In this episode, I share how to make a cross stitch container to find more time to cross stitch. You can listen to the episode below or keep scrolling to read the key takeaways.

Listen to the episode

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Set a Cross Stitch Container

What is a container?

When I say container, I am not talking about finding yourself a large box to put yourself in — although that might work too. A container here is going to be a container of time that you choose to cross stitch in, and I am calling it a container because it is going to have a very clear start and end time.

I have spoken a lot about finding gaps in your day and also about making routines. This is mixing a little bit of both and has been something I’ve been trying this year, and it’s working quite well.

Pick a length of time

Before you decide when and where, decide how long you want to stitch for during this container of time. I chose 30 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend going under 10 or over 60. Under 10 minutes, you can use my other techniques for finding gaps in your day. And over an hour is probably not going to happen. Even if you had no other responsibilities, you would probably need some kind of break after sitting for an hour.

Pick a spot

Now decide where you will stitch during this container. Where is your favourite place to stitch? I chose the sofa in my living room. There is a lot of space in there to spread my project out and any other supplies I need.

I want you to purposefully pick your spot before you decide when you will do this because I want you to think about comfort first, not convenience. I have other episodes where I talk about different kinds of routines that help you stitch for your circumstances, for example, on the work commute or on your lunch break.

For this container, I want you to think about your ideal stitching spot. It might be the room you like best in your home, out in the garden so you can’t see the mess inside, or in a coffee shop, the library, etc.

Decide the when

What day/days

 Now you know where and how long for, it actually makes deciding when you will do this a little easier. Ask yourself these questions with your space in mind. Do you have access to this space every day? If not, what days? If the space is outside your home, is there a way you could make going every day, or every weekday, or every other day, work? Or if it’s at your home, I recommend setting your days as Monday-Friday to start with, but you can also choose every day.

What time

Now that you have an idea about what days you will stitch in this container, you need to decide what time you will do it. I want you to try to make it the same time every day you do this. I chose between 4 and 5 pm. During this time, I find 30 minutes for cross stitch. I usually get home from the school run at around 4 pm, so I know that I can find 30 minutes around this time. Even if my kids have clubs after school, I can still usually squeeze in 30 minutes; it just might start at 4.30 pm instead of 4 pm. And bonus, the sun is usually hitting where I sit at this time.

You can get a little more specific than that if you wish. Have a think about the spot and days you chose, and what time of day would be best to stitch here. When everyone is at work or school, and you have the house to yourself? At 10 am in the coffee shop, when the morning rush is over? At 9 pm, when the kids are in bed, and the chores are done? The time you choose can depend on a lot, and you might need to try out a few before you decide what works best, and that’s OK.

Pick a project

I do recommend having a specific project you only stitch during this container, but it’s not completely necessary. The benefits are that you can leave it in your spot/your bag/the car, etc. And you will be able to see your progress clearly and how taking this time is helping you get more of your project done. It will also help with what I am going to say next.

Don’t go over the time

Here’s the twist. When you sit down for your stitching, I want you to set a timer for whatever amount of time you chose at the start of this process. And when it goes off, I want you to stop stitching wherever you are up to.

I know, I know this sounds so counterintuitive! The idea behind this is to help you be motivated to come back to your container the next time. If you are someone who likes to finish the row you are doing, or making sure you finish that length of floss, etc, leaving your project in the middle of a stitch will get you excited to come back and carry on.

Of course, you don’t have to do this. It might really irritate you, and that is not what we want. But why not try it and see how it feels? If you are in a cross stitch rut, especially this can be helpful.

You know where you are up to

I do this when I’m watching a series on TV. I stop watching an episode halfway through, not at the end. When I come back, I get to dive back into that episode right in the middle. Most people think I’m weird for this, but I love it. It stops me binging and I don’t get annoyed at whatever cliffhanger the show leaves the episode on. Diving back into a project in the middle of a shape or row can actually be helpful as you don’t have to try and figure out where you are up to — where you left last time will tell you.

It reduces your guilt

Another benefit of stopping when the timer goes off is to reduce your guilt. If you have already decided you are taking 20-60 minutes for stitching, you start to plan the time around that container. For example, I know as soon as I finish my 30 minutes, it is time to start getting things ready for dinner. If I go over that time, we eat late, the kids go to bed late, and I get less time to myself after they go to bed. And I have sat a bit too long before and felt terrible and stressed after it because I’m rushing the rest of my evening.

Sometimes you can feel guilty even if you don’t mess up your routine for the rest of the day. For example, you say you are going to make your container 20 minutes long, but you actually take 40. Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with doing this, but in my experience, you can come away feeling guilty, thinking of the other things you should have been doing.

The goal of course, is to not feel guilty about taking any amount of time for yourself, which I have also spoken about a lot. But if you do struggle with this, having a timer and stopping when it goes off can help reduce those feelings.

You can relax more

It also helps because you know there is an end to this time, so you know things will get done after. You can leave the laundry, or dishes, etc and take your time happily. It makes the sitting and stitching much more enjoyable because you can truly forget about what else needs doing right now.

When we sit down during a random time that has no end (which I also encourage), we can start to think about everything else that needs doing before the end of the day. This is not relaxing. Having a container around your hobby time helps your mind relax, knowing there is an end to this time, and after it ends, you can get back to whatever is on your mental to-do list.

To wrap up

Here are the 5 steps condensed for you:

• 1. Pick an amount of time for your container of stitching
• 2. Pick where you will do your stitching
• 3. Decide when you will stitch
• 4. Pick a project
• 5. Set a timer and don’t go over this

I hope you take away something helpful from this episode. My goal is to always help you find more time for stitching and fun in a chaotic and busy world.

Extra episodes and posts

• How to Make a Cross Stitch Routine
• How to have a Christmas Retreat Day
• How to Organise Your WIP Projects
• How to Stop Feeling Guilty
• 5 Tips to Find More Time to Cross Stitch