Title: Spirited Away
Date Completed: February 2017
Design: Richard J. Evans & Lord Libidan
Count: 14
Canvas: Orange
Colours: 11
Anime: Spirited Away
MotoRuxin has been doing some sweet stitches recently on really bright background aida, and it got my fingers itching for something similar. I had a quick google online, and after seeing Adam Savage’s My Neighbour Toronto costume, I got on a bit of an anime binge. And lo and behold, a Spirited Away stitch.
How to make a cross stitch pattern perfect
I’ve already written a few blog posts in the past on how to make a cross stitch pattern perfect however it was written from the point of view of improving a pattern you’ve already made. But what about starting from a blank piece of paper?
Story
Every post I’ve written about cross stitch patterns starts the same way. Story.
Comic books have story in spades and can really boost an image, but stealing some of their magic, but just thinking about the composition or the background can make a cross stitch pattern perfect.
The Rule Of Thirds
The above image is one of the best composed images I’ve even seen recreated in cross stitch. Its perfect balance of blank space to stitches, and its fantastic sense of scale allows it to own that title on its own. But its fantastic us of the rule of thirds (a well known photography trick) make it even more special.
The rule of thirds stipulates something every simple, but its often not that easy to actually do it. The eye is naturally drawn to the cross over points marked in blue. I know that blue lines make it clear on the above image, but normally it happens too. It doesn’t even matter if the image is rectangular, circular (or even star shaped), your eye naturally goes to these areas. Combining them like the above Journey one just makes the eye pick them up perfectly.
Theme
There’s no getting away from it, but the theme of a cross stitch pattern is the thing that makes or breaks it. Is it an in joke? Or is it something everyone is talking about?
Ironically depending on what your theme might be, the pattern changes drastically. It might be a good idea to check out the biggest trends in cross stitch for 2017 to see what might be a good starting position, but remember one thing; make something memorable.
Color Palettes
Taking a fun Harry Potter image might be a great start to a cross stitch pattern. Its got a story, it fits with positioning, it has a fantastic and nerdy theme, but there are 7 movies. I can’t tell you how many Potter cross stitch patterns I’ve seen that have bright colors like the first film. But if you’re stitching up something from Harry as a child, how about choosing color palettes from the film that reflect that time?
@CINEMAPALETTES is a fantastic place to find movie colors.
Are Cross Stitch Needles Allowed On Planes?
Cross stitch needles ARE allowed on planes. The TSA advise;
You may place your knitting needles and needlepoint tools in carry-on or checked baggage.
However, there is a wider question here, and that’s;
Can You Cross Stitch On A Plane?
There are two things to think about here, the needles and the scissors. Even though an initial thought is no on both counts, you can take both on, so long as you prepare for it.
Needles
We’ve already established that you can take needles onto a plane, however in practice, things aren’t as simple.
Firstly, they MUST be embroidery needles, as they have rounded ends. In addition, you should be able to show this.
Secondly, they MUST be enclosed in a hard shell.
The best approach here is to buy something like John James Pebble, as its clear so the agents can see, they’re enclosed, and they stay they’re embroidery needles. Limit the amount you bring though, you’re not taking an arsenal.
I will add a caveat there, that sometimes needles can be confiscated. If this is the case, all airports carry sewing kits, which can be picked up for $2-3, and contain a needle (oh, the irony). In some cases these are even embroidery needles. Just be careful with the point.
Scissors
This is slightly more complicated. You aren’t allowed to bring sharps, which include almost all scissors. If you can find a pair that are less than 1 inch from the pivot point, and are rounded off on a 1/1 curve, then you can take them, however not only was I not even able to find a pair like this in my research, but they don’t strike me as very useful tools for cross stitch.
There is an alternative though; threadcutters. At the moment you can take two different kinds, the DMC thread cutter pendant (which can be questioned on some airlines), or the Thread Cutterz Ring. I have used both, and I would STRONGLY recommend the ring.
Now you have everything prepared, place both needles and scissors (if you have them) in a clear bag, and treat them like liquids.
On a final note, I would suggest in all cases you should phone the airline before taking them aboard, and NEVER hide them. Also, as a tip, use shorter lengths of thread than usual, you don’t have as much space on a plane.
The best modern and contemporary cross stitch books
Frankly, there are hundreds of cross stitch books out there. However which are the best books? That’s a little hard to answer on its own, but I’ve broken up the cross stitch world so you can find out which cross stitch books are best for you. Here we have the top 10 modern and contemporary cross stitch books.
1 – Subversive Cross Stitch
By Julie Jackson
Rude. Lude. But oh so funny. The cross stitch community wouldn’t be what it is today without subversive stitch, and this book only goes to prove that. A quick look at their website will probably give you more stitches to try, but it makes you understand the sub-culture so much better.
