Hello! Is this a dying hobby or is it just me?

[ReesteeKristie]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Kristie. I have been cross stitching since i was about 8. I'm 23 now and i still love it.

My grandmother is really crafty and she passed it on to my mom who passed it on to my sisters and I. I have been working on bigger and bigger projects lately. I am working on one for my sister for her Christmas present.

Finding supplies is getting harder and harder! Michael's seems to have completely gotten rid of their stitching supplies area. I feel so old going in there and people not knowing what I'm talking about when i ask them about counted cross stitch.

As young as i am already experiencing joint pain from cross stitching. Does anyone use those gloves? Do they actually work? I have braces for my joint paint that i got from a doctor but they are used to keep my wrist in a neutral position. There isn't a lot of room for movement without being uncomfortable.

Glad i found a community of people that enjoy my hobby as much as i do!

-Kristie

[ayna]

In the winter I wear handeze gloves because I have a form of Raynauds syndrome: at any sign of a chill in the air the capilliaries shut down and are most reluctant to begin working again. The best ones I have are those with fingers which go up to just before the knuckle - they work well for stitching but not so well for knitting. Hope this helps.

[MaggieM1750]

I don't use gloves- but I haven't had issues either.

And yes, I agree.. Michaels stitch aisle is dwindling down to nothing. At the store near my office, its in the far back corner of the store. And its usually a mess.
JoAnns is the better option for me. Because.. if I can't find something I am looking for, there is usally a similar product in the quilting aisles. And the cross stitch aisle is in the middle of the store with a table near by that I can sort of spread out on. Others shop at AC Moore or Hobby Lobby.. I don't have either of those stores near me. Hancock fabrics seems to be getting better.
I shop most often at a needlework shop for supplies. And online or at the LNS for patterns. But.. my needlework shop is closing its doors at the end of September. So I am trying to stock up and buy what I can while they are still open.
Have you ventured into the online world of stitch suppliers?? It can be a dangerous place to be. But, so is this forum.. we can be a terrible lot of enablers!! (I am not a fan of online shopping.. I am a touchy feely shopper. And I am picky about colors and tones. I need to play with fabric and threads to make sure they 'work' together. I don't trust online descriptions or photos.)

Welcome to the forum

[bookknurd]

I agree, Michael's stitchy section leaves much to be desired. At least I can count on Hobby Lobby to have basic fabrics and stuff.

I recently had a LNS open up near me and I love it! I am like MaggieM and need to see fabrics/threads before I buy them, especially with all of the lovely hand dyed stuff you can find at needlework shops! Plus there's a lot more variety of charts and projects there. Not to mention that the shop owner is super sweet and helpful and always ready to answer questions.

I don't have any issues with joint pain as long as I make sure my wrists aren't having to bend very much while stitching. I use a stand so it's all about height and angles. I didn't have any issues at all when I held my frame in hand.

Please post pictures of what you're working on. We love pictures!

[stitchingmae]

michaels has become a scrapbook painting and beading store. I think online shopping has killed in store shopping for needle supplies. It takes such a big area to have all the fabrocs patterns and floss we picky stitxhers have such different tastes..the overhead is huge....where if you have an onlone atore you can specialize in fabrics or yarns...or patterns...instead of them all and lower over head heck you can do it out of your home.

[ReesteeKristie]

How do you post pictures? I see the IMG key up there but i don't get it i can't just copy the file.

-Kristie

[bookknurd]

This thread should be helpful for learning how to post pictures.

http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... f=3&t=1027

[ReesteeKristie]

Aw man! I gotta start another account? haha I feel like I have about 3509285242 accounts with various websites online. I have an excel sheet to keep track of everything that i just *** some of the letters of my password. I will post pictures when i get home or if work gets really boring later.
Thanks!
Kristie

[perftangel]

This is related to the pictures, I host at imgur.com and you don't have to have an account but you can log in with your gmail (or yahoo or facebook or twitter) account! It's pretty easy to use and you can drag and drop your pictures, and I upload them from my phone. =) Once you upload pictures you click the picture, copy the BBCode (message boards & forums) and paste it here and you're good to go!

[rcperryls]

Hello and welcome to the forum from South Carolina! I don't think cross stitching is a dying hobby but one that has moved from "real" to online stores for the most part. Michaels, as far as I can tell, is only good for replacing DMC skeins and that is because it is 5 minutes from house. Hobby Lobby is much better as it also has fabrics, but if you have a LNS (Local Needlework Shop) that is, as the others said, the best choice. There are some (too many) really good online stores, and I do a fair amount of my shopping there. The longer you hang around here, the longer your list will grow.
I am looking forward to seeing pictures of your work. We do love pictures.

Carole

[ReesteeKristie]

Here is my current project. I am working on this as a Christmas present for my sister. She has a wine themed kitchen. I am short on funds so i thought this would be a good present that I also enjoy doing. Only issue is getting the money to frame it. I know the sales in stores bring it down so i hope that will suffice.

I'm looking for a part time job to supplement my current income of my full time job so i can live by myself. I'm moving into my own apartment next week. I will soon have no time to sew which will suck. Its very therapeutic in my opinion. (besides the whole joint pain thing haha)

I'm looking to get a stand so i don't have to hold the hoop. I feel like that is leading to most of my pain. I would preferably like one that i can somehow use while laying in bed since i like being cozy. Anyone hear of such a magical device?

Kristie

[bookknurd]

I know that people use lap stands in bed, and depending on the stand, you could possibly use a floor stand in bed. I have an Ergo stand and I haven't tried but it at least appears possible.

