If you love cross stitch, I'll bet that like me you’re at least a little intrigued by other crafts, even if you haven’t dipped your toe in yet.
Perhaps you’ve seen some crafty accounts on Instagram that are inspiring you to take up a new hobby, but you don’t want to buy all the equipment if you’re not sure you’re going to like it.
Well, if you already love cross stitching, these are 5 crafts that have a similar feel, and I think you’ll love them just as much.
1. Try diamond painting for a sparkly cross stitch effect
I love diamond painting, because it gives a similar result to cross stitch, except instead of thread crosses, the image is built up of tiny, shiny resin gems (otherwise known as diamonds or drills). Despite the name, there’s no paint involved!
Your finished diamond painting will be a beautiful and shimmering mosaic-style piece of art, with which you can adorn the walls of your home.
For diamond painting, you need a little tool which looks similar to a pen, but you dip it into wax and it helps you to pick up each individual gem and place it in its allocated space on the self-adhesive canvas.
The canvas inside your diamond painting kit will look similar to the chart you’d find in a cross stitch kit, in that it’s printed with the design, with different symbols pertaining to different colours.
If you like the finished look of cross stitch, I think you’ll really like diamond painting, even if you don’t enjoy sewing or stitching.
2. Take up a new stitching challenge with embroidery
If you do enjoy sewing and cross stitch, it’s likely you’ll enjoy other types of embroidery too.
There are so many different types of embroidery stitches to learn - like French knots and back stitch - which is why I’d usually suggest starting with cross stitch before other types of embroidery, as it's much simpler.
But if you’re ready to embark on a brand new hobby that’s a little more challenging than cross stitch, then embroidery is for you.
Rachael at Rose Stitch Art sells some really beautiful embroidery kits, featuring creatures, florals, kites, and customisable name embroidery kits too.
And luckily, all of her embroidery kits come with really fab in-depth instructions, and she even sells a kit specifically to learn 11 different embroidery stitches.
3. Create a retro wall hanging with a Bargello kit
Bargello looks like a really fun craft, and is apparently pretty straight forward too, although I haven’t tried it myself - yet!
It’s a type of needlepoint which originated way back in the 17th century, but made its comeback in the 70s - which is why a lot of the designs look so cool and retro.
Using a plastic or tapestry canvas as your base, you follow a pattern to create straight stitches with tapestry wool and a needle. Those stitches form beautifully colourful geometric designs.
You can use your finished Bargello piece as a wall hanging, or I've seen people make plant holders from them too, which looks amazing.
It looks like such a mindful activity, and as all the stitches lay in the same direction, it looks pretty simple too, once you get the hang of it.
Oh Sew Bootiful’s Bargello kits are really bright and come with everything you need to get started, including illustrated instructions.
4. Make a masterpiece with paint by numbers
I know that painting by numbers isn’t stitching, but it’s a similar concept to cross stitching, as you do one colour at a time, and bit by bit watch a picture build.
I know quite a few stitchers who, alongside cross stitching, they do painting, but not everyone is a world-class painter, which is where painting by numbers comes in very handy.
If you’ve not come across paint by numbers before, you get a canvas or paper that has a design outlined on it, and each section has a different number which matches a certain paint colour.
They can look super impressive once they’re finished, but they’re really fun and relatively easy to do - as long as you’ve got a steady hand.
I've seen some really creative paint by numbers kits lately - there are loads on Etsy, and Figured’Art have loads of different styles of paint by numbers, from traditional watercolour painting style, to bold block colour graphic designs, and you can even make your own paint by numbers kit from a photo.
5. For quick and easy projects, try felt sewing kits
These are usually quick, simple projects that are pretty kid-friendly too, as long as they’re old enough to use a needle and thread.
Felt sewing kits generally come with all the felt, thread, wadding, trims and templates you’ll need, along with instructions of course.
Most kits are to make something small - like hanging decorations, a keyring or bunting - and they usually require cutting the felt shapes out, and sewing together with a simple back stitch.
The Make Arcade’s felt sewing kits include fun designs like birds, flowers, bunting, seasonal designs and fun things like roller skates and cowboy-themed kits. Ruth stocks all these alongside her cross stitch products, so they're obviously hobbies that go hand-in-hand.
Are you feeling excited to try a new craft yet? I definitely am… I think Bargello will be next on my list.
If diamond painting tickles your fancy, I’d love it if you could take a look at the brand new diamond painting kits I’ve added to the Meloca Designs shop. My new designs are a more manageable size, but still just as cute and colourful as ever.