Dollhouse Cross-stitched Rugs in 1:12 Miniature Scale

After watching the Domestika course from Wei of Honey Thistle, I was excited to try some cross-stitching for the dollhouses. Below is the first rug I made based on a free design (link):

I miscounted a few times but I was happy with how it turned out since I had not cross-stitched in probably 25 years 🤣 To make this one I did not purchase any new materials, but used old embroidery floss from a craft project from about 10 years ago, DMC’s lower cost “Prism” line.

I also purchased a miniature rug design from Etsy (link) and brought it with me on my Labor Day getaway. It is my most portable miniatures project at the moment. I am trying to go slowly so that I really get it right, but I still make mistakes. I picked up the embroidery floss in person at Hobby Lobby, the standard DMC line “mouline special.” It’s available online or in any craft store.

As soon as I started working on it, I realized how much better the stitching looks with the better embroidery floss and the denser Aida cloth (18 count). I didn’t feel as good about my first rug any more. But, sometimes it takes experimenting with materials to find out if the extra cost is worth it. This thread is silkier and doesn’t snag as much. The higher count fabric means no white cloth showing through the design. Here is the beginning edge of the rug:

Did you have any time for crafts over the long weekend? What did you work on?