Is Cross Stitch Expensive?

One of the main considerations anyone has when thinking of starting a new hobby is how much it’s going to cost to actually do it. Cross stitching is no different!

While there are definitely ways to spend a great deal of money on specialized floss or large, intricate patterns from celebrated pattern designers, cross stitch at its core is very inexpensive to do.

How To Start Cross Stitch Without Spending Much Money

For most people when they start to learn how to cross stitch, all they need to do is buy a small “kit” from a craft store or even a big box store like Walmart. A “kit” is a way to package a cross stitch project so that everything you need is included: pattern, fabric, floss, and needle.

Most beginner kits also come with a hoop made of either wood or plastic to hold the fabric while stitching. The only other “tool” you might need to complete the project will be a pair of scissors and most kit developers assume that you have a pair of those already.

Many of these smaller beginner kits cost less than $7 and could take the beginner anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks to finish. If you’re looking to get started, check out a couple starter projects you can get from Amazon here and here.

If you’re like me, you will likely do a few of these kits when you’re first learning how to cross stitch because you want something simple and easy to start and finish at first.

What Can You Spend Money On In Cross Stitch?

When it comes to cross stitch expenses for folks that are really, really into the hobby, there are three main areas that can really become expensive. Not because things cost so much individually, but because you tend to accumulate so many of these items as time goes by.

To make things simple, I’m going to organize these areas this way:

• Patterns
• Fabrics
• Floss

Cross Stitch Patterns

Just like some people have 30 or more pairs of shoes, cross stitch fanatics can have dozens of cross stitch patterns in their stash. You may wonder how it would be possible for one person to stitch so many patterns, and you are correct: most people can’t.

It doesn’t mean we can’t accumulate patterns we like with the hope that one day we will get to them, however!

For you, the newcomer to cross stitch, you may wonder just how much do cross stitch patterns cost on average. Looking across multiple websites, an average pattern ranges from roughly $8 – $18. To take a look at these sites to get a more in-depth look at costs, check out the page on this blog that lists over 20 cross stitch pattern sites.

Cross Stitch Fabric

I’m a very simple stitcher. I prefer a type of stitching fabric called Aida. I will occasionally stitch on something fancier, but I like the versatility of Aida.

However, there are those out there that are experts in all the different types of fabrics that can be used for cross stitching. They may have a dozen different types of fabrics that they love and work with. Some of these varieties include Hardanger, Jobelan, Fiddler’s Cloth, and Linen. Each one of these fabrics is different from the other and will provide both a different stitching experience and a different finished look to the project.

Cross stitch fabric can also enhance and beautify an existing pattern by incorporating different colors and dye patterns. Dye patterns can actually be self-created and are created by many people who share their process online.

Cross Stitch Floss

Floss and specialty threads come in a wide variety of textures and price ranges. The most common floss brand, DMC, can be bought for a rough average of $0.60/skein. A skein is a set length of the same color floss that is sold as a single unit.

Other specialty threads will come in more expensive packets, but none are especially expensive unless you need to order several different colors for a specific project. Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Sampler floss skeins are priced around $2.40 each.

The one great thing about most cross stitch patterns is that they will usually allow you to see what floss/threads will be needed for the project so you can get an idea of what you’ll have to spend to fully kit out your purchase.

How Can You Save Money As A Cross Stitcher?

If you really get into this hobby and you want to progress your skills, then you’re naturally going to want to expand your supplies and projects. Just like the discussion above on the main areas that stitchers spend money on, you will need to be vigilant if you want to stay frugal with your hobby:

• Buy one pattern or kit and don’t get another until you’ve finished the first one
• Keep your supplies (especially floss) safe and clean so you don’t damage them and have to replace them (pets are the worst offenders of damaging your stash)!
• Buy a larger cross stitch project! When you work on a larger project, it obviously takes you a lot longer to finish than a smaller one. What are the economics of this:
  • A $5 small kit that you finish in a week OR…
  • A $25 larger kit that takes you 4 months

I’m a big proponent of working on large projects if you are not focusing on the “finishing” aspect of cross stitch. I enjoy cross stitching as a needle art itself and am not bothered by the fact that I work on such large pieces that it takes me years to finish them.

One of my favorite ways to be economical with my stitching is to purchase a pattern online first. While you can print out the pattern on your printer at home (yes, that costs money as well), you could utilize apps on your phone or tablet that help you keep track of what you’re stitching.

Check out this cross stitch that took me three years to finish:

How much did I spend on this?

• Pattern – $10 (bought online)
• Fabric – $14 (bought at a craft store)
• Used needles I already had
• Floss – $24 (60 skeins of floss at $0.40 each)
• Time taken to stitch: At least 1000 hours

The time taken to stitch is an estimate. While this is based on an average of an hour a day for 3 years or so, there were definitely days where I stitched a lot more and days where I didn’t stitch at all.

So how much did my 1,000 hours of cross stitch relaxation cost me? $48. Spreading that cost out over three years means I spent $16/year on my cross stitch hobby that I was doing almost every single day.

One Additional Cross Stitch Expense: Framing

I almost finished this article without discussing the one topic that we usually don’t include in cross stitch expenses: framing. As you can see from the pictures of my finished projects above, framing can be fancy or plain as you want it.

In many ways, the project picks the frame. A simple project that comes with a colorful hoop can use the hoop itself as the frame! A project that takes me hundreds of hours….well, I’m going to want to place that in a frame that highlights how amazing it looks!

There are absolutely cheaper options when it comes to framing if you’re looking for that, so never think that finishing a project will result in a big expense.

Conclusion

As a cross stitcher, you can spend as much or as little as you want to. While there are definitely ways to spend a lot of money in this hobby, many stitchers can be quite happy without spending more than $50 a year.