Book Review!
Sew Mindful Cross Stitch - 5/5!!!

Now, I was lucky enough to be gifted this book and I am so so happy I was... I will still be buying the physical version just so I can make my life easier for cross stitching.

As a complete beginner to Cross Stitch this book was the most helpful I have read so far (bare in in mind I have watched a tonne of YouTube videos to try and help me). Sophie not only goes into tiny details when starting, but there are also some pictures to help show you how to achieve this. To loop for example, when starting, I simply could not wrap my head around this and then suddenly I'm introduced to Sophie Crabb. Game changer.

Sohpie gives us a lovely little intro to begin with, telling us all about her and her life. Love that she's from Norfolk (my favourite place) and she even tells us how cross stitch helped her with her well-being and mental health. As someone who cross stitches to give myself some mean time and to just breath, it's nice to see I'm not alone. Sophie has a great little section about mindfulness (please read it) and it just helps you to see you aren't the only one who needs an escape. There is also an oin depth guide for tools and materials which is SUPER helpful, especially as a newbie. There are amazing photos to help you along the way as well, especially whilst I sat there questioning "What is a Q-Snap?!" Thank you for that Sophie.

The patterns, they are adorable. I can't find a favourite because I loved them all. But the chapter dedicated to mindful messages was just fantastic. Some quotes and patterns for mindfulness alone, a beautiful touch. Thank you for showing me its okay so slow down. Just what a lot of us need right now.

This book is fine for the person looking for little mindful slogans to crossstitch. I was looking for something that has a little more oomph to it. Perhaps larger projects that weren't necessarily slogans, but mindfull to work on.

Great Cross stitch book! I especially appreciate all the photos that document the process. Best documentation of finishing a project either with a hoop or mounting that I’ve read in a book. The designs were a little simple for my taste but excellent for beginners. The focus on positive affirmations is perfect for those who use Cross stitch as therapy and making gifts.

SEW MINDFUL CROSS STITCH by Sophie Crabb is a wonderful concept – I know plenty of people who choose to sew or knit as a form of relaxation. Crabb, a designer, crafter, and small business owner from Norfolk in the United Kingdom, tackles mental health concerns by writing about her own experiences and offering subtle suggestions (like avoiding the comparison loop). She has designed cross stitch examples with supportive pithy sayings (e.g., self-care isn't selfish or today is a new day); to get a better idea of her style check out her UK website (the US Esty page has a security warning). The book itself illustrates "22 beginner friendly cross stitch projects to bring you color and calm." These are intentionally small projects – just right for a beginner and the book's photos are colorful and appealing. Plus, Sophie shares helpful insights for executing the projects (like what color to use first). The preview of SEW MINDFUL CROSS STITCH that I saw lists supplies (including specific quantities and colors for embroidery thread), but the patterns were indecipherable to me on the Kindle app. The pdf version on NetGalley was significantly improved and there are several projects which would be fun to try. They'd make great gifts, too!

Very approachable for beginners. The projects and small would be a good starting point to get into cross stitch. The mindfulness element is great. There are so many mental health benefits to crafting.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The patterns are fantastic and the instructions are easy for any beginner to follow.

This is a really beautifully presented and thoughtful exploration of cross stitch as a craft for mindfulness and self care. The book delves into the author’s own journey with mindfulness as a tool for managing her mental health through motherhood, small business ownership and life in general, and does so through a range of gorgeous patterns.
One thing I really liked about this book is how accessible all the instructions are. A complete beginner could easily pick this up and complete the projects from start to finish without needing further information. The instructions are also sectioned off so a more experienced stitcher could skip over the materials section and get straight into the thoughtful and beautiful designs in the book.
Sophie always has beautiful designs with restful and cute colour schemes, and the 22 designs in this book are no different! I also really enjoyed that there were frequent quotes and chats with other small business owners from British embroidery and cross stitch businesses - that kind of support from people who could be rivals is so wholesome and really engages with the mindful and kind mindset of the book as a whole.
Beautifully laid out, and very engaging, I can’t wait to see what it looks like in hard copy - I’ve already preordered mine!

This is a good book for beginners or experienced stitchers. I’ve been stitching for 40 years and it was fun to do a quick little picture.

The book talks about being mindful, then goes over the tools and how to stitch. The author talks about what each project means to her, what materials are needed, and then walks through what color she chose to start with and why. There are multiple pictures of each work in progress. You are also encouraged to chose colors you like. I like that most of these are framed in hoops. There is a chapter about finishing your project.

Thank you to the author, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is a craft book with the added benefit of a focus on mental well being. There are twenty-two cross stitch projects to choose from including Positive Affirmations, Mindful Messages and Self-Care Quotes. The author inter weaves her own mental health journey and includes tips and tricks along the way. It is aimed at all levels but especially beginners with its step by step instructions and colourful pictures.

Sew nice to blend mindfulness and cross stitch. Easy to follow patterns with inspirational messages. Crabb weaves in personal stories giving us more ways to stich self care into our lives.

