If you’re an avid reader of the Meloca Designs blog, you might have seen my recent series for diamond painting newbies, but I’m back to my roots today with another blog post about my first craft love: cross stitch.
I’ve been cross stitching since I was a child, and I remember how much more appealing smaller cross stitch patterns were when I was a beginner. Even now, I sometimes reach for a quick and easy cross stitch project if I’m short on time or want the satisfaction of a finished piece, fast.
Here are a handful of really lovely little cross stitch kits that I’ve found, which would be suitable for beginners (and cross stitch experts who want a break from their big project).
1. The Make Arcade “Dolly the Sausage Dog” Mini Cross Stitch, £10.95
How adorable is this friendly little dachshund wearing a jumper and matching party hat?! I can just imagine that tail wagging happily.
This cute cross stitch measures about 3”/8cm when finished, and the kit includes some felt to cover the back, which is excellent, as it can be tricky for beginners to keep the backs of their first ever cross stitch pieces neat and tidy.
The sausage dog mini cross stitch kit also comes with a 3” wooden embroidery hoop, aida fabric, DMC embroidery threads (my favourite thread for cross stitch), the cross stitch pattern, and a How to Cross Stitch leaflet, all of which are packed up by The Make Arcade team in Salisbury, UK.
This cross stitch kit from The Make Arcade is super easy to follow, making it a perfect gift for beginners, although the small parts mean it may not be suitable for under 14s.
2. Baker Ross Cross Stitch Greeting Card Kit, from £4.95
What better way to send a heartfelt message to a loved one, than with a handmade card?
Instead of cross stitching onto fabric, with this kit, you cross stitch straight onto card that has been pre-punched with holes. It’s great for beginners, as the holes are much bigger than on aida fabric (the most common cross stitch fabric), making it super easy to know where your next stitch should go.
However, it doesn’t look like these cards come with instructions, so you need to be confident enough to create your own cross stitch designs. You could sketch a design onto the card first with coloured pencils to make it a bit easier.
These cross stitch cards are 14.5cm x 14.5cm (5.7”) when folded, and the kit comes with envelopes, a rainbow of embroidery threads, and plastic needles, making this cross stitch kit a safe gift for kids aged 5 and up.
3. Meloca Designs Mini Cross Stitch Kits, from £9.95
Our adorable mini cross stitch kits are great for absolute beginners, and I found it so fun designing and giving them a test run. They’d be the perfect gift for that friend you've been trying to convert to cross stitch ;)
These dinky cross stitch kits also make for enjoyable quick projects in between large WIPs that you need a little break from - speaking from experience!
They’re all approximately 2 x 2” (5-5.5cm), so our mini cross stitch patterns are just the right size to use for handmade cross stitch cards, or frame them to fill that little gap in your gallery wall.
As if they couldn’t get any better, you can get one completely free when you buy 2 Meloca Designs Mini Cross Stitch Kits - the discount will automatically apply when you add 3 kits to your basket.
4. Marvling Bros Mini Cross Stitch Kits, from £9.95
These mini cross stitch kits are so adorable - they come in little matchboxes, so they fit easily through a letterbox, and they have free UK shipping too.
Inside the Kawaii-branded matchbox, you’ll find everything you need to create these tiny cross stitch patterns, including aida fabric (approx 2.5”/6.5cm), embroidery threads, a needle, and instructions.
You can choose from loads of cute designs, like strawberries, cacti, rainbows… there’s even a hot dog with a smiley face, and they have seasonal cross stitch kits like Halloween pumpkins, and Christmas puddings with two teeny-weeny bells on.
Marvling Bros make all sorts of tiny things in matchboxes, including cookie kits, felt characters and paper flowers, which make lovely gifts. I highly recommend having a browse of their online shop if you like cute and creative things.
5. Cotton Clara Home Sweet Home Embroidery Board Kit, £12.95
This is another cross stitch kit without fabric - with this Cotton Clara craft kit, you cross stitch onto wooden ply board in the shape of a traditional fabric banner.
The Sweet Home cross stitch kit has a cool, minimal feel to it, and would look so lovely in any home, with 2 colours of thread to choose from to match your decor - a warm rust or cool turquoise.
The design is laser cut onto plywood, making it really easy for cross stitch beginners, or more experienced cross stitchers who want to take a break from a more intricate cross stitch pattern.
This adorable Cotton Clara cross stitch kit comes with everything you need - 16.5 x 21cm (6.5 x 8.25”) ply board, embroidery thread, needle, instructions, and a cord to hang your finished cross stitch.
Once you’re feeling confident with cross stitching, you can move on to bigger and more intricate cross stitch patterns, like the ones I shared in my previous blog post, 8 creative & colourful cross stitch patterns for animal lovers.
If you’re reading this blog post to find some lovely cross stitch gifts for children, you might also want to check out my 5 tips for helping your child start cross stitching, or head to the Meloca Designs blog for loads more craft tips and inspiration.