Designer Spotlight: Stitchin Madness

Stitchin Madness is an Etsy shop based in California that has a lot of little cross stitch patterns on various themes that can be purchased separately or in bundles.

What originally caught my eye when scrolling through Etsy looking for designers to write about was their collection of United States National Park cross stitch patterns. You can buy the whole set of 63 parks, and there are design options that include just the image depicting each park (which measure 40 by 40 stitches each, or a little less than 3 inches/7.3 centimeters on 14 count fabric) or the image with the park’s name includes (that ups the size to 40 by 50, or 2.9 by 3.6 inches, which is 7.3 by 9.1 centimeters). To do the full set you’ll need 72 colors and a lot of time, but wouldn’t that be fun for someone who loves traveling the parks?

They also have a set of American state flag cross stitch patterns (though Mississippi isn’t the current flag) as well as American cities/attractions and international attractions as well.

But it’s not all tourism and state symbols here. There are also collections of insects (I love all the butterflies and moths!), mushrooms, planets, even a couple of holiday themed patterns and a few anatomical patterns with flowers (I’ll link those since you kind of need to see them to know what I’m talking about).

Most of the designs are small but they pack a lot of detail and look like lots of fun to stitch. If you’re American or from (or have visited) one of those international destinations, these patterns would be fun to stitch up as a sort of souvenir or record of places you’ve been, lived or want to travel to.

Check out all of their designs on Etsy. And if you have a shop, or have a favorite shop, that you’d like to see featured, you can send me the details by clicking on Suggest a DIY above and filling out the form.

[Photo: Stitchin Madness]

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Cross Stitch the National Parks in Tiny Form

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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