious and looks so harmonious!