cross-stitching

Are you a homemaker who stays in your home and tend to the diverse needs of your family? Or are you a college co-ed who is home for the long summer vacation? If you are thinking about how to spend your free time at home, you might just as well consider these three worthwhile activities that will not only make you productive but will also definitely make your home a more beautiful place.

Punch Needle Embroidery

This might not ring a bell to you because unlike cross-stitching, that has been a trending hobby for some time; you may not have discovered punch needle embroidery yet. This punch needle stitching has been here for ages and is a more convenient innovative way of creating artistic stuff that can compete with your cross-stitch and rug hooking projects. You can actually make wall decors, frame it and bingo; you have a beautiful décor on your wall.

The key feature of punch needle embroidery compared to cross-stitching and the conventional embroidery are the loops created with the use of the clever magic embroidery pen. The loops have various stitch heights producing a distinctive textured design.

The needle used in punch needle stitching makes this artistic embroidery more relaxed and easier to do than rug hooking and cross-stitching, which use smaller hooks and needles. It resembles a fat pen with the needle eye at the very tip. The needle comes in various lengths to come up with loops of different heights.

Rug Hooking

Rug hooking is the older version of punch needle embroidery. It has flat stitches, unlike the punch needle stitching that has loops. With the use of crochet-like hooks that are mounted to a wooden handle, the loops are pulled through the back of the fabric.

A rug hooker can draw his own design, or he can buy patterns from stores. Beginners can start from simple geometric figures and can progress to more complex designs. The designs can also be used for punch needle embroidery projects.

Cross-stitching is said to be one of the oldest forms of embroidery, but it was just recently that it has become very popular for making classy home decorations. Cross-stitching is one of the easiest ways on how to make decors for your home. It starts with simple x-shaped stitches, and you can form figures by counting the exes on a design that can be bought from stores.

There are other ways to consume our free time at home, and it is truly fulfilling to choose activities that can beautify our homes. If you are not keen on embroidery works, you can start planting ornamental plants. All these activities can actually be money-making activities. You can sell your finished products online or contact friends to come over.…