Basic Resources
Frogging – How to Fix Mistakes in Cross Stitch
The dreaded craft frog. Whether you’re a cross stitcher, you crochet, knit, or do any number of other thread art, you never look forward to frogging. But it is an inevitable thing. If there’s any universal truth in all of these kinds of crafts, it’s that counting to 5 consistently is hard. Making mistakes doesn’t […]
Color Swapping Cross Stitch Patterns : Conversion Tips
Today I wanted to talk about color swapping, a way to customize your cross stitch patterns to better suit your preferences. A good way to both express yourself creatively and work through your stash. What does it mean? How do you do it? SHOULD you do it? Well a lot of this is very subjective […]
Discontinued DMC: Hard to Find Threads and Their Replacements
Before you click off of this article because you have already seen a dozen other articles listing discontinued DMC numbers — I have stitched samples! There are plenty of lists of discontinued DMC threads and suggestions for alternatives. But how close are the replacements really? What if you’re out of the replacement color too? Is […]
Can You Cross Stitch on a Plane? How to Check Airline Regulations
Here’s a question I (used to) see a lot. Can you cross stitch / do embroidery on a plane? Well the answer varies incredibly. It varies from country to country, of course. But also from airline to airline, and airport to airport! Generally speaking, though: Within the US, yes. Probably. Internationally, results may vary. Disclaimer: […]
Thread Conditioner: Should you use it for Embroidery & Cross Stitch?
Here’s a topic that’s I’ve seen brought up quite a bit lately: Thread conditioner. What is it, should you use it, and HOW do you use it anyway? For decades cross stitchers and embroidery artists alike have used a silicone-based substance called Thread Heaven to coat their threads while working. Plus the dozens of other […]
Gridding for Cross Stitch: Techniques to Help With Counting Stitches
In case you’re not familiar with the concept of gridding, it’s a technique mostly used on large cross stitch patterns to help the stitcher with counting and sizing. If you’ve ever seen an in progress photo of someone stitching where their fabric is covered in small squares, that’s gridding! There’s lots of different ways to […]
PCStitch Basics: Turning Pixel Art Into Cross Stitch
Today I’d like to go over the basics of PCStitch 11. I get a lot of questions regarding my process in creating designs. And part of it I can’t really teach – the actual design. I just kinda doodle in a Pixel Art program like Pyxel Edit and then turn it into a cross stitch […]
Thread Starts for Cross Stitch — 7 Ways to Anchor Your First Stitch
Hello everyone! This month I wanted to bring to you a quick rundown of some of the different ways to anchor your stitches when starting each new length of thread! There’s a few different thread starts that I use depending on the situation, and probably more out there. In my examples I’ll be using two […]