Today, I visited a friend of mine who has recently suffered from sight loss. She can still see strong colours and shapes, and she has used this ability to continue her cross stitching. Instead of using traditional patterns and equipment, she now uses Binca, a fabric that has a low hole-count, and also can be felt easily with the fingers as well as seen. She only also uses strong and contrastive colours – and hey presto… she completes great projects. I feel humbled to think that her stitching is often neater than my own. With this in mind, I have drawn together a list of considerations to protect your eyesight, prevent eyestrain and to make stitching easier:

Use light wisely. When stitching during a bright day, sit with your back to a window if possible. The sunlight will stream over your shoulder and onto your stitching. Invest in a good Daylight lamp and magnifier. There are many to choose from, and the best can be expensive so consider putting one on your Christmas present list. Of course, you can use one for reading, writing and other crafts as well as stitching. For economy, consider replacing the bulb of a regular table of anglepoise lamp with a Daylight bulb. Have regular eye tests and make sure that if you wear eye glasses, they continue to be the correct prescription for your needs. 

Use a needle threader. Always. This can prevent a lot of frustration. 

Take your eyes off your work every few minutes when you are stitching. Focus on a distant object for a minute or too. You may care to stretch your legs at this time too. 

Use clear patterns/charts. You may notice that some are small and difficult to see in magazines. You may need to enlarge these via a photocopier.  The patterns/charts from the www.PatternsPatch.com club in contrast are very clear – and you can enlarge them to the size you require onscreen. 

Today is St Swithun’s Day. In the UK, it is a tradition to believe that if it rains today, then it will rain for the next forty days. Although we can laugh at this, research shows that in 70% of years, this is a true prediction!  Happy Stitching