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Designer Spotlight: Lola Crow Cross Stitch

March 7, 2024 by Sarah White

If you’re looking for cross stitch patterns with a gothic twist, you can find them at Lola Crow Cross Stitch. This Etsy seller based in Oregon describes their shop as having “adorably unusual cross stitch patterns” and I have to say I agree.

My daughter would love just about everything in this shop, from the creepy Christmas village (done as a stitchalong, it features six designs including a holiday tree decorated with skulls, a ghoulish set of carolers and a headless horse-drawn carriage, each one fitting in a 4-inch hoop so you can use them as ornaments) to the ghastly gnome in a poison garden. That one is 119 by 114 stitches (or 8.5 by 8.1 inches/21.6 by 20.7 centimeters on 14 count fabric) and uses 25 colors.

The pattern that caught my eye, though, which is shown above, is the greenhouse of oddities. This one was also done as a stitchalong but you can purchase the full pattern now. This one has so many cool details, from the wrought-iron greenhouse frames to a ton of different creepy plants, all of which are based on real, naturally occurring plants. There’s a corpse flower, of course, pitcher plants and other oddities that are poisonous, carnivorous, parasites and other weird plants.

You can also stitch in a scientist of your choice, as well as a skeleton, crows and other fun stuff. In all it uses 30 colors and measures 218 by 160 stitches, or 15.6 by 11.4 inches, which is 39.6 by 29.0 cm.

If you’re not into things that are quite that weird, they also have a series of cats in windows, not all of which are creepy (also reaching cats and cats in boxes, and some cats on shelves, too); chickens and goats; holiday patterns for Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas; and some cool (OK, maybe a little creepy, too) crows.

If you are or you stitch for someone who is a little on the darker side, these patterns are a lot of fun. Check them out at Lola Crow Cross Stitch.

[Photo: Lola Crow Cross Stitch]

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Have you read?

Everything You Need to Know About Embroidery Hoops

One of the most common supplies for cross stitch, aside from fabric, needles and floss, is an embroidery hoop. A hoop isn’t needed for every project, and indeed there are some stitchers who prefer not to use them at all. I generally don’t use a hoop when I’m working on a small cross stitch project, especially something that’s shape isn’t conducive to using a hoop (like a bookmark). 

But embroidery hoops can be really helpful for cross stitch because they hold your fabric at an even tension, which allows you to stitch more evenly without any more work on your part. It’s great for beginners to use hoops because the tension on the fabric can both help make your stitches more even and make the holes in the fabric a little easier to see. 

I’ll admit to always just buying whatever hoop is available in the right size when I’m ready to start a project without giving it much more thought than that. But there are things you should consider when choosing among the different kinds of hoops, which Caterpillar Cross Stitch covers in their great guide to embroidery hoops. 

The post walks you through wooden, plastic, spring tension and flexi hoops (which I’ll admit to having never heard of; they’re made of vinyl and plastic apparently), as well as Q-Snap frames, which aren’t really hoops because they’re made of plastic tubes that you snap together in the size and shape you need. 

It also covers what size hoop you should use for the project you’re working on and how to actually use a hoop in the right way. 

Whether you’re new to cross stitch or more seasoned, you’re sure to pick up a tip or a product to try in this post, so go check it out over at Caterpillar Cross Stitch. 

Do you have a favorite kind of embroidery hoop to use for cross stitch, or do you go without? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

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