Get Inspired by Three-Dimensional Cross Stitch Projects

Sirious Stitches does a lot of great deep dives into different cross stitching techniques and genres, and I’m so glad they do because it sometimes opens my eyes up to things that I didn’t even know existed.

Such is the case with this post of ways to make dimensional objects with crochet. Sure, I knew about things like biscornu and have seen boxes and other shapes made with cross stitch, but I guess I didn’t realize there were so many options for ways to add a three dimensional element to cross stitch.

You definitely should make some time to scroll through the post because it’s super inspiring. I kept going, “oh I need to try that,” or “I need to make one of those!” while I was reading, and you probably will, too.

The general categories of dimensionality included in the post are:

single pieces of fabric that are folded and stuffed (like the tea bags shown in the photo above)
two pieces of fabric sewn together and stuffed (that’s biscornu, to give just one example)
using pieces of cross stitch to wrap cardboard or plastic to make boxes or other forms
wrapped plastic canvas, which is the same idea but with plastic canvas inside instead of cardboard
wrapped cardboard designs, which are similar to the above but make sort of exploding boxes or bags where the sides open out
wrapped Styrofoam
cross stitch with fabric elements such as making baubles or adding beads
using the stitching itself to make 3D designs (or the illusion of 3D)
stitching on plastic canvas
layering elements to give a 3D look
stitching on perforated paper
other 3D sculptural techniques

Like I said, there’s a lot of ground covered here, and it’s a post full of photos that should get you excited about what’s possible with making a cross stitch project look 3D.

Why are we still talking about it? Head to Sirious Stitches to see all the inspiring ideas.

[Photo: Sirious Stitches]

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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