[fccs]

Welcome to the forum. I agree with others' comments about Michaels...about the only thing I can get there now for my stitching is floss and sometimes they have chart books. I do use their framing, however.

Joann has a better selection of fabrics and kits, and Hobby Lobby has an even better selection of kits. I have to get most of my stuff from a store I used to shop at in California or online. I haven't found any needlecraft stores near me, and I miss being able to touch before buying.

As for stands for bed, I would think lap ones would work if they hold the type of frame you work on. K's Creations makes some really nice lap types, but I don't know if they can gold Qsnaps. They do hold stretcher bars nicely.

I have done the full-time and part-time jobs and it will cut into your stitching time, but if you can even get in 30 minutes a day, you'll feel so much better.

Oh, and I love your current project. I'll be looking forward to seeing it progress.

[ReesteeKristie]

Since i am trying to really save money, anyone know a place where i can get the cheapest stands? I would most likely prefer online. The Joanns near me is horrible its very disorganized especially in the cross stitch section. I can get to AC moore but it is a bit of a drive. Let me know what you have seen. My impression is that local craft stores are usually more expensive. Anyone have a different experience?

-Kristie

[MaggieM1750]

More expensive.. well, that all depends.
I think needlework shops are less expensive.
Because you are only buying what you need.

You get cuts of fabric in a size close to what you need.. not a pre-packaged fat quarter.. or whatever size it may be. My LNS had little pieces for things like cards and ornaments, all the way to pieces that were long table runners. And the quality of fabrics is better.
You can see things in person.. so not paying shipping fees, or forgetting to return an item that is not what you were expecting
You can look at things you are thinking about buying before you buy them.. such as stands or lamps. How well is it constructed? How heavy is it? Where is the on/off switch? How easy is it to attach frames or flip it over? Which scissors feel better in your hands? Which glove works best?
You have a place to go that understands stitching.. knows the products, materials, designers, can go to when you have problems, learn a new stitch etc.. and its all orderly, clean and the DMC is in its right bin and its not in knots.

I am going to miss my LNS when it closes.

[guenever]

gorgeous stitching! your sister will love it!

i just ordered from 123stich.com. there are a lot of online supplies--even amazon. i do a lot of online shopping because i am in the boonies.

congrats on moving into your own place. i feel your pain about work--i am returning to teaching next week. and it's exhausting. especially grading those horrible essays. my stitching will be cut severely.

and in conclution you seen why the grate gatsby was such a good book.

you think i'm kidding. i'm not. maybe i can cross stitch their mouths shuts....

[Oriettait]

welcome to the forum from Italy
I am sure your sister will love your gift, your stitching is great
as for a stand you can use in bed, before switching to q-snap and a floor stand I used to work with a lap stand hoop, something that looked like this one
http://www.sewandso.co.uk/Products/10-T ... -TS10.aspx" target="_blank
they are usually handy and about as cheap as they can be
I used it on couches, my bed or sitting at a table and it was good to stitch two-handed.
I aslo suggest you to look in ebay or your local graiglist, it is not unusual to find great deal.

[Serinde]

And welcome from the West of Scotland.

I don't think it's a dying hobby at all. It seems to me that the difficulty bricks-and-mortar stores have concerns issues to do with stock. There's so much choice in threads, fabric, frames and designs (to name the obvious things), that no store can possibly manage. Stitchers are so fussy -- which is good, but obviously has a dark side, too -- and have been totally spoiled by the sheer OTT choice available online from all over the world. No LNS can possibly compete, unless they have an excellent online presence (Nordic Needle springs to mind). These issues weren't so pressing back in the day when only specialists used real silk or metal threads for goldwork, and everyone else got along fine with DMC (or Anchor) stranded, pearl cottons and tapestry wool.

Seems like we've come a long way... in some senses...

[flosaxby]

In response to the cheap stands question I'm pretty sure that one of our members just got a great deal on Freecycle or Craigslist or something like that....

Yes here it is: http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... =4&t=21534

Some other members have found amazing bargains at garage sales and charity shops. It's worth keeping your eye out!

Flo

[bookknurd]

And welcome from the West of Scotland.

I don't think it's a dying hobby at all. It seems to me that the difficulty bricks-and-mortar stores have concerns issues to do with stock. There's so much choice in threads, fabric, frames and designs (to name the obvious things), that no store can possibly manage. Stitchers are so fussy -- which is good, but obviously has a dark side, too -- and have been totally spoiled by the sheer OTT choice available online from all over the world. No LNS can possibly compete, unless they have an excellent online presence (Nordic Needle springs to mind). These issues weren't so pressing back in the day when only specialists used real silk or metal threads for goldwork, and everyone else got along fine with DMC (or Anchor) stranded, pearl cottons and tapestry wool.

Seems like we've come a long way... in some senses...

I do think LNS's can compete with online stores, because they can offer some things online stores can't (like being able to touch/see things in person). My LNS is in a tiny location, but she has it packed to the brim with charts, fabric, more threads than I could ever imagine, accessories, models, etc.

But I think the biggest thing that LNS's can offer that online stores can't is community. I love going into my LNS and chatting with the owner or other customer's about what we're working on, what we'd like to work on, etc. And I don't think I've ever gone inside with out by something (or several somethings). There's obviously more overhead for a brick-and-mortar store, but they offer a lot of value that an online store can't, no matter how good of an online store it is.

This is why I am doing my best to support my LNS as much as possible. I would be devastated if they weren't there.

P.S. - I think online shopping is also great. And a great option for those that don't have an LNS. Plus, who doesn't love getting packages in the mail, especially if they are full of stash?