Cross Stitch is my Passion, by Sarah Johnson

I learned how to cross stitch when I was a child. It was something I used to really enjoy. However, as I grew into a teenager and began my GCSE’s and A Levels then progressed to university it was something I just stopped. My greatest stitch was a Winnie the Pooh collage which years later I framed when I had my first baby. Fast forward 20 years and I have started stitching again.

I have worked for Unique Magazines for almost 4 years and have seen many cross-stitching magazines over my time here. However, one day an issue of Cross Stitcher caught my eye and I just had to buy it. I took it home and started reading it. From then on I was hooked again. Of course, I did not have any materials, so I manged to order a crafting pack from Amazon with everything that I needed. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive. However, I did keep it as a Christmas gift.

Once the Christmas rush had passed, I settled down with a nice drink and decided what I would stitch first. I chose a design which I thought looked quite small and easy to get me back in the swing of things. The design was an elephant’s head with a sunset within it. I am really pleased with how it turned out and I need to buy a frame to hang it on the wall somewhere.

One of my favourite sections of Cross Stitcher magazine is ‘Fully Booked’. This is where they recommend books which stitchers may enjoy. They introduced me to the book Cross Stitch for the Earth by Emma Congdon. As soon as I seen the cover, I knew I had to have it. Once I completed the elephant I moved onto a large pattern from this book. It is called ‘Unplug and Go Outside’. You can see my progress here in this photo. I cannot wait until I have this one finished and I will feel a great sense of achievement when it is framed and on my wall.

I now have so much material going forward into 2022 with my Cross Stitcher magazines and the Cross Stitch for the Earth book. I cannot tell you the joy I get each month when the new issue arrives on the door mat when I return from work!

I think the stitching is really helping my brain to switch off and enjoy some peaceful time after work creating things. It feels so good every night as I instantly see what I have spent my time doing. I hope to stitch from now on.

I have also introduced my daughter to cross stitching. She knows the technique, but she is very creative and is coming up with her own ideas on how she wants to stitch too. I hope this is a passion I can grow in her and get her some time stitching rather than stuck on a games console.

Some other cross stitch magazines I recommend are; The World of Cross Stitching, Just Cross Stitch and Cross Stitch Favourites. I look forward to reading the next issues of these magazines too. I will keep you updated on what’s in my hoop on a regular basis.

Written by

Sarah Johnson