Before we get into how to make an omamori, let’s discuss what they actually are. Traditionally, they are amulets of protection available at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples across Japan. These spiritual items often have prayers written inside them and made sacred through the use of ritual. For tourists, they are mainly viewed as a… Read More Omamori Tutorial – Cross Stitch Your Own Good Luck Charm
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… Read More Gridding for Cross Stitch: Techniques to Help With Counting Stitches
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… Read More PCStitch Basics: Turning Pixel Art Into Cross Stitch
A while ago I purchased a bunch of mini tart pans for the purpose of making… well, tarts. But after they sat on my desk for a few weeks and I kept putting thread scraps and random needles or pins into them, I decided I should actually make something with them. So I made a… Read More Pin Cushion Pie – The Tucked Tart Tin
It’s no secret that I love working with variegated thread. But for many, multicolor floss can seem quite daunting. What should you use it on? How to make it look the best? What if it doesn’t turn out how you thought it would? With as many questions as I get on the topic, I figured… Read More Variegated Thread – Tips for Cross Stitching with Multicolor Floss
