How You Can Save Money on Cross Stitch

If you’re looking for ways to save money on cross stitch, you’ve come to the right place! 

I love to save money wherever I can. I’m sure you do too. Who doesn’t? Especially with the rise of inflation, it’s important to do whatever we can to put a little more money back in our pockets (or to spend on more cross stitch supplies).

If you love to cross stitch, you know that the supplies can get a bit pricey. But there are ways to save money on your supplies without sacrificing quality.

The best ways to save money on your cross stitch are to shop around, buy in bulk, and use coupons when you can.

In this blog post, I’ll share more tips and tricks on how to get the most bang for your buck. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can save big on your next cross stitch project!

1. Shop around. 

Compare prices from different stores before you buy. You may be surprised by the differences in cost.

There’s no need to pay full price for cross stitch supplies when you can easily find them for less. Shop around online and in your local craft stores to find the best deals.

2. Buy in bulk. 

If you find a great deal on a large quantity of cross stitch supplies, buy them in bulk. You can often get a discount this way, and you’ll have plenty of supplies on hand when you need them.

If you know you’ll be using a lot of a certain color of thread, buy it in bulk.This can often be cheaper than buying individual skeins.

For colors that you are constantly running out of, consider buying a cone. My husband and I have cones of black, white, and bright white. We will never run out again! 

For fabric, I am considering buying a bolt of 32ct lugana. Needleworker’s Delight offers a 10% discount for the bolt of fabric, totaling $763.83 for 16.4yds! I live in NJ so I wouldn’t have to worry about shipping.

That’s a lot of fabric! I would never need to buy fabric again.

3. Use coupons. 

You can often find coupons for cross stitch supplies in your local craft store or online. Just be sure to read the fine print so you know how to use them.

Many craft stores will have coupons off for your entire purchase. Sometimes up to 40% off all regular priced items! That’s a lot of savings! 

4. Check for sales. 

Many stores have sales on cross stitch supplies periodically.

There’s always sales going on so if you miss one, don’t worry another one will take place soon after.

5. Shop online. 

You can often find better deals on cross stitch supplies online than in brick-and-mortar stores.

Brick-and-mortar retailers are encouraging their shoppers to shop online. I love that you can order online and pick up in store. This way you don’t have to worry about shipping costs and you can pick up your purchase the same day in most cases.

The best coupons are usually only for in-store pick-up purchases. The only thing is that I feel bad for whoever has to gather all my floss.

There are many online retailers that sell cross stitch supplies. You can often find good deals and discounts at these retailers. Just be sure to read the reviews before purchasing anything.

Because they don’t spend as much money on overhead, they can pass that savings on to you.

6. Join a rewards program.

Some craft stores offer loyalty or rewards programs that give you money off your total purchase price when you spend a certain amount of money. This can be a great way to save on cross stitch supplies.

The trick to saving money here is to only purchase supplies when you need to and not to spend more to receive discounts.

7. Take advantage of free resources. 

There are a number of great websites that offer free cross stitch patterns (including this one), and many of them also have helpful tips and tutorials.

You can sign up to my newsletter to receive updates on new free patterns, cross stitch tips, and tutorials.

Have a favorite designer? Check their website. Chances are that they’ll have free patterns.

You could also check your local library for books and magazines.

8. Join a cross stitch group. 

There are many online and offline cross stitch groups that you can join.

Do you have any supplies that you no longer need or want? See if you can trade them with other stitchers. This is a great way to get rid of unwanted supplies and get new ones that you’ll actually use.

Some groups are sell-only groups and you can find used supplies in good condition.

Some people are willing to give you free supplies when you’re just starting out. You might just have to pay shipping.

Make friends and become part of the community. You’ll find that people are really friendly.

9. Conserve supplies. 

Save any leftover thread, fabric, and other supplies to use for future projects.

Whenever possible, reuse cross stitch supplies. This includes things like hoops, needles, and even fabric.

I try really hard to conserve as much fabric and floss as I can. 

I tend to stitch close to the edge (allowing for margins) and trim my fabric once I’m done with a project or cut my fabric to the right size before starting. Whatever fabric is leftover, I save for future projects.

For floss, all the strands get tucked back into the label once I’m done. You can even save strands in a bag of scraps for smaller projects.

