Needlework

Here is my collection of needlework projects, including both embroidery and cross stitch.

WTNV Sampler

White Rat

Skull Snowflakes

Victorian Cats

Cryptid SAL

Cryptisal SAL Bonuses

Jack of All Trades | Master of None

Rabbit Pair

Supernatural SAL

Flowers and Bitches

Patrick Swayze Christmas

It's me, Dio!

D&D Campfire

Welcome to Nightvale Sampler

I found this pattern on a tumblr post, where someone was showing off their completed piece. I was super excited when I saw it, because I love Welcome to Nightvale. Also, I had been processing a lot of grief over the last few months. I found the quote comforting.

The pattern is by FP Molina, whose website has been archived here. This pattern and the designer's other patterns are all available for free.

White Rat by Lindsay Swearington

This was the first project I did out of Lindsay Swearington's Creepy Cross-Stitch book. The chart was easy to follow, even if it was a printed a bit small in the book. I wish the charts in the book were bigger, but they're very nice patterns despite that. I decided to name the rat Neil.

Skull Snowflakes

I made these after finishing The Witchy Stitcher's Cryptid Stitchalong, when I was looking for an easy hobby win. I made these after Christmas, with the intention to get them hung up for next Christmas. These were delightful to stitch up, since the repeating patterns made it very easy to sit and watch TV while stitching. Each snowflake only took a small amount of time, which was perfect for an easy hobby win. It's available on The Witchy Stitcher's Etsy shop.

Victorian Cats

I stitched these shortly after I moved as an easy hobby win. The pattern is by MirlambdaArt on etsy. The pattern is relatively easy to stitch up, though I wish the chart had 10x10 overlay over it. The lack of a 10x10 grid made some of the counting a bit challenging. Overall, I'm really happy with how these little ladies came out. My spouse and I have nicknamed them Florence and Nellie, and they are happily married.

Cryptid SAL

To date (as of August 2022), this is the biggest cross stitch project I've completed. At time of posting, I'm working on the sister piece -- the Supernatural SAL. Both patterns are made by The Witchy Stitcher. The Cryptid Stitchalong is available here.

I started working on it shortly after it was released and tried to keep up with it. Due to cross stitching a bunch of Christmas presents that year, I wasn't able to keep up with it. You can see some of the progress pictures from when I was (somewhat) keeping up with it one cryptid at a time. Once I was finished with the pile of Christmas presents, I went back to the Cryptid Stitchalong. By that time, the stitchalong had completed and everything had been released. I found it easier to do one color at a time, which you can see from some of the progress photos where I'm finishing the black borders. While the black borders took a while, filling in each color at a time actually went very quickly. I didn't end up taking any pictures as I was filling in the colors, because it went by so quickly. I found it to be a very easy way to navigate such a complicated pattern. It helped that after the stitchalong was finished, the entire pattern was released as a one page PDF, so I was able to easily view the entire pattern on my iPad. I think it helped me save thread too.

I stitched this on 14 count cloth with three strands. I used a three stand loop start to help keep the back tidy. I hate having to worry about tucking down ends when I first start a thread.

Despite how big and complex the pattern was, it was surprisingly easy! A bit of the back stitching was tricky, like the teeth of the Deathworm and the Ahool, but back stitching is also something I struggle with, so I don't think that was the fault of the pattern.

I intend to get this framed with its sister piece once I've finished the Supernatural Stitchalong. They're going to hang up on either side of my jackalope.

Cryptid SAL Bonuses

I used the patterns in the Cryptid SAL to make Christmas presents for people in 2020. Most people received jackalopes, that I no longer have photos of, but one person got a bigger piece: a Bigfoot. The "Fuck You, Goatman" was made for my spouse who is a big fan, like myself, of Buzzfeed Unsolved. The Cone of Doom is being used for needle minder storage.

Jack of All Trades | Master of None

I was working on this while prepping for a move. It made the perfect project for the time. The pattern was easy to read and easy to stitch, since it only used one color. I used a varigated thread (DMC 53) which looked much more white-grey-black when I looked at the skein, but against the oatmeal fabric, it came out more denim colored. Despite the unexpected color, I like the way that the pattern came out a lot. The pattern was made by Shitpost Sampler and is available on their Patreon.

Rabbit Pair

These pair of rabbits are designed by LaSelvaDesigns on Etsy. These rabbits were the first pattern I tried with gradient colors. It was tricky without gridding, but that's no fault of the pattern designer. The pattern was well designed and easy to read. I'm looking forward to trying more patterns by this artist! I'm really happy with how the pair of rabbits came out.

Supernatural SAL

After completing the Cryptid SAL, this was the next biggest project I am completed to date. I started working on it in June of 2022 when the frame was released and finished in January of 2023. I found this stitchalong to be more technically complex than the Cryptid SAL, due to the more intricate backstitching and usage of more french knots. I definitely struggled with some of the more intricate backstitching, such as on the faerie's lantern. Despite the struggles with the backstitching, I'm very proud of this piece and how it turned out. I really love the colors, especially the reds; they really pop and are vibrant. I like the use of outlined cream on off-white fabric. The ghosts are probably my favorite, similar to how to the Fresno Nightcrawlers were one of my favorites from the Cryptids SAL. I'm very much looking forward to getting both pieces framed and hung up on the wall together. The pattern is by The Witchy Stitcher and can be purchased on her web shop.

Flowers and Bitches

This pattern is from the Shitpost Sampler Patreon, which has a ton of great patterns. This was a fun, simple pattern to work on while I was prepping for a big move. I'm still learning how to do good backstitching, so this pattern was helpful to do.

Patrick Swayze Christmas

This was made as a Christmas present for a friend, who is a big Mystery Science Theater 3,000 fan. The pattern is by AncoraCrafts on Etsy. The original pattern had a lot of blackwork text, that I wasn't able to do. My friend still loved it.

It's Me, Dio!

This was made as a birthday present for a friend who is a big fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It was made by tracing the still image from the show, using one of Sublime Stitching's transfer pens. It made the creation of the pattern really easy.