Cross stitch Class!

Sorry its been a bit quiet around here - things have been busy!

What have I been up to? Well, for one... something really fun, a cross stitch class with Susan Greening Davis! It was this past weekend - I'd been really looking forward to it, and I wasn't disappointed. She's a great teacher and it was a ton of fun. I learned some neat specialty stitches - not to mention we worked with some great flosses and materials. With luck, I hope to have some pics from the event posted soon.

One of the reasons I was really excited is that Susan is from the area in Michigan where I grew up - in fact, my mom (with me in tow) made many purchases at her store in central Michigan when I was growing up, which is part of the reason I'm a cross stitch addict today. Really neat connection!

Geeky Cross stitch

I love that Wired has an article about Geeky Embroidery (which, of course, includes cross-stitch). I too am a fan of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (LOVE that Nathan Fillion!), so between that and the fact that a) I'm a librarian and b) I'm married to a software engineer who is a gamer, I believe that means my geek cred is pretty much fully established.

Anyway, these are very fun projects and yet another example of how an art form such as cross stitch/embroidery can be extended and reinvented to include a multitude of artistic inclinations. Love it!

Creativity and Cross Stitch

A 'multiple birds with one stone' discovery! First I ran across this very cool PDF on the benefits of listening to music while doing cross stitch (there are some other resources as well, such as this one on mental health and cross stitch). I am a huge believer in the benefits of creative and expressive arts therapy (music, writing, art, dance, all of it!), so this was really great.

Then I realized the web site was that of a company who produces a pretty nifty looking tool for helping track your place while stitching. Neat idea!

Finally, the article mentions the author Tera Leigh, who has a very cool web site all about creativity and art, which is certainly applicable to the art of cross stitch. As a creative writing major in college and an avid journaler, I also really love her journaling tips. A great way to extend the joy of creativity and cross stitch into the written word!

Stitch a Star

So apparently the Brits are much more into cross stitch than Americans. At least, that's my anecdotal impression.

Exhibit A: To mark the release of the new Harry Potter movie, The Guardian provided fans with a cross stitch chart of Daniel Radcliffe. This came via the UK CrossStitcher Magazine, which does a Stitch a Star series.

Wow. The British Press Awards' Website of the Year actually thought it worthwhile to publish a cross stitch chart. Way cool - if only more of the US press thought in those terms...

(Oh, and Exhibit B is this).

Favorite Designers

Do you have a favorite designer? I would say that I don't necessarily have a specific fave, but I do have a group of designers that I tend to keep tabs on. These include, but certainly are not limited to, the following: Little House Needleworks, Bent Creek, Stoney Creek, Prairie Schooler, and Imaginating. Who are some of your faves? Do you follow them closely, or just check in occasionally? Let me know!

Hoffman Summer Online Showcase

Hoffman is having their annual SOS - Summer Online Showcase. It's a great time to check out a bunch of new designs, exclusives and more (including video from Frank Bielec of Mosey 'n Me and Trading Spaces fame). Take a look and prepare to add to your stash!

Anyone Out There?

So it's been a little over a month since I started this blog. I'm happy about that, but some feedback would be really useful at this point. As in... is anyone out there? Is anyone reading this and does anyone care? Am I doing something at all useful/helpful to the cross stitch community? I would love to hear from you if you have happened to stumble across my blog. My intention with this blog is to provide useful, practical information to new and experienced stitchers alike, and I hope I'm doing that. If you're paying any attention whatsoever... what topics would you like to see addressed? What would you like to see happen with the content and direction of this blog? Speak up and let me know, I'd love to hear from you!

History of Cross Stitch

If you'd like a brief overview of the history of cross stitch, you can of course check out the Wikipedia entry. Also be sure to check out the summaries here and here. There you have it, your history lesson for the day!

Cross Stitch and Gaming

I have to mention this because my husband is totally into gaming. There is a very cool site that combines our two hobbies, cross stitch and gaming! It's called Sprite Stitch. Read more about it here. Lots of freebies, too - looks like I'm going to have to go through and pick out something cute to stitch up for hubby!

Cross Stitch and Celebrity

Connie pointed out an interesting little blog entry by Silverlotus at Reflections in the Pond about the need for a cross stitch celebrity. Definitely food for thought! I tend to agree - a vocal, positive ambassador for the hobby we love would be great. But who? Volunteers?

Stitcher's Showcase

So I just created a profile at Stitcher's Showcase. I found out about it from Milly, and it looks like a great social networking site for stitchers! I'm looking forward to exploring it a bit more and enhancing my personal site there, but for now you can check out my profile at http://www.stitchersshowcase.com/profile/KathyWillis . Stitch On!

Non-standard stitching

If you're looking for something different than the typical stitching chart, something more unique... then you may want to consider stepping outside the box with subversive or radical cross stitch. It's not for everyone, but read about it here for an overview. Edited to add: And for another perspective on the whole subject, check out the post and discussion here.