Cross Stitch Kits and Samplers

As the crafts of knitting, sewing and crochet become ever more fashionable, cross stitch kits are in huge demand. A kit will come complete with a design for you to sew (shown in full colour) and translated into a graph so that you can easily transfer the design onto your fabric prior to sewing. It should have the cotton embroidery threads or needlepoint wool in the colours that you require to complete the design. It will also contain the background fabric (either canvas, Binka, Aida or other even woven fabric) on which you sew and a couple of tapestry sewing needles of the correct size. (24 or 26) The kit may also contain a circular plastic or wooden embroidery hoop which holds the fabric tightly making it much easier to sew and possibly a small pair of embroidery scissors. You may like to store your kit in specialized craft boxes to keep it all together.

History of cross stitch

The craft of cross stitching most probably started in Italy or Germany at the tail end of the fifteenth century. The first cross stitch recorded was in the form of ‘samplers’ which were often examples of domestic embroidery such as border patterns for clothing. It was extremely important for these samplers to be worked as there was no other way of holding on to or passing on information as books were not commonplace and writing still a rarity. The Dutch were among the finest sampler makers with examples of many Dutch animals, birds and flowers depicted as an historical reference and personal record.

Needlepoint by hand

Needlepoint was taught to all young girls and was considered a highly prized domestic skill. All sewing was done by hand with no electricity and no sewing machines and the clothes of the entire family would be sewn by the mistress of the house and some of the older girls as their skills developed. Samplers were also used for other purposes, to teach children their letters or verses from the Bible and gradually to record significant events within the household. Births, deaths, betrothals and marriages would all be documented in stitch. There are many such examples to be seen in museums around the world.

Embroidery samplers and samples

In the eighteenth century embroidery was included in the school curriculum and the first books of printed embroidery patterns arrived. Following this, samplers became more structured and less original, unique and creative.

Alphabet sampler

The letters of the alphabet were more ordered and functional and so the need for samplers as documents became less important. Instead, samplers were used to show off the beautifully crafted stitches and refine the skills of the needlewoman. Proud fathers often framed and exhibited their daughters embroidered work.

Demonstrating the simple joys of the cross stitch

The Shaker, Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch religious communities produced many fine samplers demonstrating the simple joys of their lives. They are the masters of simplicity and design and celebrate all the natural pleasures of the world. They illustrated the houses they lived in the flowers and animals that surrounded them with a beauty, cleanness and mastery of design. The colours used in the samplers were all obtained from natural dyes which come from a variety of different sources. Madder, Onion skins, indigo, flower blossoms, hickory roots, berries and black walnuts all can be used as potential dyes. Sometimes in the case of a death, natural hair would be used for some stitches.

Cross stitch sampler supplies

Joanne Harvey who started out as an art teacher runs a wonderful business ‘The Examplery’ which stocks everything that you might need to create your own sampler. She supplies museums with authentic reproduction kits for American samplers.

Starter cross stitching kits

If you are starting out on your needlework career then it is probably best to start on a simple project and there are thousands of designs to choose from. They are available in many department stores and specialist needlework stores, but are also available in many cheap stores for only a few cents. It is a great idea to start your kids on easy cross stitch kits too and you can work on it together, plus, if you are unsure how to start, then many craft books and sewing books will give easy instructions on how to start to embroider your own cross stitch project.