Have you ever wondered why a tapestry needle size goes up as the sizes goes down? And have you ever wondered why a size 24 needle is the same size as a size 8 sharp needle and a size 3 quilting needle?
Probably not. But following our video on how cross stitch needles are made, and our history of the cross stitch needle; I have. So I looked it up, and trust me when I say this; its not easy to find the answer.

How are needles sized generally?

Simply put, until the 1940s they weren’t sized at all. Each brand of needle provider came out with their own size guides, some based on width others based on length. Somehow people struggled through without much problem, until sewing machines were invented. Each sewing machine manufacturer standardised their sizing, however they all standardized differently. Each stating that theirs was the best way of sizing needles. Suddenly, issues were arising as manufacturers were suggesting a needle size that wasn’t uniform and people hated it.
Soon a group of needle makers came together and made their own system, which was so popular other manufacturers quickly had to adapt to their system.

The system they picked was based on the way the machine sewing needle was constructed. Unlike a tapestry needle the machine sewing needle has a hole right by the tip. This means that the end of the needle is the largest point. The width of this needle in hundredths of a millimeter was now known as the size, in NM or Number Metric. So a NM 130 needle has a width of 1.3 milimeters.

That’s great, but we use tapestry needles.

However, hand needles have a very different structure to a machine needle and so this system couldn’t be copied. Here in lies the issue. All those needle manufacturers that missed out on the machine needle sizing came up with their own systems for hand needles. They went around and asked other manufacturers to use their needle size system for a specific type of needle in exchange to use anothers system for a different type of needle.
The method most chose (we’ll talk about excepctions in a minute) was wire guage thickness. In this system the higher the number, the more the wire is pulled. However, much in the same way the needles had issues with sizes, so did wire (and it still does) which is why no needle size matches another.

The exception to the rule

I said above that there were exceptions to the rule of higher the number, smaller the needle. In an interesting turn of events, knitting needles struggled on the sidelines whilst the needle size war was going on, and no one ever settled on a size. As a result in the UK the larger the number the smaller the needle, but in the US the larger the needle. Most now use milimeter thickness, however Japan uses a system of increasing numbers meaning larger needles, before then changing to milimeters at 7mm wide. This means they have both an 8mm needle, and a size 8, which is only 4.5mm thick.

Copyright is such a contentious issue, and it can really get people fired up. Designers and those who are in the needlework industry get accused of being “copyright police” when they point out that designs have been stolen, or take legal action to get illegal copies of their designs removed. Stitchers who benefit from the free/illegally sold charts (some of which are unaware they’re illegal) don’t see the problem as they figure it’s a digital copy so it’s not like you’re walking into a shop and stealing a physical object. This brief article goes into the issues behind copyright infringement, and why stitchers should care. As a disclaimer, I am not a lawyer but I have done a lot of research, and each country’s laws are slightly different.

Free cross stitch patterns

Many designers use free patterns as a way to give back to their supporters, and to encourage people to check out their paid designs. Some designers only do freebies in their designer’s communities (like a Facebook group), some do freebies on their own website, and others will freely share them on sites like Pinterest. It can be hard for stitchers to know whether the pattern is being shared legally, or whether it’s a stolen copy (either a scan from a magazine or book, or an upload of a designer’s paid pattern). A good rule of thumb is that if the pattern isn’t coming directly from the designer (from their Facebook page or group, or is linked to their website or blog), there’s a high probability it’s an illegal copy. Many sites that host “free” patterns are actually set up as a honey trap (a cyber trap) – each pattern file has been embedded with malware or spyware that gets transferred to your computer when you click on it or download it. I used to be a military intelligence officer and cyber threat analyst, this is a real threat. Nothing in the world is really for free, so you have to ask yourself why this site can offer thousands of free patterns and expect nothing from it. Obviously there are legitimate needlework companies that provide extensive collections of free patterns, such as DMC and Kreinik.

Why is copyright infringement a problem?

It can be easy to think that illegal patterns aren’t that big of a deal, as the files are digital. That’s not the case – designers can lose tens of thousands of dollars of revenue from their most popular designs being stolen. It’s also heartbreaking to the designer to see people abusing their products they’ve spent weeks and months making. I know of one UK designer who just announced she’s pulling all her patterns from online and is retiring because of the theft of her patterns, she wanted to leave the patterns for sale as a legacy for her children. She can’t do that now, and is completely heartbroken, it’s like the theft of decades of hard work. Also, designers’ reputations can be damaged from illegal copies, as true customers aren’t sure if they’re getting a legal pattern or not. Copyright infringement does have a direct impact on designers and their ability to keep designing. Without designers, the industry will die.
 
