How much cross stitch could a cross stitcher cross stitch if a cross stitcher could FUCKING COUNT SQUARES CORRECTLY AND NOT WASTE TIME UNDOING MISTAKES?

Never apologize for your craft being “bad” (in your opinion)! I still do it sometimes too but you keep that “bad” project and look back one day and say “gee look at how far I’ve come!”

trying to find cross stitch patterns that arent either 80 year old grandma chic twee or overly aggressive weird feminism is harder than u would think

My Etsy hopefully has some that doesn’t fall into those categories! Search Rather Unseamly!

The kits and patterns on my Etsy are pretty chill. Lots of bright colours and funky designs.

I’d also recommend shops like Satsuma Street, weelittlestitches, and Tiny Modernist. Plus, if you wanted, you could check out my shop, Stitch Me Sideways.

Stitcher Survey!

Hey Stitchers, I have a question for y'all. What prompted you to start stitching? Was it a random whim? The influence of someone special? A calling from the great beyond?

For me I remember a woman coming to our church when I was about ten and showing us cross stitch. We got to make these super simple little balloons but I was immediately hooked and talked my dad into getting me a kit with a little bear that said “Free Bear Hugs”.

….. Then I totally stopped stitching until I was 30.

How about you?

My mom taught me with patterned pillowcases when I was in elementary school. Then I stopped until I was 30… and needed decorations for my wedding/anxiety relief via obsessive repetitive hand motions.

Crafting is just something my family does. My mom started me with a half stitch yarn crayon design when I was young. I did a few patterns and kits while in my teens, less during my 20s if I saw a kit or pattern book I liked and could afford, but always messed up so bad that some never got done haha. Lost all of them in the move that led to my divorce. Got the bug back a few years ago when my store started carrying the supplies (though the dmc selection is small) and kits again, and been going strong since.

My grandmother taught herself to cross stitch with a kit she bought on holiday and I watched her because I spent every school holiday as a child at her house and was bored stupid. Around the same time we saw a random kit at the grocery store one day when I was 10 and she bought it for me so I had something to do while she taught herself to stitch. I finished it in one sitting and haven’t stopped since. She never took to cross stitching too much but she thinks it’s funny that I did.

I think I tried a bunch of kits when I was 8, and I never finished any of them. Then, when I was 15, I went to Michael’s with a friend, and we were looking for some crafts we could do. I saw a little kit in the dollar section, and decided to buy it. I made a promise to myself that I would finish it, and I did the whole thing in a day. After that, I just decided to start picking more and more kits and patterns. Now I stitch all the time, and I love it.

2 Pattern Pack - Disney Princes and Princesses Cross Stitch Pixel Sampler - PDF by ScarletPyjamas (11.50 GBP) http://ift.tt/1Qh1Tlx

Looking for cross stitch blogs!

Please like this or reblog so I can see your blog and follow some more, if you don’t mind :)

Does anyone else have this problem?

I swear, I have so many skeins of floss, yet every time I start a new project, I have none of the colors.

all the DAMN time

When I’m putting together a pattern I grab my box and go through all my colors to see if any of them fit… Yet none of them seem to match the aesthetic I want to go for… So I and up buying new colors… It’s a real problem

THIS^^

Hey !! I do cross stitch !! If you cross stitch, remember REBLOG it !!

I can’t be the only person who cross stitches on tumblr.

Reblog if you cross stitch!

If you’re interested in having something stitched, I do take commissions! ((: I charge .01 per stitch and $8 per hour of stitching time. Prices will depend on project size, material costs and time. I can send it to you with no frame if you’d like to do that yourself, but I offer a quote from my framer Sheryl. She’s the cheapest around for some fantastic quality work. *Serious inquiries only please. This is a very time consuming form of art and can get expensive.*

Signal boost!

I added a new embroidery floss inventory spreadsheet to Google Docs today, this time for Weeks’ Dye Works 6-strand hand dyed floss. The spreadsheet is separated into four sheets, one each for the regular floss, classic floss, holiday floss, and solid floss colors. Color coded just like the DMC floss spreadsheet!

Get it here (click ‘use this template’) [link]

And get the DMC floss inventory here if you missed it [link]

Fuck Yeah Needlework Advice #27: On Thread

When you’re just starting out with embroidery, it is tempting to think that all kinds of thread are the same. “It’s just thread,” you say. “Thread is thread.”

There are lots of different kinds of thread that you can use to do embroidery with, and they all have different effects! You can have threads that are shiny and smooth, or that are rough and scratchy, or fuzzy or sparkly (or fuzzy AND sparkly). There are threads that look like a rabbit’s soft fur and threads that look (and act) like gold. SO MANY CHOICES!

If you’re just starting out with embroidery, you’re probably using cotton thread. There’s nothing wrong with that! Cotton embroidery thread (like DMC, Anchor, or Sullivans) is readily available, comes in lots and lots of colors, and is reasonably cheap. You might also find variegated or overdyed cotton thread, which has several colors in a single skein of thread (whether they are similar hues or a wild riot of all kinds of colors). These overdyed threads can give your embroidery piece a lovely rich look, depending on how you use them.

Silk has been used for embroidery for hundreds (and possibly even thousands) of years. It’s a versatile material that takes dye very well, so you end up with lots and lots of colors. Silk threads are often shinier than cotton threads and are VERY strong. Seriously - if you have a piece of silk thread handy, try and pull it hard enough to break it. It probably won’t…and if it does, you are a mighty warrior. Get down with your bad self.

Anyway, silk feels lovely in your hand, and it’s very nice to stitch with. The only drawback is that it can be expensive, especially if it’s overdyed and variegated. But sometimes, you just have to treat yourself.

Wool is a great thread for needlepoint and crewel work, especially when it’s done on things that are meant to be used. Think chair cushions, pillows, and even church kneelers! Wool comes in almost as many colors as silk, and I have found it to be very forgiving when you stitch with it. Something that would really stand out in cotton thread can blend in when stitched with wool thread.

Metallic thread is the bane of many an embroiderer. Yes, it is super, super sparkly, and yes, it’s super fun to have lots and lots of sparkles. But metallic threads are often comprised of many, many smaller threads braided together, and these braids have a tendency to unravel while you’re stitching - especially if you like to stitch with long lengths of thread, like I do. The only remedy for this problem is to use short lengths of thread and lots of them. 

There are many other kinds of specialty threads out there. If you have the time, you can go to your local needlework store and feel up all the threads to decide which ones you like best. Try stitching some different techniques with different threads and figure out what makes you happy. 

As always, my friends, feel free to ask me questions through the ask box on this blog!

I opened an etsy store, there’s cross stitch patterns as well as buttons, vintage thread and sewing supplies from my grandmother’s stash. You should check it out, I’m adding more stuff often.

And even better, get $5 off a $20 purchase with code GRANDOPENING (valid now through August 31, 2015). 

Signal boosting a friend’s shop!