Designer Spotlight: And Wabi Sabi

The two largest categories in And Wabi Sabi’s online shop are funny and relatable quotes and whimsical animals, which I think tells you about all you need to know as to whether this cross stitch designer is for you. But if those things sound like things you want to stitch, let’s take a closer look.

The quotes section includes a lot of things we see presented in cross stitch regularly (like “but did you die” or “have a nice poop”) with some twists like “live laugh leave by nine” and “this home is built on love and profanity.” If you like your stitching with a classic look but a snarky tone, this is a section you’ll want to scroll through.

Likewise whimsical animals gives us silly geese, funny dogs, adorable jungle animals and an otter in a teacup. Because why not? (There’s also a frog, bunny and a dog in teacups if you’d rather.)

This design uses 12 colors and is 47 by 53 stitches. On 14 count fabric it measures 3.07 by 3.5 inches, or 7.8 by 8.89 cm. It’s rated for beginners but it does use back stitch in addition to whole cross stitches.

There are also holiday patterns, for Christmas and Halloween, which tend to the cute side, such as a ghost in a pastel pumpkin patch of a smiling Christmas pudding.

Another big category is nature and cottagecore, where you’ll find a monstera, some puffy whit clouds, a rainbow and a bunch of floral designs, to name a few. The food and drinks section includes cute fruits and other foods, as well as kawaii food and drink labeled as for emotional support, such as the emotional support pickle.

You’ll also find a miscellany of some cute Korean designs, household items, whimsical cityscapes and more. Pattern bundles cover strawberries, animals in bathtubs or teacups, emotional support foods and snarky office humor. There’s also a handful of customizable patterns for wedding announcements.

Check out all the cuteness at And Wabi Sabi on Etsy.

[Photo: And Wabi Sabi]

One little cross stitch project that’s fun to make, use and give as a gift is a cross stitch keychain. There are lots of different styles of keychain you can make with a cross stitch element, so let’s take a look at a few ideas for a cross stitch keychain.

I love the long key fob style keychains as a medium for cross stitching. This lemon pattern from Stitched by Brook calls for 18 count fabric and comes out 6.9 inches long by 1.1 inches wide (that’s about 17.5 by 2.8 cm). It’s 125 by 21 stitches and uses five colors.

This floral keychain cross stitch pattern from (not so) Modern Millie is a great one because it walks you through how to turn your strip of cross stitch into a keychain using felt backing and some basic hardware. There’s a full shopping list in the project if you need help knowing what to buy.

You can also find cross stitch keychain kits that are like a little plastic frame for your stitching. This one from Rouge Stitchery is a full kit for the Home Sweet Home Keychain. The kit includes cross stitch fabric and thread, coordinating fabric for the back of your keychain and the keychain itself, as well as the pattern.

Another option is to stitch a shape and have your keychain be that shape. For example these double sided cat keychains from Hobbyist RAF, which include a tutorial video to help you put them together. Or how about some Poekmon cross stitch patterns designed for keychains, like these from Video Game X Stitch?

Of course you can also use any mini cross stitch pattern you like, or draw your own, to fit in the space of a purchased cross stitch keychain blank. I love these rounds ones from Rustic Reflectio Store, or you can stitch onto a blank like these from Wonder Stitch UA.

Have you read?

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