Information Articles

by John Wigham

Don’t you just love sending a special cross stitch gift to a friend? A card you’ve stitched is a great way to mark special occasions and holidays. Your friends are probably thrilled when they receive your cards and admire them for quite some time. Sadly, though, eventually the cards end up tucked away inside cabinets and drawers. Instead of a card, you may want to create a personalised bookmark the next time a special person in your life celebrates an occasion.

Why not create a cross stitch bookmark instead for one your friends? The advantages are that they will be used as often as the recipient reads a book, and will be associated with good leisure time. Also, your message of friendship will be reaffirmed every time your friend or relative opens the book. It will be useful as well as being ornamental.

Like any other stitching project, you’ll want to consider a few suggestions before you begin creating your gifts.

Firstly, your chosen design should have a great appeal for the recipient. What is the favorite color of this person? A favorite flower? A hobby? You can make the bookmark with these things in mind. Do remember that this will be a quick project, however. A cross stitch bookmark is small, and therefore, you will not be able to incorporate every aspect of the person’s likes and dislikes into this design. If your friend has lots of interests, you may consider what he or she most enjoys reading about.

If you’re looking for ways to help your children be enthusiastic about reading, consider stitching them bookmarks decorated with their favorite characters.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to create a bookmark, you may want to buy a kit. Select a kit that has a pattern your friend will like. If you haven’t created a cross stitch bookmark before, a kit will show you what’s involved. The kit will contain everything you need, including all of the various flosses, the required cross stitch material, and directions. After you complete this bookmark, you should save the directions so you can follow them when you stitch your next bookmark.

As a general rule, a bookmark is tall and narrow. It should slip easily between the pages of a book. Don’t use floss that is thick or fuzzy, since this could make it difficult to close the book. When you’re determining the exact dimensions for your bookmark, give some thought to the reading choices of your friend. If your friend reads hardcovers, create a longer bookmark than if he or she prefers paperbacks. Generally, you’ll want the finished bookmark to be no longer than nine inches but no shorter than six inches (15 to 22cm). Regarding the width, many stitchers prefer to keep the bookmark around two and a half inches (6.5cm).

You will need to cut your cross stitch fabric (aida or evenweave) to the right size. In order to prevent the edges from fraying, you should stitch a piece of binding or ribbon to the edges. If you prefer, you can use a larger piece of fabric and deliberately fray the edges yourself, keeping the edges symmetrical and neat in appearance. You can then stop further fraying by spraying with a fray-stopping product.

Many bookmark designs exists, so finding one should be easy. Look in cross stitch books and magazines for a small pattern that will look nice on a bookmark. Of course, you can draw your own pattern. Keep it small enough that it doesn’t run right up to the edges. Use graph paper to draw your pattern. Each square on the paper should indicate a single stitch on your bookmark.

As you work, you’ll want to make your stitching as tidy as possible. When you finish, glue a ribbon fragment onto the back so you can neatly cover the underside. Keep your knots small to avoid any bumps.

You can add extra appeal to your bookmark by doing things such as making the bottom edge a triangle. A tassel, perhaps even with a few beads, dangling off this triangle-shaped end will be very attractive.

After you’ve completed your bookmark, you’ll want to iron it. Place a towel both over and under the bookmark, and then carefully press. Make certain the heat isn’t too high since you don’t want to hurt your project.

Bookmarks are really easy to make, and after you’ve stitched one, the next ones will be a snap. The projects will take you almost no time at all.

Any friend or family member is bound to love the cross stitch bookmark you make for them. Plus, unlike a card, your personalized bookmark will be treasured and used often, perhaps for many years to come.

About the Author:

Julia Wigham is an experienced author and co-founder of Patterns Patch cross stitch forums. An online cross stitch community whose members get free: patterns, articles and tutorials. Come to our lively => cross stitch blogs right now.