In this episode, I share some questions you can ask yourself to help you decide what to stitch next in your cross stitch journey. You can listen to the episode below or keep scrolling to read the blog post.

Listen to the episode

*Affiliate link. If you click this link and buy I may earn a small commission but I only ever recommend things I have read/listened to myself.

How to Decide What to Stitch Next

This episode is an answer to a question a listener asked me on Instragram.

Kathleen asked: I am wondering if you ever have trouble choosing a pattern to do next. I can waste so much time on Etsy debating which one I like best and it ends up making me feel stressed! Maybe you could offer suggestions on this if you think others also struggle with making up their mind. Thanks for helping me on the journey!

Although I can’t answer that question directly, I have some questions you can ask yourself to help you at least narrow down your choices and make a decision quicker.

1 Seasons

Is it for the season you are in? If you like stitching to match the season and you’re trying to decide between a Christmas-themed pattern and a floral one and you’re currently in the month of June (in the northern hemisphere, at least) that might help. Save the Christmas one for Christmas and stitch the floral one in Summer. Of course i know sometimes we need to stitch ahead but I still like to have something on theme during that holiday, celebration, season etc.

2 Gifts

Are you trying to pick a pattern as a gift? If so, when does it need to be stitched by? If you only have a couple of weeks it’s best to choose a pattern that is smaller but if you have a few months you could go for something a bit larger.

3 Stash

Can you use your stash? Have a look at the colours of the patterns you are trying to choose between. I know you don’t always get a list of the exact ones you need before you buy it, but which pattern has colours that you know you already have a lot of floss for. For example, if you dont have many blues and the pattern is of the beach on a sunny day with a clear blue sky, you might have to buy some floss for it. Where as if you love orange and have tons of orange colours do any of the patterns you are looking at also have a lot of orange stitches? You can also look at which pattern is the perfect size for some fabric you already have.

Stitching a pattern that will help you use your stash (as long as you like the pattern of course) is always a good idea because it’s so much easier to start it right away; you don’t need to wait for anything in the post. Then you can keep momentum and motivation high which helps you stitch more.

4 Finishing

Which one would look best to hang in your home? Or which one could you see as a finished something; whether it’s in a hoop or a banner or anything else? If you can see a pattern as something you would actually finish that’s always a good sign; the excitement will keep you motivated to stitch it.

5 Time

How much time do you spend stitching? If you like to finish designs or stitch one project at a time then which pattern would best suit your lifestyle? If you only get a small amount of time to stitch each day then choosing a huge complicated pattern that will never get finished probably won’t do much for your motivation. On the other hand if you dedicate a lot of time to stitching then you might get bored finishing small projects too quickly (not to mention spend more money) so a larger one might suit you better.

6 Challenges

Is there something you want to challenge yourself to learn? Maybe it’s French knots, backstitching or stitching on evenweave. Do any of the patterns you are looking at help you with that challenge?

7 Trust Yourself

And finally; if none of these questions apply and you are simply just trying to decide what to stitch next you have to trust your own judgement. I always say you have to stitch what you love. If you are not enjoying a pattern for whatever reason; the colours, the size, it doesn’t matter you need to put it fown and find something you do love.

When trying to decide between lots of patterns you like the look of I would look at the pattern; imagine yourself stitching it and see if a smile comes to your face (don’t force it). Does your chest rise or fall? If you feel excitement brewing that’s a good sign, if you feel a little deflated and slumped, leave that one for now. 

If you are excited by them all I would put them all in your basket, close your eyes, scroll and stop. And then just start one. You can keep the rest for later, but don’t let indecision cut into time that you could be stitching. 

I had to get a new bag for a charity event I attended and I was stuck between two. I loved both of them but I thought back to when I first saw them. One I thought was very nice and the other I actually jumped a little when I saw it. 

So maybe you can also think back to what drew you to the patterns you’re trying to decide between in the first place. Which one jumped out at you the most? 

I hope this helps; I wish I could give you a straight answer to this question but unfortunately I cannot. As I’ve already said, the most important thing is just to pick one. If you don’t enjoy it when you start you can always choose another instead. 

Extra episodes and posts

• How to organise your WIP projects
• How to make a cross stitch routine
• Where to store your cross stitch supplies
• Small vs large cross stitch designs
• Hobbies I’m planning this Christmas season

Pin for Later