Welcome to Our New Home – And Thank You! 🧵💖

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome you to our brand new website: stitchmyheart.co.uk!
This little corner of the internet has been a dream in the making, and it’s finally come to life — thanks to you.

Over the past year, your support, encouragement, and love for our cross stitch patterns have helped us grow in ways we never imagined. Whether you purchased a pattern, left a kind review, shared your work, or simply followed along, you’ve played a part in getting us here — and we’re so grateful.

Creating our own platform means more freedom, more creativity, and more ways to connect with you. Here’s what you’ll find on our new site:

🧵 A full library of our cross stitch patterns – carefully designed and instantly downloadable
🎁 10% off your first order when you sign up to our newsletter
📝 A growing blog full of stitchy tips, behind-the-scenes updates, and inspiration
💬 A real community space – become a free member to comment on posts, like content, send messages, and stay updated on everything we do!

This isn’t just a shop — it’s a stitching space. A place for creativity, connection, and the shared love of thread, fabric, and a good cup of tea. ☕

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being here with us. We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next — and we’re so happy you’re part of the journey.

With love and happy stitching,
Amy - and the Stitch My Heart Team

🧵 How to Cross Stitch – A Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to the wonderful world of cross stitch! Whether you're completely new or just need a little refresher, this guide will walk you through the basics of this relaxing and rewarding hobby. Let’s get started!

✨ What You’ll Need:

• A cross stitch pattern – You can browse digital PDF patterns right here on Stitch My Heart!
  

• Aida fabric – The most common type is 14 count, perfect for beginners.
  

• Embroidery hoop – Keeps your fabric nice and tight while you stitch.
  

• Embroidery floss – Usually DMC threads, which come in hundreds of beautiful colours.
  

• Needle – A blunt-ended tapestry needle, size 24 or 26 is ideal.
  

• Scissors – Small and sharp for neat cutting.
  

🪡 Step-by-Step: How to Start Cross Stitching

1. Read Your Pattern

Your pattern will be a grid of symbols. Each symbol represents a colour of thread. You’ll usually get:

• A full-colour chart
  

• A black and white chart
  

• A key (legend) showing which colours match each symbol
  

2. Prepare Your Fabric

• Cut your Aida a bit larger than your pattern size to allow room for framing.
  

• Use your hoop to secure the area you’ll be stitching.
  

3. Thread Your Needle

Most embroidery floss is made of 6 strands. Patterns usually use 2 strands for stitching. Separate out 2 strands, thread your needle, and you’re ready to go!

4. Start Stitching

• Begin from the centre of the pattern and the centre of your fabric (many charts have arrows to help find the middle).
  

• Make one diagonal stitch from bottom left to top right.
  

• Then cross over it from bottom right to top left. That’s one cross stitch!
  

• Keep your stitches tidy by always crossing in the same direction.
  

5. Follow the Chart

Continue stitching by following your pattern symbol by symbol, colour by colour. You can use a highlighter or app like Pattern Keeper to keep track of where you are.

💡 Tips for Beginners

• Don’t pull your stitches too tight – they should lie flat but not distort the fabric.
  

• Take breaks to rest your eyes and hands.
  

• Mistakes happen! Unpicking a few stitches is totally normal.
  

Enjoy the process – it’s meant to be fun and calming.

Heres one of our Mini's for free to practice! :D