Which is the best cross stitch magazine?

[Nicola Main]

Hello everyone! I'm just a beginner really when it comes to cross stitch and have recently started on some of Valerie Pfeiffer cross stitch kits (and have asked for more for Christmas). But I was wondering whether I should subscribe to a magazine and maybe start on doing my own designs getting my own fabric and threads? Or do you think I should just stick with kits for just now? Been doing some Google searches and the website pinterest seems to have a lot of charts for you to browse and look at which is good. So which magazine would you recommend if you had to choose one? I like doing wildlife and animal-themed cross stitch preferably. Big fan of Beatrix Potter and her animal tales

[Angel]

Which colour is the prettiest?

It's an entirely subjective question. I like Collection and WOXS. One has a small collection of large designs, the other a large collection of small designs. I can usually find at least one thing I like in each. Yet my mum probably couldn't find anything at all in collection and would be better suited to WOXS on it's own, my sister...Crazy would better suit her....

The only way to choose a magazine is to buy a magazine. Why jump right in with a subscription? You don't even know which one you like yet. Go and try them first. Buy one issue, if you don't like it, buy a different magazine. Maybe none of them are for you, most of the ladies at work don't bother buying any except an odd issue for a specific pattern. It's all personal taste.

Which magazine is the best? You might as well ask how long is a piece of string? Favourite domestic animal? Favourite colour? you see the point I'm making here...There are so many options and everyones tastes will differ.

[Nicola Main]

Thanks Angel. Will do as you say and maybe buy one and see what it's like. Thanks for the advice

[Serinde]

Yes, it really is horses for courses. If you like to learn new techniques, then perhaps New Stitches might be of interest, but you won't find a lot of "cute" in it, which might not appeal so much. There are four or five out there worth investigating, so think of it as a necessary addendum to your normal stash acquisition.

[Nicola Main]

Cheers Serinde

[stitchingmae]

I reccently sub'd to just cross stitch. But I was buying several of their magazines and it was cheaper for me to get the subscription.

Which colour is the prettiest?
.

turquoise!!

[Fizzbw]

Ok, so I'm a mag fanatic....I love Cross stitch Collection, it's the one I couldn't do without, bigger projects and mostly has several things I could stitch in it. Cross Stitch Gold as it's also bigger projects and usually has some good things in it, enough so I'm happy with a. Sub to it.

cross stitcher, I still have a sub to this as well, it's modern and fun and has some good ideas in it. It can be a little too modern and funky at times. But I fall for the free gifts!!

world of Cross stitch. I almost hate this one, but have just taken out a sub!! In say every other issue it has a great chart! I hate the cutie stuff it does but when the charts are good, they really are good.

I started out withs. Sub to new stitches but didnt appreciate the different techniques. I do now, but find I'm content with my issues from the years sub I had.

I don't much like the others, they tend to cute and small things that don't suit me much, but are great for learners.

I'd wait and get a good taste of all of them! But they are good in that they do make you get your own fabric and floss and it's fun shopping for them! If you find it stressful though stick to kits and then when you are feeling more confident you can experiment a bit more.

Niki xxx

[Ladymyste65]

I subscribe to 5 different magazines and have decided to not renew the following when they expire WOXS, Xstitch Collection and Xstitch Crazy, they are nice magazine but I haven't found anything I would stitch in them in the 6 months I've been digitally subscribed.

I will be renewing Just Cross stitch on Stoney Creek Cross stitch, I absolutely LOVE these magazines, I find something in every issue that I want to do.

But we each have our own tastes and what one may like someone else doesn't so try a different one for a couple months if you can afford to and find the one you really like. I did that but forgot to turn off the auto renew on iTunes and the 3 renewed so it was an expensive lesson for me which has now been rectified.

[Ainjel333]

I really love the Cross Stitch Gold, and World of Cross Stitch....they have such beautiful designs in them....but of course I'm in the US, so they are a little expensive for me so I buy them only from time to time when the designs really draw me in at the bookstore --of which I don't get to often, which is probably a good thing...

