Creativity enhances a personality! Every individual loves doing an activity he loves,and even more so if he sees it coming to fruition beautifully. When appropriately displayed, and family and friends appreciate as well, it brings joy.This passion often becomes one's hobby during spare time,and some use this as an opportunity to sell their creativity or become a consultant in the particular field.

As a school girl of 11,my mother taught me the art of using my time in creative pursuits. Indoor games and fun activities were shared with a younger brother and a grandfather who lived with us. In addition,I was given the opportunity to learn knitting,embroidery,simple sewing,tatting,macrame,bead work,and of course, cross stitch. Yes, my mother was an expert in all of these handicrafts,and would learn new ones as well. She had won many prizes as a little girl herself. In those days, girls were taught some or all of these, in addition to playing musical instruments such as Veena or Violin and classical singing. Some learnt to dance Bharatanatyam. So,when there were holidays,and after homework everyday, I could pursue any one of the projects and mother would help along the way. Encouragement was given,corrections made, to produce a MASTERPIECE, which would be displayed as a tablecloth,or a pillow case,cushion covers or a wall hanging or used as handkerchiefs. Sometimes a saree would be turned into a work of art and worn, to be gaped at by other women. Later on, at age14, I learnt the art of Fabric Painting from an expert. Beautiful pieces of art either displayed in the home or worn, brought immense satisfaction. Particularly,when others asked where it was bought and whether they could buy as well.

Much later, as a young housewife, bringing up my only daughter, I was left with plenty of time on my hands, especially since my husband was frequently away on work related travels. It was then that my husband encouraged me to go back to my former hobbies, and bought me a counted cross stitch kit for starters. The design was of 2 beautiful horses,one white,the other black,in a forest setting. The kit contained all that was necessary for me to complete the printed design on the given fabric. And all the floss needed,in the right colours and the right amounts. As the design began to unfold before my very eyes, I forgot the loneliness of a new mother,and loved what I did. Until one fine day,it was almost done,and my husband found the best frame maker. All that was left to do, was to hand wash it and once dried, suitably framed. Displaying this on our living room wall, it became the centre of focus when guests walked in and began to comment on its beauty. Most never realized that it was a work of art created by the lady of the house,until my husband proudly told. Often,it became the focal point of any conversation. Today,24 years later, it still adorns our wall,and my daughter's friends stand in awe as they admire it.

Cross stitch is a type of needlework where you use a particular type of fabric,and use colourful floss or embroidery threads,to complete a design with needles,after the fabric has been stretched with a hoop for easy counting of holes in the fabric.

Why is it called Cross Stitch : Using a needle and two strands of coloured floss,make a stitch that looks like an X,a half cross stitch is only a /,and a quarter stitch is i,on a fabric.

The videos alongside are adept at teaching anyone the basics of cross stitch.Whether you are a beginner,or a seasoned at needlework,you will find something new to learn. The correct way to use a hoop to stretch the fabric,Threading a needle,types of stitches personalizing with your initials,embellishing for enhanced beauty,using a photo for design are all shown.

• Design-Several books are available online where there is a printed design from which you can make your own, using a graph sheet. All you have to do is count the number of squares for each line and, either use the colour codes or suggestions given or make up your own.
• Alternately,you can hold a transparent sheet over a printed design,and trace out the design to be used on the grid paper for easy counting of squares.
• You can also buy the cross stitch kits available in many designs to suit individual taste that have readily printed designs on the fabric.
• You can also use a photo to enlarge and then copy onto a grid paper,and used on the fabric.
• You can use different style fonts of alphabets and numbers, in English or any other language.
• Repeated design or alphabets can make for a border on the fabric.

Floss - Floss colours can be chosen carefully to include various hues of the same colour or totally different colours to enhance the beauty of the finished masterpiece.

Floss contains six strands,and we need to take only 2 strands at a time about 18 inches long to thread the needle, for easy handling of the work.

Alternately, if you are using the kit,all required colours are given in sufficient quantities. If you should require more of a particular colour, note the colour code marked on it to buy yourself some more.

Fabric - Depending on the use of the finished product, choose a light fabric or a stiff fabric,that shows the holes through which the needle goes when you stretch it on a hoop.

Hoops - Available in two types. And different sizes. Choose the one that is slightly bigger than your design so as to be able to work easily. Alternately, you may refrain from using a hoop if your fabric is stiff and the holes are visible enough.

Needles -One large eye and one smaller eye depending on the fabric being used.

Tape - Taping the edges of the fabric securely will ensure that threads are not lost while you are at work on the fabric.

Embellishments - Depending on the design and the use for which the finished product is going to be put, you can personalize with embellishments to enhance the eye appeal.

Framing-Prior to framing,the finished cloth must be rinsed in mild detergent for a couple of minutes,rinsed and dried between 2 towels. Let dry completely for a whole day.Then,iron on the reverse side. Now, it is ready for framing and you can display it on your wall. Select a suitable shape for the frame,choose a background fabric colour that is contrasting,or an extension of the dominating design colour,or a neutral colour that enhances your piece of art. Choice of background colour and the type and size of the frame is extremely important in bringing out the beauty of the finished masterpiece.

Things you can make with cross stitch:

Several projects can be undertaken using cross stitch. You can use only a half stitch throughout, or a quarter stitch as well, if you think the design is too small or would look bulky if a full cross stitch was used throughout. You could also use a combination of the three stitches in addition to making the floral rosettes and use embellishments for added beauty.

Handkerchiefs,pillow cases,cushion covers,table cloths,table runners,wall decorations.You can also make greeting cards,by framing a little cross stitch design for the cover design. You can personalize it by using various floral fonts for the cross stitch design using the letters from the recipient's name. You can also make designs to cross stitch from Bible verses or popular motivational sayings. Beautiful personalized gifts can be made and personalized with your initials to remind the person you gift, who it was that gave it to them.