Designer Spotlight: Patterns by Anna11

I’ve mentioned before that sometimes when I pick designers to write about for this spotlight feature I leave myself notes about what I want to talk about. For Patterns by Anna11, I wrote “grumpy cat birthday.”

What I meant was that I wanted to talk about this cat cross stitch pattern of a pretty grumpy looking cat in a party hat and holding a balloon. This is pretty much how I feel about birthdays, so it caught my eye.

The project is 114 by 120 stitches, and it uses 21 colors. The pattern notes suggest the size for a few different sizes of fabric, but at 14 count it comes out to 8.2 by 8.6 inches, or 20.7 by 21.8 cm. The pattern uses only full stitches.

This project, while it delights me, isn’t actually that representative of what’s going on in this shop. There’s a lot of Disney and Harry Potter inspired projects, including a cool “magic letters” alphabet (there’s also at least part of a floral alphabet, a baby animal alphabet, as well as those using Stitch and Moana).

There are a bunch of pretty mushroom patterns, a variety of floral wreaths and other designs for wedding announcements, a super cute reading dragon, a set of Pokemon designs and more.

I don’t know that there’s a common thread that ties it all together. Lots of characters you’ll know in designs inspired by their looks in movies, but also other cute stuff, floral designs, nature and of course some Christmas designs as well.

You’ll have to go check it out at Patterns by Anna11 on Etsy to see if anything strikes your fancy.

And if there’s a cross stitch designer you love I haven’t featured yet, drop a note in the comments or send me their info through the form at the “submit a DIY” link up at the top of the page.

[Photo: Patterns by Anna11]

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Designer Spotlight: Mamida Pattern

Cross stitch is not a craft I generally travel with (since I’m not that good at it, I prefer not to be moving while I’m doing it) but I’m sure there are lots of stitchers who would like to take their projects with them when they travel.

Koekoek has a post all about cross stitching on a plane, which is a great plan since it’s lots of uninterrupted time to work. As mentioned in the post, you should be able to bring embroidery needles (which tend not to be that sharp anyway) on an airplane with you.

Regulations in the United States say that scissors with blades up to 4 inches/10 cm are allowed in the cabin, but whether they are allowed by security as you pass through it is up to their discretion. And thread cutters that use a razor blade are not supposed to be allowed at any time.

Alternatives include bringing nail clippers to snip your threads, or pre-cutting thread and placing it on bobbins so you can stitch on the plane. Then pack scissors in your checked bag so you can cut any loose ends or extra long strands later.

Check out the post at Koekoek for more tips on traveling with cross stitch and suggestions for projects to pack when traveling. I’ve also written in the past about this post from Caterpillar Cross Stitch about traveling with cross stitch supplies and, importantly, what to do to make your screening as smooth as possible. And, importantly, what to do if the security agents question your supplies or want to confiscate anything you brought.

And that’s a great tip, too: if you are packing scissors in your carry on but you’re also checking a bag, pack extras there just in case.

Do you have any tips for traveling with cross stitch projects? I’d love to hear them. Also check out my post about planning a travel stitching kit.

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