As a beginner to Cross Stitch I found this book extremely easy to follow with excellent instructions and helpful pictures!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for providing me with and eARC of Sew Mindful Cross Stitch in return for my honest opinion.

This is a lovely cross stitch book with plenty of quite simple designs. I like all of the designs and will definitely be sewing the affirmations for friends and family. As a recent convert to cross stitch, it is easy to understand the authors thoughts and understanding of the therapeutic nature of the craft. You can switch off and focus solely on the stitches. I do agree that the most benefit is found when there a few to no distractions. The instructions are clear and concise, with plenty of tips along the way. The aim is to sew mindfully with the aim of helping increased mental health. And whilst working on mindfulness, you have lovely little projects to show for your time.

This would be perfect for someone’s very first cross stitch book. It has very simple patterns and great explanations of how to do cross stitch basics.

Truly a lovely book with actionable steps towards a more mindful and creative life. As a cross stitch devotee, I’ve already done one of the patterns and it was the best way to spend an evening.

This book has simple cross-stitch designs intended to help those who are struggling & want to practice mindfulness. With insights from the author's life and three easy finishing methods, this is a hopeful book.

This was a lovely book with excellent patterns and even better commentary! I cannot wait to get started making these designs for myself, my family, and my friends as a gentle reminder to slow down and breathe!

5 stars

I love the idea, I love the designs, I love the messages!
They are all so sweet and cute!!

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read this great book!

Really nicely done beginner level cross stitch book. Fun patterns, great tips, and wonderful inspiration. A perfect gift!

A great book. The perfect gift for anyone that wants to start stitching. Easy to follow designs and more than enough information to get you going.
I highly recommend it.

Sew Mindful Cross Stich is a great book written by Sophie Crabb.

I love doing cross stitch and so this book was on my wish list. What a great read. It didn't just have cross stich patterns in it. Sophie talked about mindfulness and how being creative and crafty helped with your mental health. It was really well written with great photography throughout.

The book would definitely suit a beginner as Sophie has explained very well where to start with cross stitching and also how to do it.

The patterns available (22) would be lovely and easy to do. They wouldn't take you too long to do and would definitely help keep you calm in todays fast world.

Thank You to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for the ARC Copy of this book. My review is my own opinion.

Will add amazon review once book is out.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
Photos are really pretty. I love cross stitching so I was so excited to get this. This book is perfect for beginners to advance if you are looking for something simple and fast to make for gifts etc.
The author did a good job with how to start cross-stitching from start to finish.

As a life-long cross-stitcher, I absolutely loved Sew Mindful Cross Stitch by Sophie Crabb! I can tell that this book was put together with a lot of love, both self-love & love of the craft. Broken up in different categories/themes, it’s perfect for all levels: beginners will get a thoughtful “how to start” guide & veteran stitchers will find fun patterns & great insight. To be honest, I’ve never really thought about how important stitching is to my own mental health, but it’s truly one of the only moments when I can turn my brain off & choose to focus on just one thing. Seeing it all explained & exemplified in this book helped me gain a new level of appreciation for the role of cross stitch in my life. I plan to buy copies of this book for anyone who asks me about learning how to cross stitch!

Thank you to Pen & Sword/White Owl for providing a digital copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

“Self care isn’t selfish” - absolutely! Mindfulness in general is the key to a happier, healthier life, so if we can use it as a tool in our everyday life, especially through being creative, then that’s brilliant. Carving out a bit of ‘me time’ is essential in this fast paced world. This book gives you the perfect reason to immerse yourself in the skills and techniques to build up and practise through the art of cross stitch. It features beautiful messages, positive affirmations, and a deeply personal introduction to each beautiful design. The introductory chapter teaches you the basics of cross stitch, as well as explaining the different equipment you’ll need, making this book ideal for both the beginner hand sewer, and the more experienced. You can sew the designs exact as shown on the patterns provided, or add your own creative twist to them.
Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Pen & Sword, White Owl, and Netgalley for an eARC of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed this book. The designs were beautiful, but simple enough for a beginner. The instructions were clear and the mindfulness aspect made it more than just another craft book. Kudos!

An excellent beginners guide to cross stitch. Mixed with an in depth guide to how cross stitch can be an essential tool in mindfulness. There are simple patterns to follow too.
Fantastic.

This is a really great cross stitch book with simple, step by step instructions easy for beginners! It has a list of all the tools and materials you would need! It includes patterns and it shows different ways to do things! I really loved reading this and I can't wait to try some of these patterns!

A great cross stitch book for all levels of cross stitch. A fee cute patterns and basic instruction. If you're just starting out this is a good book.

Sew Mindful Cross Stitch by Sophie Crabb is a lovely book about how cross stitch was an important part of the author's journey with mental wellbeing and how others can benefit too.


As a crafter myself, I sometimes find learning new crafts or even getting patterns from new sources can feel quite intimidating — but Sophie explains everything in such an accessible and friendly way that it just feels completely effortless to follow in this book.

To me this book does exactly what it should!
All the patterns use the same count of aida and the same basic stitches so you won't have to dedicate a lot of energy to learning how to navigate different materials and methods of making these patterns.

Each pattern has a particular meaning to the author that can certainly resonate with any reader. These patterns remind the reader of the importance of taking time to rest, believing in yourself and appreciating the world around you. In terms of the style, these are all very sweet patterns that won't take too long to finish. Being able to make some in a single afternoon gave me the immediate joy of achieving something and at the same time I felt a definite benefit from approaching that time as a space to practice being mindful.

Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is the first book by Sophie Crabb, who goes by Sew Sophie Crafts in cross stitch circles. I own many cross stitch books but Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is much more than just a collection of patterns with some basic instructions included.

Sophie has included an incredible amount of detail in this book. She covers not just cross stitch basics but tried and true methods like the loop start (something every stitcher should know), multiple finishing methods (which is always the trickiest part and somehow never covered in books). and even how to get your fabric onto a q-snap (not the easiest thing to do the first time you do it).

What I loved most about Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is that the text portions of the book were informative and really spoke to the peace and wellness that Sophie is trying to help stitchers find by making art and taking time to be with something slow and beautiful.

The patterns were of course beautiful, well-designed, and clearly written. There were a variety of motifs all within the theme of the book, and I enjoyed how Sophie broke the sections up. There is something here for everyone, from mini stitches with just a few colors, to larger projects with more negative space and technique involved. Stitchers old and new will love these patterns. As we make our way towards the hurried second half of the year, I know many will find calm while working up these pieces.

What a stunning, beginner friendly, cross stitch book, with a wonderful message.
I am so excited to pick up some coloured cottons after work today and start some of these designs.

Cross stitch is a wonderful way to wind down, to focus on one thing at a time. Adding the element of mindfulness to the practice is fantastic.

This book is bright, easy to follow and easy to read. A wonderful idea.