If, like me, you’ve been cross stitching for most of your life, you might feel like you’re running out of space in your home to display your finished cross stitch pieces in the way you usually do.
Or perhaps you’re brand new to cross stitching, and want to learn a few clever ways to display your art in your home.
Of course, many people love to simply frame their cross stitches and display them on the wall, but if you’re looking for some more creative ways to display your finished cross stitch projects, read on…
1. Sew a cross stitch cushion cover
We’re putting the fun in functional with this clever way to display your finished cross stitch - a lovely cushion to adorn your sofa or bed.
A couple of years ago, we shared this cross stitch cushion tutorial on the Meloca Designs YouTube channel. It shows you how to create your own colourful patchwork cushion with our Meloca Designs Mandala Tiger Cross Stitch in the centre.
The round design and colourful fabrics used for the patchwork add a whole heap of fun to this cushion project, and you can use pretty much any cross stitch design, as long as it’s not too big!
If you don’t feel like you have the sewing skills to make your own cushion from scratch, you could get an existing cushion cover and attach your finished cross stitch to it with fabric glue like Bostik Fabric Glue or Odif Permanent Fusible Adhesive Spray, both of which are washable too.
2. Frame or mount your cross stitch on foam board
This is how all of my finished cross stitch designs are displayed in my home. The result is a neat, lightweight cross stitch piece, which is easy to hang or move, if you want to switch things up.
It’s super easy and quick to do - I shared a quick foam board mounting tutorial on Instagram a few years back, and it’s great for pretty much any cross stitch design.
All you need is some foam board the right size for your finished cross stitch (you can easily find this in craft shops like Hobby Craft), an iron, pins, sandpaper and acid-free mounting tape.
You simply sand the edges of the foam board so that they’re smooth, centre your design and pin in place, and then use mounting tape on the back to secure it.
Meloca Designs Mandala Owl on foam board
3. Make cross stitch Christmas decorations
For this one, you’ll need to plan ahead. If you want to display your finished cross stitches as decorations on your Christmas tree, you’ll need to start with small cross stitch patterns, and you might want to cross stitch onto plastic canvas, to give them more rigidity.
You could get specific cross stitch kits that are intended to be used as Christmas decorations, like these Christmas ornament cross stitch kits from Marie’s Cross Stitch. They include everything you need, including plastic canvas, needle, threads, instructions, and embellishments too.
Alternatively, you could buy some wooden cross stitch blanks, which are pieces of wood with holes in, ready to be cross stitched. You can buy small ones like these from Stitchtastic, which are intended to be used as hanging ornaments, or there are loads of cross stitch blanks to choose from on Etsy.
When you’ve found some wooden blanks that you like, you can either find a cross stitch pattern that will work with the shape and size, or you could cross stitch patterns in a festive colour scheme.
Small cross stitch projects like these are also great for taking on trips - we’ve got a whole blog post full of tips for cross stitching on holiday.
4. Cross stitch tablecloths with matching napkins
A lot of cross stitchers love making tablecloths with matching napkins for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas, and they’re a great and functional way to show off your cross stitching skills in your home.
Both Hobby Jobby and Sew Inspiring have a great selection of seasonal cross stitch tablecloth and runner kits, which include everything you need.
I also love all the amazing cross stitch napkin kit designs from Coricamo, although these ship from Poland, so it’s worth noting the potential delivery times if you want to start making for a specific occasion.
If you’d rather use a cross stitch pattern that you already have, or create your own cross stitch design, you can buy blank linen aida napkins on Etsy, or cut aida fabric to the desired size for your cross stitch napkins or tablecloth.
You don’t have to use aida - you could use any type of fabric with a water soluble canvas and embroidery hoop to help you cross stitch neatly. Just baste the canvas onto your fabric, complete your cross stitch design, and then place into a bowl of warm water until the canvas dissolves, leaving behind your beautiful cross stitch.
5. Make drum keeps or block stands to display your cross stitch art
A great way to display your finished cross stitch pieces like ornaments around the home is by making a drum keep or block stand.
Cross stitch drum keeps are cylindrical, and often used as pin cushions or doorstops, but can be purely decorative too, whereas block stands are usually cubes displaying cross stitch art, and are simply decorative ornaments.
We have a cross stitch block stand tutorial on YouTube, which shows you how to cut your finished cross stitch and a complementing fabric to the right size and how to attach it to foam sculpture block, as well as ideas for embellishments, like the ribbon and fresh holly used for this festive cross stitch.
They’re lightweight, and easy to move around the home and store away - you could make different cross stitch block stands to decorate your home for every season!
I bet having loads of new ideas of how to display your finished cross stitches has got you eager to start a new project, and we’ve just published a blog post about cross stitching onto clothing too.
As always, you can follow Meloca Designs on Instagram to keep up with the latest happenings, including the odd giveaway and sneak peeks of upcoming cross stitch designs.