Curricula and Learning Links - Hobbies
Cross Stitching Hand Towels
An Interview with Shelly C.
How did you get started?
I had quit my job of 6 years and was just sitting around the house. I was a newlywed, wed a little less than a year. I needed something to do! My mom does cross-stitch.. I mean full 'PICTURES' that she has framed and hung, her work is gorgeous. She asked if I wanted to learn, so I said yes. and she began to teach me on something small, (hand towels) and I was hooked.
What materials and costs are involved?
For starters you need a pattern. You can buy a book full of them or buy a single pattern. The cost is determined by the size of pattern. The patterns for the hand towels I like to do can be bought for about 4 or 5 dollars for a book of a dozen patterns. The thread is about a dollar for a skien (individual color thread lots are called a skein). The pattern will determine the number of different color skeins you'll need. In other words, an easier pattern with only 4 different colors used will cost less because you will only need to buy the 4 colors.
The towels themselves are about 5 to 6 dollars. You can also do baby bibs or bigger towels. I like to catch them on sale, and sometimes can get them for 3 to 4 dollars each.
How does it bless you or others?
For me, it is relaxing. I like the rythm of the hand sewing. I mostly make them for gifts for others, so I like to think of the person I'm making them for. It is a blessing to others (I believe anyway!) because it is unusual to receive handmade gifts these days, and to know that someone cared enough to hand sew something pretty that they can display and use is a good thing. This sounds shallow but I also like that this is something *I* made with my own hand that will last for years... I will go to the person's house and see the gifts being used in the kitchen or hanging in the bathroom as guest hand towels, and it boosts my confidence in myself. It makes me feel like they really liked the gift, and encourages me to make more for others.
