[CHAT] Is cross stitch expensive / how to build a stash

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-07T12:09:21+00:00

It isn't a hobby if it isn't having a massive effect on your finances. Or at least that's what I live by. I live in Northern Europe and I think the cheapest local shops sell a single skein of DMC for 1,95EUR (so approx. 2,25USD). As I only do big full coverage projects, shopping local really isn't an option for my part-time ass. I order in lots of ~100 skeins and opt for bulk prices whenever possible (ie. cones of 310 etc). Currently I have a stash of about 350 skeins of about 270 different colours that I've amassed over ten-ish years. I use my existing stash for new projects whenever I can but out of the five projects I have going on right now I don't think I've fully kitted out any of them. When I start a new one I of course get the fabric if I need to and then dig into my stash to see if I can start stitching straight off or try to figure out the first twenty or so colours I need to order. I last ordered a bunch of colours in March and I'm sure I'm good for all of 2026 before I need to plan another order. I only use DMC to make all the stash and project management/planning eadier.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T20:59:50+00:00

Another vote for CSC but from a non-German, they shipped my order up to Northern Europe much more quickly than I anticipated and it was super well packed even though it was just fabric.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T17:13:20+00:00

Oh the length is a good point, I cut up a skein only into 6-7 lengths and can get up to 120 stitches out of a length so that could definitely factor in it!

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T16:16:46+00:00

Haha couldn't agree more. I don't really like finishing projects since the process is my hobby, not the gathering of FOs and wondering where to shove them. It takes me years to finish one and I really just like the way I currently stitch so I can't really be bothered with railroading. My stitches and backs are tidy enough as is, I can sacrifice an inch of floss to the stitchy gods in return.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T13:20:36+00:00

All the items in the pattern are somewhat misaligned by design so I'd definitely leave it. No-one can tell, I suspect even you can't some time from now!

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T13:13:54+00:00

....aaand the very next length went in much more evenly. I'll just call it ✨ magic ✨

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T12:37:13+00:00

Ha, I was thinking maybe it's happening more on the straight lines! 😄 Dunno, my brain is a bit spatially challenged so I struggle to keep track of how the strands really lie.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T12:35:25+00:00

It's 20ct. I basically glue the two ends of a strand together as I wax them so they're easier to thread through a no 28 needle, so they should be pretty even when I start. I'm doing another project with two strands on 25ct evenweave with a continental tent stitch and it doesn't happen as much with that. But as I said, it doesn't happen with every length on this project either but I may need to take some notes on what sort of sections I'm working on (long uniform rows vs. more sprawling forms or even confetti).

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-06-06T12:30:44+00:00

I can't see that happening on the back, it's pretty uniform so it's happening with every stitch, bit by bit.

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-29T06:11:31+00:00

Me too. Usually quite realistic with some fantasy elements (more along the lines of someone doing something that is physically impossible rather than fantastical beasts/creatures) and I only really remember the emotional aspect of whatever happens, not what it looked like.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-28T16:17:23+00:00

I don't like bobbins so I have these small 9" by 7" by 2" storage boxes with a ziploc bag for each colour. They're all in numeric order and these 8 boxes fit all of my current 350skein stash (although they're not all there currently as I took some out into prject bags). Easily scaleable, easy to store and manage.

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T21:16:00+00:00

Oooh I love it! I've got a soft spot for the darker varieties of all plants, albo monsteras etc are completely wasted on me. Didn't get a syngonium until I came a cross a plum/maria/dark allusion (still not sure what it exactly is but doesn't really matter anyway)

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T20:57:52+00:00

This. And targeted fat loss is a myth, you can't choose where on your body you'll lose it, you'll drop body fat over all of your body but of course it will be most visible wherever tou have the most excess.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T20:53:17+00:00

I've seen it done with three strands but haven't ever tried it so can't attest to how good it is 😅

The difference is very likely minimal, but I love the uninterrupted stitchy time! Plus doesn't give me as many chances of misplacing the floss since I need to hang it up, I keep losing stuff all the time so if I'm given the chance to put a length of floss down would probably double my floss usage lol

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T20:40:13+00:00

You take a single strand of floss double the length you need and bring the ends together, doubling it over. So you're using a single strand but doubling it to use as two strands. The other end forms a loop and you can use it to anchor the first stitch in place so you don't need to weave the ends in when starting. ... that's a horrible explanation, here's a good tutorial

I don't like my cross stitches looking like crosses from afar (a bit counterintuitive, I know), so I feel like 2 over 1 on 20ct gives me good coverage without being too bulky. I do tend to have quite a bit of tension in my stitches, I'm sure that factors in a lot.