2 – Cross-stitch Super Collection
By Makoto
A fantastic book particularly for beginners, with hundreds of mini stitches to try, it won’t take long to see a pattern, start a stitch and finish. I have more than a slight feeling that this book got people into cross stitch.
3 – Game & Stitch
By Makoto
This is a little hard to find now, and its all in Japanese… However the design of the book just oozes awesome. Makoto has also come about the stitches in a way unlike others I’ve seen, with outline only space ships from space invaders (worth it just for those). Its major drawback however is its lack of content. There are maybe only 30 stitches, and each are less than an inch.
And the language barrier doesn’t help to be honest…
4 – Star Wars
By Rhys Turton & John Lohman
Written by my very own hand the Star Wars cross stitch kit features loads of patterns for beginners and more advanced stitchers alike, but also offers parts so you can construct your own patterns! And it massively helps that its Star Wars…
5 – Stitch People
By Lizzy Dabczynski-Bean
I’ve never been one to stitch people, however one quick glance at this book and you can see just how easy it is. There are outfits, hairstyles, faces, and accessories in abundance so you can mix and match your subject with ease. To make it even better the style makes it easy for you to customise with your own work in a flash. The book is clear, and every page is a beauty to read.
6 – Supersize Stitches
By Jacqui Pearce
BIG STITCHES! The great thing about Jacqui’s book isn’t that the stitches are big, but are instead well thought through. Some use large aida, some use the negative space well, and others are plan and simple well designed.
7 – Storyland Cross Stitch
By What Delilah Did
What Delilah Did is a powerhouse in cross stitch. And no wonder her books are too. I like this one best for two reasons; firstly its cute, every stitch makes you want to say “awwwwww”. And secondly; its also a kit. Unlike other kits that come in a big box, each pattern has a page where the supplies are attached so you can pull off and do one at a time.
8 – Manga Cross-Stitch
By Helen McCarthy & Steve Kyte
2007 wasn’t a big year for cross stitch, it was before the rise of the contemporary scene as seen in our cross stitch history post, however I think a major part to its rise may have been this book. It comes with a questionable cross stitch pattern maker, and a set of instructions for panel ideas. What it doesn’t do is tell you what to stitch, but instead tells you styles you can emulate, and takes you on a journey to make your own patterns. A great book for beginners, and frankly, a great resource for comic book style stitches.
9 – Mega Mini Cross Stitch
By Makoto
The newest book from the author of “Cross-stitch Super Collection”, he attempts to pack more detail into ever smaller stitches. I picked up a copy the first day it was out, and the space stitches are frankly amazing.
10 – Twisted Stitches
By Phil Davison
My major concern with this book is the lack of finesse. Each stitch has unclean lines, and dead stitches. However that’s its charm. The stitches are horrific, and weird at the best of times, and it pulls no punches in being an adult book, however its one of the best selling cross stitch books out there.
Bonus – Push Stitchery
By Jamie Chalmers
OK, this isn’t specifically a cross stitch book, and its content of cross stitch is fairly low, however our mate at MrXStitch.com has been able to compile some of the best stitchers in the world. This is my go to place when I want a bit of out of the box stitching.
5 Best Fallout Cross Stitches
I recently finished the last piece of Fallout 4 DLC, and with a pending 3-5 year wait until the next one I thought I would round up the last of Fallout until then with 5 Fallout cross stitches to tide you over until Fallout 5.
Can you see that? I mean…wow. Just… wow. This amazing (and epic) piece was inspired by the Nuka Quantum of Fallout 3, using a fan made poster to create a great cross stitch.
All those years squired away in a soul-less, possibly dangerous vault. What else would there be to do than cross stitch classic samplers? This fantastic example combines a few simple stitches as well, making not only a fantastic cross stitch, but a fantastic bit of Fallout fan art.
Made for the annual spritestitch charity quilt, user SonnySplendor created this amazing cross stitch inspired by Fallout New Vegas. It was so impressive that I also featured it as the title cross stitch for the SpriteStitch Round Up on Mr X Stitch that month.
This fantastic cross stitch is so good I’ve even used it before in my post Clever tricks to make cross stitch patterns pop. Its clever neon glow in the dark thread really brings the HUD of the pipboy, to showcase a VERY cleverly put together project.
And of course, where would I be without a killer Fallout piece by myself?
ITS RUINED! How to fix common cross stitch mistakes
There are two reasons you might be reading this; either you’re currently sitting over a ruined stitch, or you’ve made a few too many mistakes in the past. The good news is at some point everyone has made the same mistake, so don’t fret!
First things first
Take a breather. If you’ve just noticed your mistake, don’t fear there is ALWAYS a way out. So lets get into the list:
Knots on the back
I should state now, you need a smaller bit of thread. As standard you should look for about a lower arms length.