For the stitcher, purchasing or downloading an illegal copy of a pattern means they’re possibly not getting the full pattern (such as special instructions, colour keys, things the designer has included to make the pattern easier to stitch). As stated above, they could also be getting a file that’s had malware embedded into it. If the art itself has been stolen and made into a new pattern (such as an unlicensed Disney image), it’s also probable the pattern won’t stitch up well. Cross stitch software isn’t “drag and drop” in that you need to do hand alterations and have experience to produce a high quality pattern that stitches up well. Many illegally produced charts are simply uploaded into software and then a chart produced. So hundreds of hours of stitching are wasted on producing a subpar image, and a lot of money on floss and fabric goes down the drain.
 
Below is a downloadable PDF with some of the basic things you can do as a stitcher to ensure you’re getting a legal pattern. Most stitchers are aghast at the extent of copyright infringement and want to make sure they’re not inadvertently contributing to the problem. Hopefully this article has helped you become a little more aware of the issues, and things to look out for when getting patterns (whether free or paid).
 
By Dana Batho
Artist and Designer @ Peacock & Fig
 

Today we have a fantastic guide from @restitch, an artist I’m frankly in love with. His upcycling of completed cross stitch he finds in charity stores are great, and they always look just like the original artist made them that way. He’s opened up his crafty ways and shows you how to make a pattern like him.
 
Hi, my name is Johan Ronström and I’m @restitch on Instagram, restitching old second-hand embroideries with video game characters.
 
Below is a guide on how I made the pattern for my Mario pillow. I usually do my patterns like this, in Photoshop, since I use it in my day job and am very familiar with the program. But most steps use normal tools, and you can follow along with a basic understanding of the program and some google skills! Enjoy 🙂
 

 
Here’s what I do in the video step-by-step:
 
– Count the number of pixels/stitches that needs to be covered
– Covering that pixels from a photoshop document that I made
– Converting it to a Smart Object, so I can transform it as much as I want without quality loss
– Transforming it to roughly match the size by dragging the corners in Free Transform
– Matching the grid all around the edges with Transform -> Warp
– Covering up sneaky stitches by copying empty squares from the original image
– Adjusting the color of the cover-up with a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer (set to only affect the layer below)
– Smoothing out the edges by painting in a Layer Mask
– Googling for Mario 1 sprites in 1x resolution
– Copying the image into a new Photoshop document
– Picking out one sprite and removing the background with the Magic Wand
– Googling for a reference image from Mario Odyssey
– Changing the colors of the sprite into the Mario Odyssey colors, using Magic Wand
– Taking a screenshot of the sprite zoomed in (this is the key to the kingdom!)
– Pasting the screenshot in a new document
– Removing the frame and the background with the Magic Wand
– Copying the big sprite into the pillow document
– Converting it to a Smart Object, so I can transform it as much as I want without quality loss
– Creating a new layer and drawing center guidelines
– Transforming it to roughly match the size by dragging the corners in Free Transform
– Positioning it where I want it in relation to the center
– Re-arranging the layers and reducing the opacity of the guides
– Changing the colors of the sprite to match the colors of the pillow, using Magic Wand
 
Finally, I can follow the pattern from my phone! 🙂

A little progress! Little Nemo is appearing! Dream Master is still one of my all time favourite games! 👦🍬🍬🕹 – #littlenemo #dreammaster #wip #workinprogress #nes #8bit #crosstitch #xstitch #embroidery #craft #stitch #crossstitchersofinstagram #fiberart #handmade #folkart #recycle #upcycle #reuse #restitch #thread #yarn #needlework #nintendo #nintendolife #pixel #pixelart #handmade #diy #gameart #videogames #nerdcraft

A post shared by 8-bit ReStitch (@restitch) on Jul 11, 2016 at 2:42pm PDT

 
These are a few more examples of my patterns:

Testing ideas from the previous post, in Photoshop, and playing around with screen recording. 😋💻 More testing before deciding, though! 🗡🎉🌟 – #kyloren #starwars #doctorwho #sonicscrewdriver #nes #8bit #crosstitch #xstitch #embroidery #craft #stitch #lightsaber #handmade #videogames #folkart #recycle #upcycle #reuse #restitch #thread #yarn #needlework #nintendo #nintendolife #pixel #pixelart #handmade #diy #gameart #videogames #nerdcraft

A post shared by 8-bit ReStitch (@restitch) on Apr 28, 2016 at 2:47pm PDT

When I make my patterns I usually pick a character out from a screenshot of the game, or a sprite-sheet, and Photoshop it onto a photo of the cloth. I work with Photoshop daily so this process is pretty fast. Here is a bunch of those patterns! 🖼 You can find the finished pieces back in my gallery! Do you make patterns, and how? #pattern #photoshop #graphicdesign #design #nes #8bit #crosstitch #xstitch #embroidery #craft #stitch #crossstitchersofinstagram #fiberart #handmade #folkart #recycle #upcycle #reuse #thread #yarn #needlework #nintendo #nintendolife #pixel #pixelart #handmade #diy #gameart #videogames #nerdcraft

A post shared by 8-bit ReStitch (@restitch) on Oct 19, 2017 at 12:03am PDT