10. Make your own supplies. 

If you’re crafty, you can save money by making your own cross stitch supplies. There are many great tutorials online for doing this.

DIYing your cross stitch supplies can be so much fun!

Want some fancy hand-dyed floss or fabric? Why not try doing it yourself? You can read more about dyeing your own fabric in my tutorial. Create specific colors that you can’t find.

Cross stitch accessories are really simple to make yourself. 

Turn your favorite enamel pins or favorite fabric into needle minders. Check out both of my tutorials to learn how to make them.

If you have a lot of extra fabric that you don’t know what to do with, you could make grime guards or project bags to protect and organize your stitching.

Not crazy about stitching existing patterns? Create your own.

There are tons of free software to create your own patterns. Try FlossCross. It’s one of the better ones.

11. Keep your stash organized.

Before you shop, take inventory of the supplies you have on hand and make a list of what you need. This will help you avoid buying unnecessary supplies.

Keep track of the supplies you have and where they’re located. This will save you time and money when you’re looking for a specific item.

I keep track of the floss I have by using Lord Libidan’s DMC Thread Inventory Spreadsheet. It’s so helpful to know what colors I already have in my stash.

In addition, my floss is organized so that I can easily find what I need.

As far as keeping track of patterns, I also have a spreadsheet of all my patterns.

12. Use what you have.

Before you go out and buy new supplies, take a look at what you already have and see if there’s anything you can use. You might be surprised at how much you can get by with what you already have.

Substitute materials where you can. There’s no rule that you can’t already use something from your stash. This Floss Color Tool shows similar color substitutions.

If you want, you can do an entire color conversion and pick your own colors.

13. Check out secondhand stores.

You might be surprised at what you can find at your local thrift store. Just be sure to wash anything you buy before you use it.

Buy used cross stitch supplies. You might want to be careful with older floss because the colors have changed over the years and some floss may be brittle.

However, other supplies like hoops and stitching frames are a great deal. You may even be able to get your hands on rare out-of-print patterns.

Reuse and upcycle materials. I love to use old thrifted frames to frame my cross stitch. They are a fraction of the price of getting my project custom framed. I have even started resizing my frames so that they are the perfect size!

Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist are great places to find good deals on cross stitch supplies. You can often find new and used supplies at a fraction of the retail price. Just be sure to check the seller’s feedback if possible.

14. Ask for gifts.

If you have people in your life who know you love to cross stitch, ask them to give you cross stitch-related gifts for your birthday or other special occasions.

This is a great way to build up your stash without purchasing the supplies yourself.

If I know I am going to be starting a new project but can wait until the holidays, I ask my husband to get them for me. It also saves him from guessing what I want.

Need ideas for great cross stitch gifts? Check out my list of cross stitch supplies.

15. Frame your finished projects yourself.

Framing your project yourself is a great option for stitchers on a budget. 

I like to find my frames at thrift stores. Many secondhand frames may have been custom framed. You can just take the picture out and reuse the materials.

Here’s my article on How To Frame Cross Stitch. It includes everything you need to know to frame like a professional but without the high price tag.

In addition, you can read my tutorial on how I resize frames for cross stitch. Doing the custom framing yourself will save you lots of money once you know how.

You can also choose another option for finishing your cross stitch besides framing. Check out my list of different ways to decorate an embroidery hoop.

Where to Find the Deals

I buy my charts and fabric from 123stitch. They have the best deals that I’ve seen. I usually buy white fabric and dye it myself. 

I purchase DMC floss from Michaels. They used to frequently offer 40% off your entire regular purchase for in-store pick-up (pre-pandemic). Now, I sometimes see offers for up to 30% off your entire order. Still a pretty good deal.

I order Toho beads from PandaHall. They are the same beads as Mill Hill just repackaged. Size 11/0 are the regular seed beads and 15/0 are the petites. The Magnifica beads are the Miyuki Delica. You get more for your money for future projects. 

You can find a conversion list on Northern Express Needlework’s website.

Final Thoughts

Following these tips, you can save money on cross stitch and still get the supplies you need for your project. By shopping around, taking advantage of discounts, and being on the lookout for sales, you can get everything you need without breaking the bank.

Do you have any tips for saving money on cross stitch supplies? Share them in the comments!

Happy Stitching!