One of my favourite pastimes after a long day is putting on a tv show in the background while scrolling through Pinterest looking for free cross-stitch templates. I’ve collected many tiny templates, but taking the time to cross-stitch them is a different story.
But I found 5-inch hoops in my local craft shop, and I knew I had to use them for a quick cute project. Those are my favourite types of projects as I get bored or distracted very easily, and it’s hard to commit to cross-stitch or embroideries that take me more than a few days to finish.
I decided to try this mushroom pattern as it seemed like a perfect lazy Sunday project.
The tiny mushroom cross-stitch
So I put on the latest season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, got out my collection of threads and got to stitching.
I was done after a few episodes, but the hoop looked a bit empty for my taste, so I decided to add a second glass.
Tiny mushrooms in jars gave me witchy vibes, so I chose a flashy colour for a probably poisonous mushroom. I followed the same structure as the original pattern but changed the lid. I wish I had done the same simple lid for the first jar because the red bow is too cottagecore for me.
This isn’t my first time stitching a mushroom. I have this hoop that I love from Craftpod’s 2020 autumn box. I really like both of them together.
I don’t dislike the colour combination, but the more I look at the original lid, the more I hate it! If I knew for sure I would commit to finishing it, I would start again with a darker fabric and a simple lid and would add more tiny mushrooms. But I don’t like repeating projects.
When 2020 happened, I discovered embroidery and created so many hoops that by 2022, I knew I had to take a break. I was extremely burnout from stitching, which I had first started doing as a relaxing distraction.
But lately, I’ve been craving small, manageable projects, and this was a good start to get me back into stitching. Maybe I can even manage a hoop a month, but I don’t see myself working on big month-long projects yet.
Willow in Winter 