THANK YOU
Thank you all so much for making this book possible.
You’re welcome to share this page as a resource for anyone you think might find this content useful, and I’ll be adding to this page as you and other readers ask questions and request tutorials.
We couldn’t fit everything I wanted to in the book, so I’ve built this page to provide some additional resources for those wanting to expand beyond what was included. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions not covered here.
We also learned with the Stardew book that you guys like having a list of the colors included in the book. This time I’ve put together a list of all the colors mentioned and how often. I would still recommend just purchasing colors as you need them. But here’s your checklist if you want it. ๐
There’s *less* colors than Stardew, but still quite a bit! 164!
Let me know if I missed any. I’m human. ๐
Big thanks to Jackie for putting together the Stardew color checklist and inspiring me to include this for Undertale this time around!
Communities — Tutorials — Materials — Pattern Design
Click one of the links above to be taken down to that section
Community Resources
One of the best things about the internet is that there are online communities for pretty much everything. Places you can go to and ask questions, share your work, and find like minded people. Below are just a few options for you.
While reddit can seem intimidating if you’re new, there are some amazingly friendly communities on there, and /r/CrossStitch is one of them! Whether you post an epic masterpiece or your first attempt at stitching, the stitchers there are always excited to see what others are stitching. They’ll also likely offer some tips or tricks to improve your technique! If you’re too shy to post at first, it’s still a great resource for inspiration and finding new patterns to stitch.
Discord
I’ve created a Discord server for the Twitch/Mixer Cross Stitch community, but it’s open to any stitcher who wants a place to chat with and ask questions of other cross stitchers. You’re welcome to share other forms of art like pixel art, crochet, perlers, etc too. We also occasionally hold events like art swaps and stitch a longs.
Chat in real time via text or voice, share tips/tricks, show off your thread collection, or simply get inspiration from the community for your next cross stitch project!
Twitch
If you’re not familiar with Twitch.tv, it’s a site for livestreaming video games which branched out to livestreamed art a few years back. There’s a number of cross stitchers who stream their craft live allowing you to hang out while you stitch, or asking them questions in real time. The easiest way to find Cross Stitch streams is to head over to the Twitch Directory, click on “Add Filter” at the top, and type in Cross Stitch. If there’s no one live now, that’s okay! Check back another time, and explore Twitch in the meantime. You’ll find people doing all sorts of stuff in the Art and Makers & Crafting categories. We’ve all got varying schedules and some of us stream completely at random. There’s also a few Cross Stitch streamers over on Mixer.com, so be sure to check them out as well.
YouTube
If you’re more of a YouTube kinda person, there’s a whole host of people who vlog their stitching accomplishments for you to watch. Most include ‘FlossTube’ in their subjects, so these are easy to find by just doing a YouTube search for that key word! There’s also a huge amount of Cross Stitch tutorials up on YouTube, so if you have specific questions on how to do something, this is a great resource as well!
SpriteStitch
Spritestitch.com is one of the original pop culture cross stitch communities on the internet. Their forums are still a great resource for free patterns and for sharing your art with others. While not as active as it once was due to the decline of traditional forums, there’s still a core following there that is super friendly and will welcome you in with open arms.
Tutorials
I’ve already written a fair amount of tutorials for the CrossStitch.Live community, so I won’t re-write them just for this site. My main goal online has always been to make cross stitch more accessible and easier to learn, so I’ve striven to make tutorials open and easy to access. I will definitely be adding more tutorials as time allows and as you guys ask me questions. Tweet at me or hop on the discord and let me know if there’s a topic you’re interested in. If I don’t know the answer right away, we’ll find someone who does.
Topics so far:
Absolute Beginner’s Guide
Types of Fabric
Tackling Large Projects
How to make a biscornu
Plastic Canvas Finishing Tips (Includes a video!)
Cross Stitch Pendants (Includes a video!)
Creating Patterns in PCStitch
Streaming/Recording Setups
Purchasing Materials
One of the most common questions is where to purchase materials for cross stitch. I do most of my purchasing online, but there are plenty of craft stores you can get your supplies at in person. I’ll attempt to list off some of the more common ones here;
US-Based
Brick and Mortar Stores
Michael’s – Probably the most common craft store in US ; Be sure to take advantage of their weekly 40% off coupons!
Joann – Their cross stitch section has been shrinking, but still has basics
Hobby Lobby – Often lower quality, but does have cross stitch materials available.
WalMart – Craft section varies from store to store, but most at least have DMC thread and basic fabric if you need a fix overnight and everything else is closed.
Local Needlework Shops – These can be hard to find as they often don’t have a great online presence, but the store locator on the Kreinik site is a great resource!
Online Stores
Amazon
123Stitch
EverythingCrossStitch
PictureThisPlus
International
Brick and Mortar Stores (Some have online shopping as well)
I’m obviously not an expert on international stores, but here’s what I’ve been recommended by international friends! Please feel free to let me know of any stores in your area I can list here.
Canada – Gitta’s
UK – Hobbycraft
UK – John Lewis
UK – Samuel Taylors
Germany – Idee
Australia – Lincraft
Australia – Spotlight
Sweden – Atelje Margaretha
Sweden – Broderishoppen
Japan – Echizen-Ya
Japan – Yuzawaya
Hong Kong – The Crafties
New Zealand – Nancys
New Zealand – Made Marion Craft
Online Stores
Amazon – Check your country’s Amazon page, but be sure to shop around as it’s not always the best deal.
Canada – Stitchitcentral
UK – Lakeside Needlecraft
UK – WillowFabrics
UK – Enchanted Needle
UK – CraftyKitten
Italy – Casa Cenina
Germany – Cross Stitch Corner
Australia – ThreadedNeedle
Australia – ItchyStitchy
Denmark – stofkiosken
Denmark – rito
Denmark – Hannes patchwork
Denmark – stofgiganten
Pattern Designing
There are DOZENS of cross stitch programs online for creating patterns. I can’t possibly list them all, nor would I want to. I will list the most popular/well known ones and some of their benefits. But feel free to do more research before deciding on a program.
I believe all of them have ‘free trials’ so you can try the program out and see which fits best for your needs. The only downside with the trial is that you can’t save your work. Definitely give the trials a try if you can’t decide which one is right for you.
WinStitch/MacStitch
$35-50
Use code KWARNING2018 for 5% off
Pros: Mac Compatible. And you can watch Kwarning stream her pattern process live sometimes and learn from her.
PCStitch$50 $20
Use code PCS11UPG for $30 off!
Pros: Cheap due to the ‘upgrade’ coupon (Which works for new purchases, too). Can ask me (Siri) if you have questions about working with it.
STOIK
$50
Pros: Jess (CraftingGeek) uses it and makes some lovely patterns. It’s also Russian, and if you covet Russian cross stitch patterns as much as I do, you might start thinking this program must be magic.
KG-Chart
$35
Pic2Pat
Free
Not super accurate, and you often have to manually clean it up afterwards. But hey, it’s free.