The designs in this book are fun and simple! There were a couple that I am really excited to start. Hopefully I can get a few done in time for the holidays!

This book has a good range of simple designs. They are a little bit simplistic for my taste, but that would also mean that they are probably fairly quick to complete. I liked the narrative about the story behind each project.

I learned how to cross stitch the hard way - buying vintage kits from thrift stores and bumbling my way through poor instructions. As such, I went into this book hoping to learn a thing or two that could help clean up my skills. I have to say that the details provided for each project were the clearest I've seen and very helpful. The projects themselves are also very cute and aesthetically pleasing. I really felt the theme of mindfulness in each project and in the gentle guides encouraging me to be in the moment with my crafting. I really adore this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Such a cool book with loads of small patterns, perfect for beginners. I’ll definitely be trying some of these!

I LOVE CROSS STITCH AND THIS BOOK GAVE A LOT OF NEW IDEAS I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERY EXPERT OR BEGINNER.

Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is both a mindfulness guide and a craft book.

The book opens with an introduction to mindfulness and how/why the author came to the practice. We then move on to cross stitching, and there is a handy list of tools and materials needed for stitching alongside a basic introduction to cross stitch and how to do it. As a long-time cross stitcher, I was impressed with the loop method to create a tidy finish for the back of the work. Game changer.

Each of the projects and patterns in the book are accompanied by an introduction as to why these words or thoughts are especially important to the author. The patterns are well written and easy to follow, and the author does encourage the reader/stitcher to personalise them with their own colour schemes.

To fully embrace the mindfulness promoted in the book, the reader/stitcher is encouraged to remove the external distractions - no tv, podcasts, etc - just comfort, a cuppa, and the stitchwork. Stitching the positive affirmations without distraction reinforces the words and intentions behind them. The affirmations and mantras themselves are full of self-love, calm and encouragement to believe in oneself, give oneself permission to BE, in whatever moment they are experiencing.

There is also a brief interlude with a therapist to discuss mental self care, which is a nice touch.

This was a lovely book, all about slowing down and looking after one's mental health, which I think we all need in this day and age.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As someone who used to enjoy cross stitch before multiple sclerosis, it made it harder, and as someone who tries to practice mindfulness throughout the day, this book made me excited. The patterns made me really excited to try again. The colors are bright, and the messages are all positive and uplifting.

I can't wait to try them. Luckily, I still have all my supplies

Imagine my surprise when I started to read this book and realized it's written by SewSophieCreates, whom I follow on Instagram. I love her designs and really enjoyed the book!

As a long time cross stitcher I felt this book was well put together. The book provides a great how-to section for beginners as well as step by step guides and photos. As you progress through the book the patterns get a little harder, but none ever surpass the advanced beginner difficulty. I also think the patterns are great too, for practicing mindfulness, as they are simple patterns that don't require a ton of concentration.

What I really appreciated about the book was the explanation and examples of practicing mindfulness in your crafting. Too many times we are distracted by our world,even as we craft. The author takes the time to share about her mental health journey, those of friends and valuable information from professionals. This book has really encouraged me to shut off all the "noise" and craft with mindfulness. This will definitely be added to my bookshelf once it's published!

I received this free E-ARC from Pen & Sword, White Owl and Net Galley for my honest review.

I have been cross stitching for almost 2 years now, so when I saw a cross stitch pattern book is was interested in what would be included. I have done 2 kits (my first a basic cactus one and the other a Dimension Star Wars Darth Vader), and 3 patterns that I have purchased (Saturn, a full coverage Japan tori gate and a a primarily blackwork space rocket schematic).

The patterns are broken up into several different categories: Mini Mindful Stitches, Positive Affirmations, Self-Care Stitches, and Mindful Messages. None of these patterns are full coverage, if that is what you area after. They all have negative space, but all the patterns are very easy to follow.

If you have never cross stitched before, at the beginning of the book Crabb explained how you cross stitch and all the associated gear that you will need to be able to. Also, each pattern included a ‘how to stitch’ which give a recommended way to go about stitching your projects. Obviously you do not have to follow this, but for any beginner it can help you break down the pattern into more manageable sections where you might otherwise not know where to start.

At the end of the book is a chapter on how to finish you cross stitch project. Once you have done all the cross stitching, you will probably want a way to display your hard work. A few different methods of finishing your piece are included with photos to aid with the process.

The other aspect of this book is the mindfulness of cross stitching. This is mainly achieved by blocking out other distractions and focusing purely on the task at hand, making it almost a sedative practice. This aspect of the book can be either taken as a good way to tune out your day and just have some ‘me time’, or you could just ignore its advice and just stitch however you want.

A good book for beginners, but unfortunately not my preferred stitching style.

I received this book as a free Net Galley download and enjoyed reading it. The stitch patterns are perfect for beginner and veteran stitchers alike. I loved the messages the patterns convey and think this would be a good addition to any cross stitch library.