Designer Spotlight: Stitches Sew Beautiful

Super detailed, full coverage cross stitch designs are what you’ll find at the Etsy shop Stitches Sew Beautiful. Many of the designs are created from digital art (with permission from the original artist, of course) making the designs incredibly detailed and using lots of different colors.

These are definitely projects for experienced stitches who are up for a challenge. Not all of the patterns say how many colors would be needed but as an example that did, the pretty dragon pattern shown above calls for 100 colors. The design is 300 by 400 stitches. If my math works, on 14 count fabric it would be 21.4 by 28.5 inches, or 54.3 by 72.4 cm. But it’s gorgeous and definitely worth the work for a dragon lover. (By the way this is designed by ArtMariska/Maria Szollosi.)

A lot of the patterns tend toward fantasy. There are lots of dragons, fairies and angels, but also plenty of holiday themed projects (both Krampus and Santa, and a few other holidays, too).

Other than the holiday patterns, the designs are organized by the original artist, which means browsing is in order to see what all is available and what you might like to stitch. Bill Bell offers incredibly detailed, cartoonish city scenes that become a bit of a where’s Waldo scene looking at all the details that are included. Karla Gerard’s designs have more of a folk art feel, while Sphinx Design Studio brings a steampunk flair and a bit of pop culture, with designs inspired by “Wednesday,” “Good Omens” and the like.

I guess all of that is a long way of saying sharing one photo from this shop doesn’t do it justice or allow you to explore the variety of artists and styles represented. So go check out the shop on Etsy and find something you’ll love to stitch!

[Photo: Stitches Sew Beautiful]

Next Pattern:

35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

If you like seasonal samplers and cross stitch patterns with a primitive twist, you’ll enjoy the collection from Curious Carrie Designs.

You’ll find alphabet designs, biscornu, patriotic projects and more. The summer category is the largest on the storefront, with Americana and floral designs. There are also categories for the other seasons and more general designs.

One of my favorites is this pretty sunflower cross stitch pattern, which is shown styled as a biscornu but it wouldn’t have to be. The pattern features sunflowers and bees and a little beehive. It uses 12 colors of floss and each side of the pattern is 51 by 51 stitches, which comes out to 3.64 inches or 9.2 cm square.

I love the fabric she used for the sample, which she actually dyed purple herself, but it would also be pretty on a purchased light blue or other color if you don’t want to dye your own.

There’s also a whole set of themed biscornu with a four letter word on one side (crow, home, love and snow, to name a few) along with a seasonal pattern on the other side.

The shop has a rather small selection at around 90 patterns as of this writing, but it’s a nice collection of traditional looking designs heavy on samplers and biscornu designs, so if those are things you like you’ll want to be sure to check it out. Visit Curious Carrie Designs on Etsy to see all her pretty designs.

Are you a designer or do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t made it into the spotlight yet? (You can see all the featured designers in the craft businesses category on the page.) Let me know in the comments, or you can submit more detailed information by clicking on “suggest a craft” at the center top of the page.

[Photo: Curious Carrie Designs]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?