I don’t know about you, but I just love all of the jumbo cross stitch project ideas scattered across the blogosphere. Whether it’s on a large peg board or on a cane back chair, they just look amazing; and I’ve wanted to try my hand at it for a while now. I wanted to get in on the fun but in my own unique way: with Christmas cross stitch on the head of a wooden tennis racket!
Luckily for me, wooden tennis rackets are easy to find at thrift stores these days. So, I began gathering them en masse.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Once I had the wooden tennis rackets in hand, it was time to get to work on some jumbo cross stitch!
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Preparing the Wooden Tennis Rackets for Jumbo Cross Stitch
Since the vintage tennis rackets reminded me of oval picture frames, I decided to lop off the handles. I knew a gal with a full wood shop, and she let me use her miter saw to cut them off.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
When I was done, I was left with four heads from vintage tennis rackets. These would be much easier to deal with for the Christmas cross stitch that I planned to do.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Curious about what happened to the handles? This is what I did with them!
Next, I decided to spray paint a couple of the racket heads. This way, some would be “au natural” and others would be colorful!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Anyway, I was ready to do some Christmas cross stitch on my vintage tennis rackets, but I had no cross stitch patterns. I’m a complete novice when it comes to this kind of needlework, and I had no idea how to design my own pattern.
What’s a girl to do?
Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns
Well, I turned to one of my blogging “She-roes”, Bev from Flamingo Toes.
Talk about coming to my rescue…she created four different patterns for me to use, including this snowflake and Christmas tree. (Want to download the other two patterns? Head over to her blog post to get them!)
Oversized Cross Stitch Pattern – Snowflake
Oversized Cross Stitch Pattern – Christmas Tree
Now that I had the Christmas cross stitch patterns in hand, I could finally work on my idea. Because I was working with vintage tennis rackets, my Christmas cross stitch required chunky yarn.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
After studying the first cross stitch pattern, I figured out where I wanted to start and cut off a length of chunky yarn. Just like in real cross stitch, I didn’t knot the end.
But rather, I caught the tail underneath stitches. I did, however, use a dab of hot glue to ensure it stayed put.
I used painter’s tape (like this kind!) on one end of the yarn (like an aglet on a shoelace) to help ease the yarn through the strings, and it worked like a charm!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I followed the Christmas cross stitch pattern which was easy to do because of the large size.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I stopped and started new yarn periodically so that there were no long stretches across the back (which could be seen through the strings).
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
After a short while, I finished my first Christmas cross stitch! It was super easy to do, and just as I had hoped, the wooden tennis racket was the perfect frame.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Christmas Cross Stitch on a Wooden Tennis Racket
Isn’t that awesome? And let me tell you, they come together SO quickly and easily compared to traditional cross stitch.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Of course, I went ahead and made a couple of others. First, the Christmas tree (scroll up for the pattern)…
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And then the Poinsettia (pattern on Flamingo Toes’ page).
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Then it was time to display my Christmas cross stitch on our fireplace mantel! I could have added D-ring hangers to the handle “nub” that I left on each one.
But for now, they’re just leaning against the wall. Either way, they are just so quirky and sweet!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Amazing, right? And super bonus- you can usually find vintage tennis rackets at your local Goodwill or other thrift store. I won’t lie to you, I’m quite tickled at how they turned out.
If you enjoyed this easy upcycling idea for Christmas decor, then you may also be interested in these Christmas ornaments I made from switchplate covers!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And don’t forget- I have an entire chapter on Christmas projects in my book, “Crafting with Flannel”, as well! It is available for online purchase from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Craft On!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
Oh my goodness, Sarah. These are the best! This is a post waiting to go viral. If it’s not already on HT, it should be!
From your lips…, Rita!! It’s on Hometalk, too- I was actually loading it on there when you commented!! 😀
I saw these on Flamingo Toes. I think they are amazing ! I love oversized cross stitch. Thanks for the inspiration and Merry Christmas
Thanks so much, Claire!
Great idea!
Thank you so much!
A W E S O M E!!! love them so much. (can’t wait to see what the handles become)
Thank you!!
You have given me an awesome idea! My nephew plays Tennis….so I started imagining his name or a term from tennis on a tennis racket. But….yarn didn’t seem to be the right thing……I’m wondering if I can use bungee cord? Of course, now comes the part about how to map that out. Thanks…..love the idea!
Paracord! Try that- you might need to loop it through twice, but it might be perfect as-is. 🙂
Good idea about paracord! Thanks!
Sarah, these repurposed tennis rackets are super cool!! Love the idea of turning them into cross stitch wall art!! Beautiful job!! 🙂
Thanks, Keri!!
Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
Thanks, Theresa!
You so SMAHT! Dayum! I woulda never thought of that, but it’s amazing! Hmmmm, now where in the barn did I stash those ol’ rackets….*wanders off muttering to self like the crazy ol’ cat lady I am….
HAHA, love it, Denise!! They turned out cute, right??
Way, way beyond cute! Gawjus!
So different, unique and vintage! Love the old racket look with an old stitching pastime of mine. Yours came out perfect!
Thank you so much, AnnMarie- I’m quite taken with them, too. 🙂
Sarah! This was so much fun and I love how the rackets turned out! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for everything! We are SO collaborating again- Merry Christmas!!
What a fabulous and very unusual idea!
Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger
Thanks, Liz!
You, my dear, are a GENIUS.
You’re makin’ me blush! 😉 Thank you, sweetie!
I love these! I am an avid cross-stitcher and am always looking for new project ideas. These turned out incredible and very unique. I came across your post at the VIP on Knick of Time. 🙂
Thanks, Rebecca!! I sincerely appreciate such sweet words- happy holidays to you!
I love this vintage look. Super fun
Thank you, Charlene!
Beautiful! And totally surprising project!!! You never disappoint with your creativity! Thank you for linking this up to Welcome Home Wednesday!
What an great idea! Love this!
Thank you so much!
I absolutely love your creativity and this project just blew me away.. Thank you for sharing with OMHGWW Party and I am so happy to have you as my feature this week! Happy Holidays! http://fromevijawithlove.com/2015/12/29/wonderful-wednesdays-link-party-december-5/
Thank you so, so much, Evija! Thank you for hosting and Happy New Year!! 😀
This is such a neat idea!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J! Happy 2016!
I love this idea! Very, very cute.
Thanks so much, Dawn!
This is a fantastic idea! These would make a great gift for my mom next year! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Marie!
Oh goodness!! These are absolutely fabulous! So unique!!
Thank you so much, Christine!! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season. 🙂
Sarah, another great project. You always come up with the best ideas. I have a few wooden tennis rackets hanging around so I might just give this a try. Thank you for sharing your project and tutorial with us at Vintage Charm. sb
Thanks, Sharon!!
I LOVE these! So clever!!
Thank you so much, Emily!
Cute idea! I am crushing on all of the cross stitch projects I see on Pinterest too. What a creative spin on those! Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!
Thanks, Amanda!
This project is beyond cute – and amazing – and clever. I’m speechless!
Thank you so, so much, Robin!! Definitely my favorite Christmas project of 2015! 😀
You freak me out a little – in a totally good way lol – I just can’t believe the things you come up with – you’re pretty incredible !!!
LOL- I love it! Thank you SO MUCH- I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear that from you. Seriously. You made my day. 🙂
What a cute repurpose! I think I’d even like them with the handle. Thanks for bringing this by to Throwback Thursday! I’ll be pinning to our board.
Thanks!! Wait until you see what I did with the handles- coming next week! 😀
Oh my goodness, these are so adorable! What a great project! Thank you for sharing with us at Create • Share • Inspire, we hope to see you back this week!
Thank you so much, Alicia!
What a fun idea!! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
Love the idea and look
Thanks so much, Carol- me, too. 😉
Fantastic idea…………….we like it very much!!
Natalia & Sergio
¡Gracias! 🙂
Wow…what a neat idea! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
I just got into cross stitching and totally love these!!
Thanks, Tara!
What a fun idea! Love those vintage rackets and great source for your cross stitch designs. Thanks for sharing on Funtastic Friday!
Thanks so much, Heidi!
These are so stinkin’ cute and original! Love them!
Thank you so much!
These turned out so fabulous! I love that you have repurposed some old rackets and given them such an awesome new lease on life! So clever!!!
Thank you so very much, Sam!
This is beyond clever and adorable. Thanks for sharing it with us at the Waste Not Wednesday Link Party.
Thanks, Denise!
Love the idea of cross stitching on tennis raquets. Two hobbies in one.
Amalia
xo
So very true- thank you, Amalia!!!
These are incredible and so creative! I love cross stitch, so I can really see doing these! Thank you!!!
Thank you so very much! They’re such a breeze to do, too!
These are awesome! I’ve tried cross stitch but it’s too tedious for me, plus my eye site isn’t as good as it use to be. But I think I could handle the oversize cross stitch. I think my favorite has to be the Christmas tree! ?
Yes!!! Oversized cross stitch is WAY easier on the eyes- and you’ll be done in no time at all. 🙂