If you have a small knot pull on the knot and pull towards to hoop. Then pull all the following threads tight like a shoe lace.
If the knot is big (or there’s no hoop) then this won’t do. Instead start chopping. Make sure to only cut threads involved in the knot and leave as much “free” thread as possible. Once the knot is gone and you have a series of loose strands, start stitching the surrounding area, and stitch over the loose threads. By the time you’ve finished the surrounding areas the threads will be all stitched up. Alternatively you can push the loose threads under the backs of the stitches like you would end a thread.
You’ve spilt something on it
Yeh, normally tea, right? Well this is super simple, just wash it. However as you haven’t yet finished, make sure you don’t iron it.
Missed stitch
This happens a lot. I don’t know of anyone that hasn’t managed to do it. You should really look into future ways to avoid this, like thread breaking, and fabric pens, however you have two possible solutions.
White Out
Let’s say we have a missing stitch marked on our Pikachu preforming iron tail, with a blue blob.
You could then think about removing the lines from that point on towards the end of the piece, marked with dark blue lines.
This means you have to be prepared to edit your pattern in a big way, but sometimes is the only way to get it to work. The Pikachu still looks fine:
Fill it
Depending on the stitch in question, it might not matter a whole lot, much like the Pikachu pattern, you could easily fill it with yellow and no one would ever know.
Unpick it
Well sometimes that’s the easiest way…
Wrong stitch placement
The white out technique about might be a good idea here, however for the most part you probably want to unpick what you have. But let’s say its a massive area, its obvious and you can’t do a white out. Cut it out.
Now this seems harsh, but if you cut out the offending area, and stitch a new small piece of aida on top it’ll be totally hidden by the time you finish. Easy!
Know of any other stitching disasters? Throw me an line and I’ll help!
Clever tricks to make cross stitch patterns pop
We’ve posted a few times now about How to make a cross stitch pattern perfect, How comics help create cross stitch patterns and How to finish a cross stitch pattern, but that’s not where cross stitch patterns end. There’s a final, and easy to master, last step you might want to consider. What little thing will push it just a bit beyond?
Make it shine with Metallics
I’ve stated here metallics, however glow-in-the-dark works too, just look at the awesome Fallout 3 cross stitch above which utilized glow in the dark so that the screen glows, just like the game. Would it have worked in just green? Yes. But now it works that little bit more. Its something a little better.
This can be done to pretty much any cross stitch as no change in actual pattern is needed, just the thread. Try a blending filament on something that’s meant to be wet to give it that extra bit of shine.
Hidden Elements
You can hide things in cross stitch all over the place. One that I love to do is hide text in the backgrounds using font specific to the theme. You can also hide things using the above method, with glow in the darks, hiding a message, or even a totally different pattern within a block of white.
The advantage of this is that the main pattern is once again, completely unaltered, however as soon as dusk falls, your piece takes on a totally different feel.
Can you read it?
This actually covers a few things, however is one of the biggest issues you might have with a pattern; language.
Do you actually need that text?
Samplers are a staple of cross stitch, and whilst that will never change, it does close off that piece to non-native speakers. Now, there are some situations where the text is completely necessary, so don’t avoid it, but think of how you might want to adapt the piece so more people can enjoy it. For example many Pokemon are named differently all over the world, but the English translations are best known.
Distance
Chances are you’ve either made the pattern or you brought the pattern because you could read it. But can others? The best way to do this is to put up the pattern and take a 10 meter walk. Turn around, and ask yourself “can I read that WELL?” The most important thing here is ‘well’, as if a passerby can’t, they won’t bother trying.
Free Space Invaders Simple Plan Cross Stitch Pattern
I can’t tell you how many people have requested this pattern; its franky shocking. However I used to sell it, but I’ve decided to help out the video game cross stitch community with this awesome space invader simple plan school cross stitch pattern.
It was also one of the first patterns I ever made… Oh the memories!
You can download on the links below:
Color PDF
Black & White PDF
Looking for something else? Check out our list of free cross stitch patterns for more.
Epic Pokemon Time-Lapse Video
Ever wondered how those massive epic pokemon cross stitches get made? This sweet video from Eponases shows step by step in an awesome time-lapse.
I Believe In Mew Cross Stitch
Title: I Believe In Mew
Date Completed: January 2017
Design: Lord Libidan
Count: 16
Canvas: Pewter
Colours: 6
Video Game: Pokemon
Back to the Pokemon Cross Stitch! I found this image on pinterest, and despite my best efforts I just can’t find the original, so shout out to the original artist. I redesigned most of it to suit my own needs, and to make it more obviously Pokemon. It also has some sweet Kreinik threads around Mew to make him look even more special. Its based off the old myth of Pokemon Blue and Red that there was a hidden Mew under the truck by SS Anne.