[perftangel]

I like Cross Stitch Collection the best, but I can't justify getting a subscription here in the states. If I see it and after browsing though and seeing something then maybe. I like just leafing through at the store and then deciding if there is anything I like first. Subscriptions are just so much money and I'd feel I'd wasted it if there wasn't anything interesting!

I do really like "special editions" like ornaments or all Christmas or something though. The ornaments edition always has a few that I like, from my favorite designers too!

You can find pretty much anything you like online somewhere too! I love just going and picking a few patterns inside of buying a collection of them when I really only like one or two designs.

[crosstitcher1]

Hi "newbie" and welcome to the fun, additive, stash build up, hobby. Just relax and "enjoy" in what makes "you" happy in this hobby.
When I started this hobby, after being taught by a nice neighbor, 30 yrs. this July, I did only kits. That got my design and thread collection started. Then my 2nd. year, I went to my hobby store and bought all the DMC threads that they had at the time, I'm thinking back then, there was only 100.
The 3rd. year is when I really got into buying the leaflets, threads, fabric and other stuff, as I "knew" that this was the hobby I was going to get really "hooked" on.
Then I came across Just Cross Stitch and The Cross Stitcher, which now is out of business. Looked "forward" each Dec. to get the Christmas edition of both, never bought a subscription, as some say that it's not worth the money for only 6 issues, but in the magazine in the store, there was a coupon from Oxford House for cross stitching books. I have several of them, different themes.
Then I went to my hobby store, 2 hrs. from me, and started to buy the leaflets on subjects that I liked. Started out with Baby designs, then went to Wedding designs.
Like others say, it's a personal taste.
And would like to "see" any projects that you do on this site.

HAPPY STITCHING IN STITCHING LAND.

[Nicola Main]

Thank you so much everyone! I'm going to go into my nearest Hobbycraft store and have a look at their magazines and see which one I like best

[pattiebelle]

You've gotten alot of great answers and I think you've decided, but I just wanted to say that I've always liked "Just Cross Stitch" ...

It's a wonderful hobby, isn't it? So much variety and something to suit every individual taste. I hope you enjoy the journey ...

[Amanda G]

Cross Stitch Gold will be having a few animal/wildlife/cat designs coming in the next few months if that is your thing? Not allowed to say more than that really...... Does that make me slightly biased?

[karen4bells]

Cross Stitch Gold will be having a few animal/wildlife/cat designs coming in the next few months if that is your thing? Not allowed to say more than that really...... Does that make me slightly biased?

Oh, will any of them be your designs??

[Stitchinkitty]

I have tried just about every cross stitch magazine.It depends on what you like in the way of designs.I love Cross Stitch Gold and find that the English magazines are now much better than the America.Just my opinion.Just Cross stitch magazine was excellent back in the early nineties,late eighties..
I now just skim through the magazines at the newsagent and if there are at least three designs I really like I may buy it.

[kinley626]

I think it's a good idea to browse the magazines at your local bookstores and hobby stores. I did this for almost 2 years, buying only those magazines that actually had designs I would stitch. After realizing that I had more Crossstitch and Needlework mags than any other, I got a subscription. I like Cross Stitcher as well, but the subscription is so expensive here in the U.S.

[Borgessa]

Subscriptions to my country are really expensive, between, 20 and 30 bucks a magazine. I see you can now buy electronic subscriptions, but there goes ya free project lol. Sigh.

I think your best bet is to buy some used ones on E-bay or what ever your countries equivalent is. In NZ its TradeMe, you can buy heaps of mags there, and then choose which mags you like best that you may like to subscribe too.

[Fizzbw]

Borgessa is right, buying second hand on eBay is a great way to get them cheaper and get a feel for the mag.

People also sell individual charts from mags on eBay, which is a bit dodgy but I'll admit to buying some myself as it's a good way to get that missing chart you really want without having to search and pay for the mag it came from.

Niki x

[mags]

I don't subscribe to any and stopped buying them regularly some time ago, but I always look at the websites which give a taste of their mags to see if there is anything to look out for:

http://crossstitcher.themakingspot.com/" target="_blank

http://www.cross-stitching.com/which-magazine-is-for-me" target="_blank

http://www.newstitches.co.uk/magazine/latestissue.html" target="_blank