How To Make A Cross Stitched Fridge Magnet

When it comes to small cross stitched pieces, I sometimes don't know what exactly to do with them. But there is a nice solution to practically any small design - a fridge magnet! It's easy, it's quick, it's something fresh - instead of framing your work you make a cute unusual thing. So, what do you need to make your own stitched fridge magnet?

- finished stitchery (the free pattern is included here))

- self-adhesive non-woven material (one side is sticky, so when you iron it, the glue layer melts and it sticks) large enough to cover your stitchery at least 3-4 times

- magnet with sticky back side

The first step is our usual one - wash your finished piece and iron it. I usually iron small stitchery till it's quite dry to work with. Then cut off the excess fabric, leaving some 10 or so empty squares on each side of the piece. Make your piece a rectangular shape.

Cut out the self-adhesive material in the shape and size of your stitchery, and make 3 or 5 such pieces. The larger your stitchery is, the more strengthening layers you will need. So, for really small work 3 layers will be sufficient, and for pieces as large as a palm better use 5-6 layers.

Put the first layer of the self-adhesive material on the back side of your finished stitchery, the glue side down. So the sticky side of the material must contact with the back side of your stitched piece. To distinguish the glue side, touch the material: the sticky side have tiny pimples which are palpable. When everything is ready, iron the material. It will secure your stitches and make the piece more firm. Repeat this step until you sense the piece is strong enough. For my 'Two Alpacas' I used 5 layers of material to make it pretty strong.

Now it's time to cut out the desirable shape of your magnet. Try to leave only 1 empty square of fabric on every side, so the magnet repeats the shape of the stitchery (see the picture below). Then simply adjust the magnet to the back side of your stitchery. And Bob's your uncle - you have prepared your fridge magnet! Congrats!

What to do if your magnet doesn't have a sticky back side? That means you should use hot glue to fix it on the stitchery.

Try this free cross stitch pattern below to make your fridge magnet. The olives will look great at the kitchen!

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