Cross-stitch

missmis99

I have never posted on here, but was wondering if anyone cross-stitched?  I learned many many years ago and love to do it, but struggle finding patterns that aren't grandmaish.  Anyone else do this?  Any suggestions on places for patterns?

Dr.Loretta

I used to. Herrschners has some that aren't too grandma-ish. What types are you looking for?

Justinlove

I haven't cross stitched since 1996 (yes, I actually know the last year since it was the last piece I did).  Dr. L's site is a good one to check out.  I'd also look over on etsy.  You would need to be a bit more specific about what you want since there are over 8,000 links to patterns, but many of the ones I saw when I looked just now aren't granny-worthy

missmis99

I like to either hang them in my home somewhere or give them as gifts.  I had done some floral ones before and a couple animal ones, but would love to find something that I could hang up in our den.  Maybe some cute flowers or a flowery scene.

 

I will check out Dr. L.  Thanks! 

SpookieCat

I like the ones that are Grandma-ish   There's lots of links out there - I tend to make large art cross stitches that take me multiple years at a snalis pace of working on it for 3 months and then setting it aside for 12.  I've gotten a couple of nice patterns (classic art work) from Classic Cross Stitch but I don't think that's what you are looking for. 

I like doing cross stitch versions of my favourite Impressionist paintings - they fit the pixellated medium so well.

Kaz2009

I cross stitch a bit, but not a lot anymore. I have brought patterns in Michaels before. But they have generally either been christmassy or pooh bear and friends  

I did do a cross stitch thing as part of our wedding decor and designed it myself. I think I took a picture and edited it in photoshop and then used some software to convert it to squares for stitching. I used this software for the cross stitch part:

http://www.ursasoftware.com/

So you could always design something yourself I used the mac version and it was easy to use! 

saltypearl

My new favorite place to find patterns is a flea market.  You have to dig through a lot of "grandma ish" stuff but there are some absolute gems and the pattern is way cheaper than what you would find for new.  I esspecially like to do this if I'm stitching birth announcements since I don't like to stitch a pattern more than once.

bethCT

another lurker here   I love ABCstitch and check out Heaven and Earth Designs.  Also the mermaids by mirabillia (sp?) and the letters y Nora Corbett are fabulous!

kealina

Hi, there are tons of great patterns out there so I'm sure you can find something to do.  SaltyPearls rec of flea markets is good and I've also found some nice patterns at thrift stores/used book stores.  Some of my favorite patterns are from Dimensions Gold collection.

 I also like large oriental patterns so I bought this book, which has some beautiful stuff.  http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Stitchers-Oriental-Odyssey/dp/0715319000

I really like this site for all types of craft forums.  They have a needlepoint section where you can ask cross stitch questions and see others projects.  they even have stitch-a-longs. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php

These patterns are free and make cute ornaments if you want to start small.
http://crossstitch.about.com/od/specialtystitchpatterns/ig/Back-Stitch-Motif-Patterns/
They look great with variagated threads as shown here.
http://crossstitch.about.com/od/crossstitchphotos/ig/Cross-Stitch-Photo-Album/Back-Stitch-Ornaments-Photo.htm

Etsy or Ebay are also a good source for vintage patterns.  My latest project has been christmas stockings and the ones we loved are out of production so I searched Ebay until I found a good deal and bought.  Also, Cross stitch magazines are pretty good to check out if you live near a Borders or something similar.  If there is an awesome project in there that you love, it can be cheaper to by the magazine (bonus that you get lots of other projects and cool articles) than to buy the pattern by itself. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I hope you have fun and can find a pattern you love to get you started.   

kissmytiara

REALLY not your grandmother's cross stitch -  http://subversivecrossstitch.com/

I have found a bunch on Etsy too - a lot of them are pdf downloads, which means cheaper (usually) and faster.

 

 

gatorchristie

I totally agree about most of the patterns out there being grandma-ish!  I bought the PMstitchcreator program and now make my own patterns. I was able to download it free for 15 days, which is plenty of time to make a pattern. 

I make patterns based of photos or cute images I found on etsy.  I was able to find some great images that match different nursery sets, and the patterns turned out nice. 

daisy055202

My style is more shabby chic than cutsy/country/grandma, but I've found the patterns by The Trilogy nice.  You have to buy them online or at specialty stores, not the big box ones.  I also created my own pattern for my son's birth sampler using clipart and free trial software.  It was really easy to use.  This was before he was born and we knew his birthday and whether he a was a he or a she.