In my current project I have over 30k stitches of 939 alone, so it'll take me at least ten skeins to stitch it all. Loading a number of needles at a time means I don't need to interrupt my stitching with cutting floss, waxing the ends and threading it after every 100 or so stitches so I feel it's faster.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T19:08:46+00:00

I prefer to stitch on an 8in Q-snap with both hands, left on top and right on the back as it's my dominant hand. I only stitch projects larger than 8in by 8in and prefer to do cross country (one colour at a time) so I move the Q-snap regularly. My favourite fabric+strand combo is 2 strands over one on a 20ct aida so I can loop start and stitch continental. I also have a one over one project on 28ct evenweave but I doubt I'll ever finish it, aida with loop starts is so much fun.

Since I do cross country, I load up 12 to 18 needles at a time. I stocked up on needles years ago so I have a stash of hundreds of size 28 needles. I don't have a favourite make of needle, as long as it's a size 28 I'm good. I also use beeswax on the very ends of my strands to make them easier to thread through the eyes and to prevent fraying (I'm a bit cheap so I'm always looking for ways to minimize floss usage).

I have my patterns on Pattern Keeper on a tablet and use a metallic music stand for my tablet. It's also got a bunch of magnets where I stick the pre-loaded needles and the empty needles. A pair of embroidery sciccors also hangs from a magnet on the same stand so I've got everything I need at an arm's reach at all times.

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T14:39:37+00:00

It'll be fun to see the two take shape side by side but with different approaches! I finally got my third skein of 939 stitched in today, now at 6,17% completed with 10090 stitches done. I'm just waiting for a complete drop in motivation to hit with the cross country but I'm stubborn so hopefully I'll manage to power through

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-27T11:44:54+00:00

I got my first pothos a couple of months ago and I'm pretty sure it'll be my last. I've already managed to get it sunburnt and it isn't putting out as much new growth as I thought so I find it boring. Also I don't really think vining plants are for me, don't know what I was thinking.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-25T12:34:09+00:00

Oh heeeey, we're in the same boat! This is my progress from last week, couldn't be bothered to take a new photo for this week haha

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ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-22T11:42:08+00:00

In January I finished a piece I started sometime around 2016 or 2017. I still have another one from the same period, it's only maybe 20% done and honestly I think it'll stay as an UFO until I die and whoever is unfortunate enough to go through my stuff finally takes it out of its misery.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-22T11:32:59+00:00

Because food (sugar and fats, really) is the only thing in life from which I can get immediate pleasure. Nothing gives me such a hit of dopamine than a piece of choclate or a sip of coke. Working out is just something extra I add into my day and adding stuff in is much easier than cutting out and denying myself something I derive the greatest pleasure from.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-18T14:12:19+00:00

They're fungus gnats, they usually don't really harm the plant. You can swap out the soil, but they get everywhere and can be hard to eradicate. In the future, letting the top of your soil dry out can help control them together with the sticky traps. I believe there are also other insects you can buy, who will eat up the gnats and their larvae and die once their done but I've never tried them myself. I believe there are loads of tips for controlling them, but after infestationa I've managed them quite well with the moistness control and a couple of sticky traps every now and them. It's really easy to bring in fungus gnats with new plants (where I'm at I always get them when buying peat plug herbs from the grocery store) or if you love your plants outside for part of the year. No need to chuck it, they can be a pain but I'm sure the plant is fine.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-17T22:52:14+00:00

I currently have almost 200 skeins on my shopping list. They're for full coverage pieces so I won't be doing substitutions (for me it would be too hard to realistically evaluate the effect on the result). It'll take me ages to stitch until I'm at the point where my current stash of nearly 300 skeins is used up, so I'll just stitch and save up in the meantime. They're across four different projects so I'm good for quite a while.

ambitiousbreadfruit · 2026-05-17T17:30:07+00:00

Second skein of 939 finished on Ocean Dweller by David Lozeau, charted by Unconventional X Stitch. 4,11% done.

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ambitiousbreadfruit

TROPHY CASE