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!

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.

Text Generators

Coolest thing ever (well, one of them anyway): Online text generators for cross stitch projects, with a variety of font options. Rock on. I will totally be using this! Such a brilliant idea, why didn't I discover this sooner?!?!?!

Options include:

Option 1 [From Stitchpoint]
Option 2 [From crosstitch.com]
Option 3 [A Celtic style text generator]

Oh, and if you want other freebie alphabet options, there are many choices, among them those listed here.

Old and Out of Print Charts

If you're looking for old or out-of-print (OOP) charts, you have a few options.

One, of course, is eBay or other auction web sites, to see if someone has put the chart up for auction.

Another is The Old Stitch, a small company specializing in gently used cross stitch charts/books.

Adams Used Books is a similar service.

I haven't used any of these services personally, so I have no opinion about them one way or the other. But if you're desperate for a chart - and it's happened to all of us - then these might be worth checking out. Of course, you can also ask around - your LNS, your fellow stitchers, online forums, garage/yard sales, etc. can all be potential sources of a lead on a difficult-to-find chart.

Good luck and happy hunting!