FIRM FAVOURITES: NIA RHIND
Designers share with us their top stitching essentials
THREAD BOXES
Although I’ve used bobbins to keep my threads organised in the past, for quite a while now, I prefer to keep my threads in lile numbered ‘floss bags’. A whole skein of thread fits into one of the bags and is a great solution to keep the length which has been cut off to use, plus any leftover bits of thread. I keep my floss bags in two tin boxes which were biscuit tins at one time, again repurposing. One has all the blues, pinks, purples and reds, and the other has the yellows, greens, oranges and browns. I love being able to see all the lovely thread colours running into each other from light to dark.
EMBROIDERY HOOP
I always use a hoop when I’m cross stitching my designs. I find that a hoop is nice and light to hold in your hand and helps to keep the fabric taut, which gives your stitches a lovely even appearance. Sometimes
I use a hoop in a seat stand, which is quite good too, as it frees up one of your hands. It’s important to remove the hoop from your fabric when you leave your stitching, as this gives the fabric time to relax again. I like to press the reverse of my stitching so that the fabric is nice and fresh, ready for me to pick up again next time. Below you can see my top 5 favourites when I’m cross stitching and creating my designs for www.nia-crossstitch.com…
PROJECT WORK BOX
I keep all the necessary elements for my current cross stitch project all in one box when I’m stitching up my design. I love it when I’m able to re-use a sadly empty box of Continental chocolates which is large enough and sturdy enough to serve this alternative purpose, keeping everything together – hoop, fabric, threads, paern, needle and the allimportant pair of sharp scissors.
EMBROIDERY SCISSORS
I couldn’t be without my small pair of orange Fiskars embroidery scissors. These are the one and only pair of embroidery scissors which I have owned and they have never lost their sharpness. They’re perfect for snipping off the thread from the skeins and super at geing in close for finishing off your thread when cross stitching.
CHART STAND
My Mum gave me this stand quite a few years ago, and I must say, it’s perfect for holding my cross stitch paern when I’m working on my designs. It’s a sturdy plastic frame which stays up on its own and works as a stand for you to place your paern on while you work. It also folds flat when not in use, which is very easy to store away.